Neo Cab manages to interweave a well-built cyberpunk dystopia with a cast of memorable characters, delivering an impactful story-driven experience.
A good cyberpunk dystopia is not made by its otherworldly moments. Instead, it is how it ties its core concepts into a grounded reality based on realistic characters, as seen in such icons as Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell. This is where Neo Cab thrives, delivering a future fifteen minutes from now that feels both alien and worryingly familiar.
Neo Cab is a narrative-driven survival game from developer Chance Agency. Set in a near-future that apes the neon-tinged tones of other cyberpunk worlds, Neo Cab is not quite as distant, or as vicious, as some of its contemporaries, but nonetheless it understands better than most what lies at the core of the sub-genre. Cyberpunk is in the subtlety, that insidious nature of technology and how it relates to human relationships.
Neo Cab's world is a near-perfect representation of this. In its universe, a company called Capra is slowly taking over as a tech monopoly, gaining control at first via exciting tech opportunities before becoming a vital part of overall infrastructure. It's a sharp look at how certain companies already hold a similar role in modern society, turned up to eleven within a specific frame of reference.
Neo Cab frames itself around a real-world analogy and uses this to explore the nature of monopoly, capitalism, and progress that may not be for the benefit of all. The player is cast as one of the few remaining human cab drivers, and the last in the city of Los Ojos, with the Neo Cab company acting as an allegory for Uber facing down against the threat of self-driving vehicles.
From here, Neo Cab asks some difficult questions about how far our existence can be changed – for the worse – by apparent progress. Already, player character Lina struggles to get by, relying on keeping a four star rating from her passengers on a day-by-day basis to maintain a living, while searching for a missing best friend and uncovering some dark secrets along the way.
It’s an incisive critique of the gig economy, with the player needing to navigate being a good driver and a front-seat counsellor, all the while glancing at a new piece of wearable tech that indicates her mood. Balancing this with trying to propel forward the investigation into your missing friend is sometimes a challenge, with the player needing to make some tough choices as to whether they pick up that extra fare for the night or try to do a bit more digging.
At times it straddles the lines of Not Tonight or Papers, Please, by focusing on the desperation of needing a job and not perhaps liking how this sits in a society on the brink. There's a tension to its mundane moments, meaning that even when Lina is not on the case there's still a requirement to stay focused. Neo Cab as not as difficult as either of the aforementioned games, but its greater emphasis on on dialogue and narrative means that it doesn’t have to be.
It is also very different in tone. Rather than the overbearing darkness of Papers, Please or the extremely dark comedy of Not Tonight, there's a humanity that propels Neo Cab. The passengers you pick up are a joy, each feeling different and each helping to delve further into the plots of the game.
Indeed, there are multiple plots to be found here, with one playthrough never leaving enough time to get to the bottom of each character. This means that it is ripe for repeat plays, both thanks to its relatively brief runtime and just how fascinating it is to see how each character's story plays out. Meanwhile, the odd meta hint from characters that there's more to uncover will leave users coming back for more.
Its cast is varied and interesting, from a queen of quantum theory, to a devotee to a worm god that feeds on misery, all the way to an ex-con returning to a city so different from how it was the last time he was home. They all interweave into this gorgeous snapshot of a nearby future, each interacting with Lina in different ways and therefore adding a little bit of variety to what could otherwise be a quite simplistic and repetitive gameplay experience.
What makes it work is the fantastic writing. There’s depth to each character, and the player’s interactions with them feel very genuine. There’s an authenticity to be found in Neo Cab, and it’s a good thing given how narrative-driven this game is.
Neo Cab straddles the line between the interactive novel and a survival game, providing much more flexibility than the former with a lax attitude to challenge that stops the survival elements from becoming overbearing. Mostly, Neo Cab understands the importance of player choice, so those who found the character interactions of Mass Effect or The Walking Dead the most interesting aspects of those games will find a lot to enjoy here.
Neo Cab does have its weaknesses, though. It's a short and sweet game, and on repeat plays the limitations may become apparent thanks to its pure emphasis on character interaction. Some might be left hoping that there was more control, although it should hold sufficient charm to keep those who prize character and story over action entertained.
What's more, Chance Agency has definitely made wise decisions on where to focus its resources. Its writing is matched by its bold art style, while its synthwave-tinged score perfectly matches the overall feel of Los Ojos as a city and the overall feel of the game. It's a clean, sterile, and haunted world, and one that doesn't quite gel with the flaws of its characters.
Neo Cab is an excellent but niche video game. Its clever, tightly-woven story is expertly paced, while it includes some of the best character interactions of the year. It's certainly not a game for everyone, but those with patience will find a lot to love.
Neo Cab releases October 3, 2019 for PC and Nintendo Switch, and is out now for Apple Arcade. Screen Rant was provided with a PC download code for the purposes of this review.