Crazy Taxi World Tour Revs Up With Open World, New Missions

The beloved arcade racer Crazy Taxi is making a comeback with its new installment, Crazy Taxi World Tour. Sega is revitalizing its classic franchises for a new generation, and this iteration aims to please both newcomers and long-time fans. Kenji Kanno, the original creator of Crazy Taxi, is serving as creative producer, bringing his vision to a refreshed experience that retains the core gameplay while expanding its scope. During a recent hands-off demonstration, the game showcased a more expansive and vibrant open world, brimming with pedestrians and traffic to challenge drivers.

The fundamental gameplay loop remains familiar: players pick up passengers and race against the clock to reach their destinations in the most exhilarating, high-scoring manner possible. Crazy Taxi World Tour introduces a more dynamic environment where players can expect increased pedestrian and vehicle density, adding layers of complexity to navigation. Fortunately, the signature arcade physics return, allowing players to skillfully maneuver their taxi, often by nudging or punting other vehicles out of the way with relative ease. Each driving region will also feature distinct nighttime variations, a detail Kanno expressed satisfaction with.

Expanded Gameplay and Quirky Missions

Beyond the core driving experience, Crazy Taxi World Tour is set to include a dedicated story mode, alongside traditional missions and free-roaming gameplay. This expansion is designed to bring the game in line with contemporary gaming expectations. Players will discover a variety of missions and diversions organically as they explore the map, including familiar time attacks and one-on-one races. More unique are the "crazy" special missions, which truly embody the game's name. One presented mission involves delivering 20 pizzas across multiple locations while minimizing losses. The demonstration highlighted how the pizza stack humorously defies gravity during aerial maneuvers before re-settling, reminiscent of classic cartoon physics. Another peculiar mission showcased a fishing minigame, where players use the taxi's momentum to cast a line, requiring a back-dash maneuver to reel in catches like pufferfish, sharks, or even a ship's wheel. This fishing activity cleverly doubles as a tutorial for the back-dash mechanic.

The inclusion of these unconventional tasks echoes the unhinged side content found in Sega's Yakuza series, offering a welcomed dose of offbeat fun. An "off the clock" option will allow players to disengage from these spontaneous activities at any time, smoothly returning to free-roam driving without interruption. While some of these diversions, such as a time-attack speed challenge, appeared quite brief in the demonstration, the overall aim is to provide a robust and varied gameplay experience.

A significant point of excitement for fans is the return of the game's distinctive soundtrack. The original Crazy Taxi was renowned for its licensed music, and the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were criticized for losing many of these tracks. Kanno has indicated that fans should "keep [their] expectations high" regarding the musical artists Sega is collaborating with. The demo featured The Offspring's iconic track "All I Want," signaling a positive direction for the game's audio landscape. While a firm release date has not yet been announced, Sega confirmed that Crazy Taxi World Tour is scheduled to launch in 2027, bringing this nostalgic and chaotic driving experience to modern platforms.