Frankly, the downloadable title Tourist Bus Simulator is not going to have you holding on to the edge of your seat. In contrast, it’s more likely to point you in the direction of the nearest pitstop, to drown away the sorrows by slugging down a cold one or two. Despite the sheer lack of a thrill-ride throughout, it does have some interesting manage-based concepts, as well as a large-scale map to explore. Word of caution though, driving under the influence of boredom is against the law.
How to Download Tourist Bus Simulator
You can download Tourist Bus Simulator from Steam (the game was released on December 6, 2018). To start, press the button located at the end of the review. If you like bus driving sims, be sure also to check out and download:
- Bus Simulator 16 and 18 from astragon Entertainment,
- Bus Driver (2007) from SCS Software,
- Bus Driver Simulator 2019 from Kishmish Games,
- Army Bus Driving 2018 from 3 BeesStudio,
- and Fernbus Simulator (2016)Â from TML-Studios, the same company which is behind Tourist Bust Simulator
The Game Review: Not Nearly, The ride of Your Life
Tourist Bus Simulator isn’t going to win any coveted prizes for offering the most fun ever in a video game, just throwing that out there. Indeed, it does have its moments, but ultimately, the gameplay is too labor intensive. Consequently, it feels more like a chore or a slog, rather than a privilege to play, and this fact becomes all too much to bear. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself grinding to a halt in no time at all. But that’s enough of the cliché’s; it’s time to talk motors.
The Good
Let’s start by citing some of the positives, shall we? This drive-management sim takes place on one of the Canary Islands, known as Fuerteventura. Thankfully, the map is probably the games best feature, and it does lift the experience to some degree.
Now then, the attention to detail here is decent. Granted, it’s not a brick-for-brick reflection, but it recreates 20 real-life cities and tourist hotspots in addition to various points of interest and historical landmarks. Further still, this level of accuracy even filters down into the backstreets, unpaved tracks and snake-like roads of this tapered island. Credit where credit’s due, there’s a fair amount of detail, and some challenging terrain to tackle.
Another plus is the inclusion of authentic, fully-licensed vehicles used in reality, on the Canary Islands. After all, if you plan on becoming the best lift service provider known to man, you’re going to need a killer set of wheels. Thankfully, the game has you covered in this respect. Tourist Bus Simulator allows the player to choose from an extensive array of bus designs including off-road and service types. Also available is the MAN Lion’s Coach in a variety of models.
Tourist Bus Simulator: What is Actually Bad
Tourist Bus Simulator works as a management sim, there are no actual staff members to interact with, and most of the daily tasks operate from behind a desk. Which by the way, opens to you, after an excruciating tutorial that lasts well over the hour-mark.
This office acts as your hub of operations. Here, you’ll manage revenue, expenditure and any services used. Additionally, you can hire drivers to run the tour buses, or shuttle runs. These tend to come from hotels who offer out exclusive contracts with your company, provided you have the necessary street cred.
Also, you can offer up apartments to encourage new drivers to join your ranks, in turn, this elevates the status of your company. Better still, the acquisition of a tour guide increases capital and mechanics remain a vital part of life on the road.
Unfortunately, the painfully complex control-system and drab player interface make the game tough to stick out. That said, the ends don’t justify the means. To coincide with this is the off-kilter physics and sluggish animation, both of which are for lack of a better word, poor.
