THE BUS Preview for Steam Early Access

The Bus, by developer TML Studios and publisher Aerosoft, is a realistic driving game that takes place in Germany, in which players play as a bus driver. The only objective in the game is to explore Germany while picking up and dropping off citizens on your bus. This realistic driver game was a really fun game that was really relaxing and calming.

Players start off at a bus station, as they board their very own bus. The first thing that I noticed was how realistic the bus design looked. The dashboard, steering wheels, and overall look of the bus were very detailed. After boarding your own bus, players open their doors to passengers that want to board. After letting all the passengers board, players are given a tutorial on how to start their bus and start driving!

The controls themselves were not too complicated but were quite hard to remember. After starting the bus, drivers are finally able to start driving! In real life, I have started driving and am learning how to drive on the streets. This game was a lot harder than actual driving, most likely due to a slight delay in the game. Besides that, I really enjoyed how accurate the game was, using actual breaking mechanics and stuff like that.

As for game length, the only current game mode that is available is free roam. This is an endless game mode that allows players to pick up as many passengers as they want. Being in Early Access, I’m sure that more game modes, such as races and time trials, would be a great idea to add more content to The Bus! I did enjoy how relaxing the game was, it was a great way to take a break from my stressful school life!

I only had one problem with The Bus. The graphics in this game weren’t the best and took away from the realistic aspect of the game. Sure, the dashboard and streets were well rendered, but the character models and background images were poorly rendered and looked very pixilated. That was the only thing that took away, in my eyes, from the great game!

Though The Bus was short in its current Early Access state, the gameplay was amazing. A realistic driver is a great change to have, especially if players are driving a larger bus instead of a race car. I really enjoyed The Bus, and look forward to more game mods and additions by the developers.