The Bus

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a game by	TML-Studios
Platform:	PC (2021)
Mode	Single-player and multiplayer
Setting	A detailed recreation of Berlin, Germany, focusing on public transportation routes
Gameplay	Bus driving simulation focusing on realistic vehicle operation, passenger interaction, and route management
Playable Characters	Bus drivers, with the player assuming the role of an operator within the public transport system
Graphics	Realistic 3D graphics with attention to detail in vehicle models and urban environments
Editor Rating:	8/10, based on 2 reviews
User Rating:	6.2/10 - 21 votes
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See also:	Simulator Games, Download Transport Simulation Games

Please take notice that the version of The Bus I am talking about today is a game that is still in early access. If you go to the official site or steam, you can see what they have planned for the game as it “drives” along development. So far, I think that this is showing a great deal of promise. I have played other bus simulators before and this one has the makings of something that could be very special.

Taking People Where They Need To Go

As I write this, you do not have much to actually do in The Bus. The game takes place in Berlin and it is a 1:1 recreation which is very impressive. At the moment we are just working our routes. However, from what I understand, eventually, the idea is that you will have a fleet of buses and pretty much control the public transport sector that is on the roads of the city of Berlin. I think that it sounds like it is going to be a great deal of fun once it is implemented in the game.

Four Ways To Go!

Again, The Bus is in early access as I am writing this. While they have done a great job in recreating the city of Berlin here. At the moment, we only have four routes in the game that we can drive. These are pretty long routes so it will take you a while to master the roads. However, the game can be extended as you can play routes that have been created by other players. While there is not a great deal of content here as I write this, what is here is a lot of fun.

The Wheels On The Bus

There is going to be many styles of bus available once the game is complete, but at the moment The Bus only has a handful of very realistic looking and well detailed buses for us to drive. The attention to detail here is just fantastic and while I was going to just talk about how well done the buses are. Everything in this game looks great! It is one of the best looking simulator style games that I have ever played and the crazy thing is that they are still working on the game.

Hold On To The Hand Rail

One of the drawbacks that The Bus has at the moment is that it is not quite running as smoothly as I feel it should and could. To be fair, this already in the early access state that it is in, looks amazing as I just said. However, it does come at a cost and that cost is a bit of a jerky framerate. It is not a constant issue to be fair, but when it does happen, it can be quite jarring. I have also noticed a little bit of pop-in. To be fair, these issues that I have had may be down to my computer and the fact that the game is still being worked on right now.

If you enjoy simulators and especially those that let you drive buses, The Bus is a game that I am very confident you will enjoy. I have spent around five hours with the early access version of the game and I am extremely excited to see what the next update for this game is going to bring. It does have a couple of technical issues, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it is probably because the game is in early access. I do not feel comfortable giving the game a score grade just yet as it is still a little bit away from being done.

Pros:

You can drive through a 1:1 recreation of Berlin
The game looks incredible
There are four large routes you can drive through
The roadmap for what is to come looks very exciting

Cons:

The current early access build does not have a ton of content
The game did have a few technical issues while I was playing it

Overall rating: 8

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System requirements:

PC compatible
Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

The Bus is a relaxing sim game that lets you drive a city bus around the routes of Berlin. The realistic simulator offers buses that match the real ones used in Berlin—minus the branding—and an accurate portrait of Berlin itself. If you’re a fan of detailed simulators and were looking for one that puts you behind the wheels of a city bus, this game is it.

Incredible Sound

The sound design is out of this world. The rain sounds realistic, the creaks and odd groans that buses always make are present as you drive around the city. Even small details like the sound of you flipping switches, turning the engine on, or using the brakes are all very realistic. The weather continues to be smooth with the rain slowly stopping, and things like daytime slowly fading into night. The world and the atmosphere is very well done.

Beautiful Graphics

Most sims aren’t well known for having high quality graphics. Although there are other Bus sims such as Bus Simulator 18 that have decent graphics, The Bus manages to give itself an edge with their unique take on the world. The Developers of The Bus made a full 1:1 scale map of Berlin, allowing people to visit it down to some very fine details. On top of this, realistic weather makes the game a lot more atmospheric, especially when it rains. To make things even better, it’s possible to sync the game’s weather to the actual weather in Berlin at the time of playing the game. That means if it is raining in Berlin, it will be raining in your game too. This is a pretty novel idea for a simulator, and provides a really unique option.

AI Traffic is Well Done

It’s not just you on the busy streets of Berlin. AI guided traffic, including both vehicles and pedestrians, also makes going along your route challenging. It’s possible to get blocked in by other cars, and have to think to get out of situations created by the AI in the game.

Still in Beta

The Bus is still in early release, despite years of work from the developer. This is in part due to the massive size of the game. The plans is to eventually have several different types of buses and bus routes, as well as the ability to free roam Berlin. While some of these features are there, the game hasn’t quite reached its full potential yet.

This is a very nice simulator game. It has a few unique options that separate it from similar bus simulators. The graphics and sound are much better than average sims, making the game an all around good experience. At this time, the game is not complete and somewhat limited in what you can do. This should improve with time.

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