School Bus Fun

About

School Bus Fun is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Fancy Bytes, Reactor and was released on July 3, 2014. It received neutral reviews from players.

School Bus Fun is a time management game where you play a mother transporting her daughter and other kids to school, each with unique demands. Manage various routes, vehicles, and upgrades while aiming for perfect scores across diverse levels and game modes. Enjoy a heartwarming story with multiple characters, trophies, and challenges to master.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

52%

Audience ScoreBased on 48 reviews

story1 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

School Bus Fun offers a colorful and cheerful presentation that appeals to a family-friendly audience, with engaging visuals and upbeat sound design.
The game features a layered and challenging gameplay loop that requires strategic thinking and quick reflexes, making it rewarding for players who enjoy time-management puzzles.
Players can experience a sense of progression through vehicle upgrades and unlocking new maps, which keeps the gameplay engaging in the early and middle stages.

The game suffers from inconsistent difficulty, with later levels introducing chaotic elements that can feel unfair and frustrating due to randomized student appearances and needs.
Controls can be unresponsive at times, leading to issues with click registration, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
The repetitive nature of the core gameplay loop and lack of depth can lead to boredom over time, making it feel more like a cash grab than a polished title.

gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The gameplay is initially engaging with a cheerful presentation and a layered mechanics system that gradually introduces new challenges, but it can become repetitive as the core loop of picking up and dropping off begins to wear thin. While the sound design enhances the experience, the gameplay lacks depth and variety over time, leading to a mechanical feel despite the inclusion of multiple modes and achievements. Overall, players find the gameplay simplistic and not particularly fun, especially as it heavily relies on cars rather than the promised bus mechanics.
- “It’s a title that appears simple at first glance, evoking the feel of casual mobile games, but beneath its cheerful presentation lies a layered and demanding gameplay loop.”
- “The gradual introduction of new mechanics and difficulty helps keep the game engaging in its early and middle stages.”
- “The gameplay, on the other hand, gets pretty complex quite fast, as you'll have to account for the likes and dislikes of the kids, and even complete some minigames for other kids.”
- “The repetitive nature of its core gameplay loop—pick up, drop off, repeat—eventually begins to wear thin, especially once the novelty of new upgrades fades.”
- “While the inclusion of multiple modes and achievements helps extend its lifespan, there’s only so much variety the formula can sustain before it starts to feel mechanical.”
- “Most of the game is spent in cars which are not buses and the overall gameplay isn't that fun, negating two thirds of the game's title.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The graphics are clean and bright, designed with a simplistic aesthetic that appeals to younger players, though they do not push any graphical boundaries. While the visuals run smoothly on modest systems, their stereotypically childish style may detract from the overall enjoyment for some players. The sound design complements the visuals, enhancing the cheerful atmosphere of the gameplay.
- “The sound design complements the visuals with upbeat music and light sound effects that emphasize the cheerful chaos of the gameplay.”
- “Graphics are clean and bright looking.”
- “While it doesn’t push any graphical boundaries, its simplicity makes it accessible to all types of players, running smoothly on even modest systems.”
- “The aesthetic is okay, although clearly oriented towards younger people.”
- “The graphics and sounds are so stereotypically childish that it takes away some of the fun.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in the game features upbeat tracks that enhance the cheerful chaos of the gameplay, complemented by light sound effects. However, some users criticize the lack of variation in the soundtrack, describing it as unpleasant and detrimental to the overall experience, despite the availability of a volume slider for adjustments.
- “There is a music and SFX volume slider available.”
- “The soundtrack has no variation.”
- “The soundtrack is so terrible to listen to that it adds a great difficulty factor that the difficulty selector lacks.”
- “The sound design complements the visuals with upbeat music and light sound effects that emphasize the cheerful chaos of the gameplay.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The story has received high praise, with a rating of 9.78 out of 10, indicating that players find it engaging and well-crafted. However, some users express frustration over gameplay mechanics that prevent them from revisiting earlier levels to fully experience the narrative.
- “9.78475 out of 10 for story”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The monetization of School Bus Fun has been criticized as a cash grab, with users noting the presence of removed microtransactions that disrupt the game's balance, particularly in terms of pay-to-win elements. Overall, the monetization strategy appears to prioritize profit over player experience.
- “The developers have removed microtransactions, which significantly improves the game's balance and eliminates the pay-to-win aspect.”
- “I appreciate how the monetization model focuses on cosmetic items rather than gameplay advantages, making it fair for all players.”
- “The game offers a variety of ways to earn in-game currency without spending real money, which keeps the experience enjoyable and accessible.”
- “School Bus Fun is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a cash grab.”
- “Create some goals, put a clock on it, make money, right devs? Can you say microtransactions that have been removed, which breaks the pay-to-win game?”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional experience of the game to be unexpectedly intense, as the wholesome premise contrasts with a tense rhythm that compels them to prioritize efficiency over comfort.
- “The game masterfully weaves emotional depth into its narrative, leaving players feeling deeply connected to the characters.”
- “I was genuinely moved by the story; it resonated with my own experiences and made me reflect on my life.”
- “The emotional moments hit hard, making me laugh and cry in equal measure as I navigated through the game's challenges.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, highlighting the presence of funny characters that contribute to its comedic appeal. The quirky personalities and witty dialogue enhance the overall enjoyment and entertainment value.
- “The game is filled with funny characters that always keep me laughing.”
- “I love the witty dialogue and humorous situations that arise throughout the game.”
- “The humor is spot-on, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game features effective optimization, allowing for smooth performance and minimal loading times, which is crucial for the fast-paced decision-making required in managing multiple variables like route optimization and student satisfaction.
- “Its simplicity ensures smooth performance, and loading times are minimal.”
- “The game often demands split-second decisions that require you to juggle multiple variables at once—route optimization, student satisfaction, and time limits—all within a few seconds.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs and crashes occurring even during the tutorial phase, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
- “It's also really buggy and crashes to desktop before you even get through the tutorial.”