The Last Taxi is a narrative-driven adventure game set in Progress Point, a politically and economically-divided sprawling metropolis that has fully embraced automation and human modification, creating a satirical and somberly-surreal vision of the future.
As the last human driver, you’ll meet a diverse cast of passengers, each with their own tailored conversations. Be drawn into morally challenging decisions that lead you into the heart of a dying society.
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Join us here on Steam Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 2 pm CST (02-22-22 @ 2!) and Friday, Feb. 25th at 3 pm CST for NEXT FEST as we broadcast our demo of The Last Taxi!
We'll be digging through all the game's conversation threads and answering your questions so if there's something you want to know, be sure to tune in!
Watch both streams to see the conversations and characters you may not know yet, but will certainly love - this demo won't be the same every playthrough!
We hope to see you there!
We're Going Live!
Join us here on Steam Tuesday, Feb. 22nd at 2 pm CST (02-22-22 @ 2!) for NEXT FEST as we broadcast our demo of The Last Taxi!
We'll be digging through all the game's conversation threads and answering your questions so if there's something you want to know, be sure to tune in!
Can't make it on the 22nd? We'll be live again on Friday, Feb. 25th at 3 pm CST!
Watch both streams to see the conversations and characters you may not know yet, but will certainly love - this demo won't be the same every playthrough!
We hope to see you there!
- ZenFri Team
So You Want To Visit The Ortus Commune
We get it - there’s a lot of money to be made by ferrying around members of the Ortus cult. Compared to your average Progress Point denizen, Ortus members are the kookier clientele. A mixed bag of harmless degenerates and armed survivalists. But with all cult folk being banned from auto-taxis, you can find your niche. One driver’s illegality is another driver’s opportunity for profit.
Before you jump headfirst into their wild world of fish, furs and feral fervour, here are some tips to leaving their dominions in one piece.
The Mystery Leaves With The Passenger
Ortus followers are experienced proselytizers and spend countless hours trying to get everyone who will listen to join their baffling cause. Some would joke that they could persuade water bears to affiliate if only they could find megaphones tiny enough.
And while Ortus offers a rich assortment of birthing centres, multi-partner marriages, and roadkill couture, you might not be ready for the work ahead. Think very carefully if you want to become an Ortus member, taking what they say with a grain of sea salt.
Don’t Forget - Be Agreeable
Sometimes it’s best to just smile and nod with Ortus Members than to bait them into an argument. Keep them happy, regardless of where the conversation takes you.
ːsteamthumbsdownː Don’t Say: I thought you cult folks marry your cousins and pop out a million babies? ːsteamthumbsupː Do Say: Wow, I bet little Tarragon is a blessing. They’re your 8th child? But you look so amazing!
ːsteamthumbsdownː Don’t Say: Who wants to live in an overcrowded dump?! ːsteamthumbsupː Do Say: There’s just a rustic charm you can’t find anywhere except Ortus.
ːsteamthumbsdownː Don’t Say: Why would I join Ortus? I prefer warm baths and hot food. ːsteamthumbsupː Do Say: I’ll have to check with my partner first. But I think they’ve had their eye on a fixer-upper hut.
Illusive Illegals
You can commonly find the Commune of Ortus in tightly knit enclosures. Their most popular spot is a large cave they’ve hollowed out to shield most of Progress Point’s prying eyes. You’ll find the rare Ortus member extolling through the alleys of Neon District, but mostly it’s best to keep going back to the source.
When you do visit the cave, just don’t look up. Every point of light you see above you in the cave is another home and another member of Ortus. It can be a dizzying spectacle so keep your eyes on the flyway ahead.
Don’t Accept Food as Tips
While it might sound like a smart idea, after all, good food can be rare in Progress Point, don’t accept any seemingly edible items from Ortus members.
Their primary source of food, transportation and hygiene is the same river running through the Ortus cave, and obviously, there is some overlap between all ventures. The Central City Medical Authority cannot guarantee admission to one of their hospitals after ingesting anything swimming or crawling within the Ortus River. Trust us; we’ve tried. Best to just decline.
Tip of the day: Look into upgrading your food controls early to avoid awkwardly declining Ortus food. By simply having Kelp Wrap’s ™ handy within the confines of your cab, you have a perfectly good reason why the water bug being offered to you is just “too much” generosity.
