It’s hard to remember a time when simulation titles didn’t cover every conceivable vehicle and occupation. And that’s not stopping anytime soon, with new simulator Bus Bound announced for PC and consoles by publishers Saber Interactive, and developers stillalive studios, who previously created Bus Simulator 16, 18 and 21.
After a bit of a break, a new game will be released for the PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. “With Bus Bound, we focused on making the core experience—how the bus feels, how the city engages with the player—fun in a way that’s easy to pick up for new players while still engaging for our core audience,” said Julian Mautner, Studio Head of stillalive studios.
Which means you’ll be able to explore Emberville, a full simulated and densely inhabited town which will mean navigating the dynamic traffic system, a day and night cycle, plus weather conditions as you transport passengers around in a choice of more than a dozen officially-licensed buses, including the New Flyer Xcelsior 40ft CNG and the Blue Bird Sigma.
Driving alone or in multiplayer co-op with up to three friends, you’ll unlock new routes, upgrade stops, earn perks and see the city evolve over time into a more pedestrian-friendly urban environment, as well as being able to use the goodwill from your passengers to get new buses, and updgrade parts and visuals.
There’s no price or exact release date available yet, but it’s probably not too far away given the announcement and details. Hopefully the multiplayer will be cross-platform, as that definitely helps to expand the potential playerbase.
The three previous bus games from stillalive were published by Astragon Entertainment, so it’s interesting to see if the time since the 2021 title and the switch to Saber Interactive has resulted in big changes. And compared to the release of the original OMSI back in 2011, Bus Bound faces more competition, including The Bus. But the input of Saber, developers and publishers of Roadcraft and SnowRunner could help in making a more sedate driving experience accessible, and most importantly, fun.
Bus Bound will be available for the PC and you can wishlist it now via Steam. You can also add it to your list for the PS5 via the PlayStation Store, and the Xbox Series X|S via the Microsoft Store. Plus, you can keep up with the latest news, updates and more, here.
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