Bustories
- April 19, 2018
- Nikita P.
Get on Steam"Bustories" is a visual novel bus simulator where you are the passenger, not the driver. The game features different companions for each trip, offering unique conversations and experiences. Every journey is slightly different, with the player able to sort through game ideas or observe the world outside as they travel.
Reviews
- The art style is clean and cute, contributing to a pleasant visual experience.
- The game features unique characters and interesting stories, providing a glimpse into the lives of various passengers.
- The concept of managing hunger and thirst while listening to stories adds a unique twist to the gameplay.
- The game suffers from poor technical implementation, including lack of resolution options and low-quality graphics.
- The dialogue is often poorly translated, leading to grammatical issues and a lack of coherence in the stories.
- Gameplay is shallow and repetitive, with no meaningful interaction or choices, making it feel monotonous.
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing the lack of resolution options and customization, leading to a perception of low-quality, simplistic visuals reminiscent of low-effort flash games. However, some players appreciate the clean and cute art style, noting that the graphics are decent and that each character is uniquely designed. Overall, the visuals do not meet the high standards typically expected from PC games.
“The art style is clean and cute.”
“The game has decent graphics and a soundtrack with various tunes to pick from (or mute), and each character you encounter is unique.”
“There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
“There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
“The game features somewhat lazy, simplistic 2D/MS-Paint graphics, of the type you normally expect to see in low-effort Flash/browser games.”
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being bland and poorly written, with characters' narratives feeling unengaging and lacking depth. Despite initial intrigue, the execution suffers from bad translation and nonsensical language, leading to a disappointing overall experience. Players express a desire for more meaningful interactions or reflections on the stories told, which could have enhanced the gameplay.
“While it may seem as if you just need to sit out someone until the next bus stop, in actuality each character will have to finish their story before you get to the next stop.”
“I would have preferred to have my character maybe reflect on the story having been told or have that affect what was in the stores.”
“If you actually only had until the next bus stop to finish a story, there'd be a lot more to this game, and I could overlook the bad translation, but together they make this a game I cannot in good faith recommend.”
“They used big words which made you think at first this might be a good little mini story game, but after a while, poorly written sentences would appear and words that don't even exist.”
“There's 7-8 strangers and each story is as bland as the next.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for being excessively dull and lacking engaging mechanics, leading to a lack of player interest. The interaction primarily revolves around clicking to progress dialogue, which negatively impacts hunger and thirst meters, making the eating and drinking mechanics feel out of place. Overall, players find the gameplay uninviting and uninspired.
“Most boring game I've ever played in my entire life - the premise is just outrageously boring with no mechanics that at least encourage you to pay attention to the dialogue or the game for more than 30 seconds - 0/10 don't waste money on this.”
“The gameplay element here is that each time you click to progress a line of dialogue, the hunger and thirst meters go down.”
“Primarily, the eating/drinking/pooping mechanic seems out of place.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's music is described as decent and relaxing, featuring a variety of tunes that enhance the experience, while the unique characters add to its charm. Players appreciate the option to mute the soundtrack if desired.
“The game has decent graphics and a soundtrack with various tunes to pick from (or mute), and each character you encounter is unique.”
“Quite relaxing, nice music, quirky characters... however, I am hungry now xd”
“The music in the game is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short while.”
“The soundtrack doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“The audio quality of the music is subpar, and it often feels out of place during key moments in the game.”
