Indiecade has come to a close for another year and the convention unveiled a number of interesting games. One game that was shown off at Indiecade is Neo Cab. Neo Cab was developed by Fellow Traveller and tackles the issue of increased automation in standard jobs through the lens of a cab driver named Lina.
Neo Cab focuses on a young woman named Lina who is the last human driver-for-hire in a city dominated by autonomous cars. The Indiecade page states that the player must, “Hold on to humanity in a world overcome by automation. Play as Lina, the last human driver-for-hire on the streets of Los Ojos. Your friend and only lifeline has gone missing; with no money and nowhere to stay, the only thing you can do is keep driving.” The game starts out with Lina driving a passenger to Los Ojos, a city dominated by a rival drive-for-hire company called Capra, which uses automated cars instead of people. Lina drops off the passenger and picks up an old friend who gives the player a gift, a Feel Grid bracelet which functions in a similar manner to a mood ring, except that it actually works. Lina drops off her friend so that she can run an errand before they move in together and takes another job. However, something has happened to her friend and now, with no place to go, the player must continue to take passengers while managing their emotional and financial wellbeing.
During my playthrough of Neo Cab, I found the game had an incredibly engaging story with many interesting mechanics and dialogue choices. The previously mentioned Feel Grid acts as the mechanic that allows players to see how they are feeling. Throughout my playthrough, I had to keep track of my emotions, my money, the battery of my car, and my rating while driving through the city and trying to keep myself together. It was an incredibly engaging game with a great narrative. Neo Cab is currently available right now on PC, Apple Arcade, and Nintendo Switch.