Neo Cab has a demo now, and launches in October

You can today hop behind the wheel of the final human-driven taxis in our near-future in a new demo for Neo Cab. That's the chat-o-driver we've cooed at a few times since its announcement in 2018, and it's finally almost here. As well as releasing the demo, developers Chance Agency today announced a release date of October 3rd. Have a peek in the new trailer below.

There we are, living in Los Ojos, trying to make ends meet by driving for Uber-esque taxi app that's mostly powered by robocars. The work is draining, the pay is bad, the passengers can be delightful or awful, and god help you if your star rating drops too long. It's a game of meeting people, maybe getting to know them, maybe really getting drawn into their lives, balancing your personal needs with money's demands, and just trying to survive while the future attempts to replace you.

Our Alice Bee had a wee play herself back in March, dipping into the tides of passengers.

"I had to refuel my cab to keep working, spending some of the precious money I'd earned giving Gideon a lift, and someone called Azul jumped into my car without warning. They'd been hit by a Capra cab and wanted to flee the scene, so I obliged. Azul is still fighting for a public city, against the corporations. They're also one of several characters who essentially become locations in the game, always available to pick up. Then I picked up two German tourists who were convinced Lina was a very advanced robot rather than a human being. It was a mood change, an up and down and up, a bit unbalancing, but in a good way. How many people must Lina meet, and never see again?"

The demo is available now on Steam, which is where the full game will launch on October 3rd. It'll be on Windows and Mac for $15.

Disclosure: One of the folks wriitng Neo Cab's passenger stories is Leigh Alexander, who once had a column with us. I also went on a swimming adventure way up the Thames with her. I became unreasonably riled by a horse. It wasn't a good look.