Questions?
Got an area you’d like to know more about found within the wide world of Progress Point? Ask one of our travel guides for more on the various regions you could visit next!
An Interview With The Lead Artist
Happy New Year, everyone!
We've got another interview for you, this time with our Lead Artist. Christian has been working on The Last Taxi for almost 4 years. He designed and created much of what you will see in the game.
As one of the first people to touch this project, Christian had his hand in the early concept looks of The Last Taxi as well as most of the character designs.
Here's a look at what inspired Christian in creating his part of the beautiful world of The Last Taxi.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from, when working on your own art?
Christian: I watch a lot of anime and sci-fi movies. I also love playing games that depict different genres in new and creative ways, specifically like Horizon Zero Dawn or League of Legends. I think those are my main inspirations for my art.
Q: Did you always want to work on video games or did you aspire to do different types of art?
Christian: Initially, my main goal was to work as an animator/illustrator then I eventually got interested in concept art. I started working in the gaming industry by accident, but it turned out to be a fun industry because you can mix animation, illustration and other forms of media into any game you're developing!
Q: Who was your favourite character to design?
Christian: Ivan McCafferty was an interesting one. he doesn't really have a mouth on his design but we kind of used the same process as any other character to create a talking mouth from the slats of his mouthpiece. The shape of his silhouette is probably the most identifiable one in the game and his gestures accentuate his personality for sure!
Q: What’s the funniest fix that you had to make in The Last Taxi?
Christian: I think it was when I was working on the character animations. Characters sometimes get distorted when you apply different sets of joints, so they ended up creating lots of funny poses unintentionally.
Q: What is your favourite area in Last Taxi?
Christian: No doubt it's the entire Neon District Structure. Redesigning it was quite a challenge. I had to work with the existing gray box and turn it into something interesting. There were a lot of steps involved in making it, from thumbnails to plotting out the space required for each piece while also making it work in 3D. Balancing the scale and detail without creating pressure on the polycount of each piece was tough.
Q: What’s your favourite video game?
Christian: I like playing League of Legends with friends, but I'd consider Horizon Zero Dawn to be my favourite.
Q: Are there any funny stories that come to mind from working on The Last Taxi?
Christian: I think it was when we were trying to figure out the scale of the characters in VR. in order to figure out the tallest height we would use Kyle (our Lead Coder) and we used me as the smallest. That was pretty funny!
Here are some of the concepts that Christian worked on, alongside their final look in-game:
Windswept Estates:
Oil Refinery:
If you'd like to check out some of Christian's personal artwork, head over to his Instagram: @artofcham!
– A DRIVER’S GUIDE TO PROGRESS POINT –
The lowest and oldest geographical point within Neon District, the Subcity is home to a unique collection of rustic people and culture. Here’s a rundown of some key things to know before driving in the Subcity.
Bring Boots, It’s A Bit Muddy Down Here
While the Subcity is protected by a large expanse of pumps and levies, they “occasionally” go under maintenance. Starting at sea level, the region plunges 200 meters below, protected only by the leaky exterior walls that circle the outermost region of the Neon District. Locals are used to the surge in water, so blend in by keeping your boots handy and your vehicle’s wipers at full blast.
Find Your Tribe, Heed the Herd
The Subcity is home to the largest groups of gangs, tribes, crews, clans and impromptu organizations. Driver’s should follow local customs and greetings to stay on the local’s friendly side.
Here are some common phrases that differ from the upper regions: ːsteamthumbsdownː Don’t Say: “How are you this evening?” ːsteamthumbsupː Do Say: “Sup’ sroom!” “Sroom” = mushroom; a common plant growing throughout Subcity cave networks, this negative but endearing moniker will have your next passenger excited to start the ride.
ːsteamthumbsdownː Don’t Say: “Are you a pirate?” ːsteamthumbsupː Do Say: “U mess with the CCA?” It is uncouth to refer to any of the region’s multiple organizations by name directly to their face. Instead, it’s preferable to only refer to the region’s most disliked network, the Central City Authority. Shared hatred will endear even the most battle-bruised individuals in your vehicle.
