VR Gaming

50 Days of PS VR #47: The Modern Zombie Taxi Co.

, & Jamie Feltham

27 August 2016

50 Days of PS VR #47: The Modern Zombie Taxi Co.

47 days to go! We’re counting down to the release of PlayStation VR on October 13th by highlighting one game a day for the anticipated headset. Today we’re showcasing the zombie apocalypse as you’ve never seen it before with The Modern Zombie Taxi Co.

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Crazy Taxi VR may only exist in our dreams, but we’re okay with that thanks to the work of indie developer Vitei Backroom and the team at Sony’s Santa Monica Studio. Together, the pair are working on The Modern Zombie Taxi Co., a frantic new PlayStation VR title with an arcade twist and hordes of humor.

Picture the scene; it’s a dark, misty night and you’re just a little on edge. A grim chill sweeps through the city and you’re quite content to remain behind the wheel of your car. Off in the distance, you see a silhouette slowly start to emerge from the fog. It shambles its way up to your vehicle, opens the passenger door, and climbs in. You turn round to look at it, and it stares back before politely telling you: “I’m off to the pub.”

To the pub it is.

https://youtu.be/0c0kdIFijtg

Modern Zombie takes place in a world in which the zombies have won. They’ve claimed the planet by eating away at the human race. But, with fresh meat and brains now a thing of the past, do they all just starve and waste away? No, they of course evolve into a civilized race of sentient beings, much like the planet’s previous occupants, only a bit more able to walk off a car crash. Zombies don’t make for fast walkers, though, so it’s your job to get them around town as quickly as possible.

Judging by the game’s trailer, this could be slapstick VR at its finest. The zombies don’t seem to have grasped the concept of seat belts yet, so they’ll be flung around the car as you race through the streets, crashing into trees and slamming on the breaks. You can even punch the undead yourself using the DualShock 4’s position tracked controls should they get too close.

In case it wasn’t clear: The Modern Zombie Taxi Co. doesn’t take itself too seriously. In fact, it runs with its ridiculous setup; environments are littered with things to break and zombies to hit. Take a trip to the park and catapult children into the air, play a game of chicken with a double decker bus, or simply drive into a zombie’s front door to ring their doorbell.

If it can nail the control scheme then there’ll be depth to go with Modern Zombie‘s comedy too. Putting your foot to the pedal to reach objectives in time, navigating heavy traffic and getting away with near misses can be some of the most thrilling experiences in gaming, so hopefully this will offer plenty of them.

We’re also hoping to see plenty of different modes — the trailer hints at races and combat — as well as different vehicles and a whole host of levels. If the developers can deliver all of that, then our thirst for SEGA’s classic arcade taxi racer may well be satisfied.

We haven’t heard much from this one since it was announced at last year’s PlayStation Experience, though we’re hoping to see more when PlayStation VR launches in just a few months’ time.