While some might find the Subcity’s lingo to be tricky, it’s best to practice or use a translation mod for optimal safety and driving security.
Mind Your Head
It’s not uncommon to get an intermittent present from above so it’s important to watch the upcoming routes for any falling debris. A well-tuned emergency warning system found in your vehicle will keep you aware of any incoming donations heading their way to your vehicle’s hood.
Market Rich
The Subcity is home to over 5,350 market kiosks making it the largest sampling of unusual goods, exotic wares and stimulating cuisines. Everything from steaming kelp buns to off-brand edu-mods await you at every turn of this elaborately organized region. Never wasting space, the Subcity will keep you entertained as you navigate your way through paths and alleys to locate that coveted new find.
Tip of the Day: Haggling is encouraged. The Subcity’s custom of haggling is alive and animated so shy travelers should just dive in and try it!
ːsteamthumbsdownː Don’t Say: “Will you take 300 credits for this?” ːsteamthumbsupː Do Say: “I wouldn’t pay anything more than 300 credits for this piece of crap. Really, I’m doing you a favour by taking this junk off your hands.”
If you can cut your teeth and survive the Subcity, then the open seas are just a license level away! Dive (drive) right into this exceptional cultural cluster to be well on your way up to the clouds!
An Interview With the Composer
Hello again everyone!
You’ll be hearing from us more regularly now and we’re excited to share more behind the scenes content with you as we get closer to the release of The Last Taxi.
What would you say is one of the most important things that any video game has? That’s right, music and sound design!
We sat down with the composer of The Last Taxi’s sound track and the sound design engineer of almost everything you hear in the game, Julian Beutel, and asked him a bit about what it was like working on our game!
Q: What were your influences when writing the soundtrack for The Last Taxi?
Julian: Given the size of the world in the Last Taxi and the different places the music goes, the influences were kind of all over the place. At its core, a lot of the synthesizer sounds and soundscapes were inspired from the soundtracks of the Bladerunner movies, but also from some of my favourite game composers: Disasterpeace, Lena Raine, and Ben Prunty. There is some John Williams, Béla Bartok, Keith Jarrett, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Sonic Youth, and Simon and Garfunkel in there… a pretty eclectic list!
Q: What’s your favourite soundtrack of all time?
Julian: Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings soundtrack is one of my all-time favourites. There are just so many iconic themes and moments. The soundtrack is a big part of what makes those movies special for me.
Q: Is this your first game soundtrack that you've done?
Julian: This is not, although it is the most amount of music I’ve composed for a game so far! I’ve done several smaller games that are available on Steam, and itch.io . Having more music to compose for The Last Taxi gave an opportunity to create more musical themes and have them tie into each other across tracks, which was a lot of fun to play around with.
Q: What was your favourite theme that you created for The Last Taxi?
Julian: In general, I’m happy with how the musical motifs and instruments tie the different regions and characters of the world together. The Government Theme, however, has a special place in my heart. It’s a twisted, haunting track that tries to make you uncomfortable. I’d say it’s one of the more distinct tracks in the game.
Q: What's your favourite area of the game?
Julian: My favourite area of the game is the Sub City. There’s so many distinct areas on this one section of Progress Point, it makes me wonder what else is hiding in the city…
Q: What's your favourite video game soundtrack?
Julian: Fez, Chicory, FTL, and HyperLight Drifter, with an honourable mention to Super Smash Bros Ultimate (I just love all the rearrangements of iconic game music). I find that I can keep coming back to these soundtracks and always find something new.
Q: Are there any funny stories that come to mind from working on the general sound design and/or the soundtrack for The Last Taxi?
Julian: I can’t think of a particular funny story, but recording foley for the sound design lead to some interesting situations such as recording my nephew/niece’s toys, the heat register in my hotel room, my mop and vacuum, the washing machine and coffee machine, or buying tools from the hardware store not because I needed them, but because they’d make cool sounds for robots in the game.
We’d like to thank Julian for all his amazing hard work on The Last Taxi and we hope you all love the sound design and music as much as we do! Please enjoy this snippet of Julian performing Progress, What's the Point, from The Last Taxi!
[previewyoutube="lJ_GSalXDLw;full"]
Check out our discord for the full version of this and other Last Taxi soundtrack performances by Julian!
