/!\ Please make sure to read the following description before playing as I didn't have enough time to add an in-game tutorial T_T /!\

Controls

  • Arrow Keys: Turn Left / Turn Right
  • Spacebar: Activate Nitro
  • R Key: Respawn if you get stuck
  • B Key: Brake to drift!!!!!

Thanks to the GMTK Jam staff for the incredible work!

TAXI LOOPER

Developed for the 2025 GMTK Game Jam!

Welcome to the high-speed world of getaway drivers! In this game, you're not just any taxi driver; you are the master of escape for a series of daring bank heists. Your mission: pick up the heist crews at the right place, at the right time, and get them to safety while outrunning an increasingly determined police force.

This game was created in 3 days for the 2025 GMTK Game Jam on the theme "Loop".

  • Non-Stop Driving: Your car never stops! The only time you slow down is to let the robbers jump in.
  • Order and Memory: Each crew must be picked up in a specific order. Memorize the sequence to optimize your route and your score!
  • Space Management: You can carry multiple crews from different heists at once, but your taxi has a limited capacity. Plan your pickups wisely!

How to Play?

The goal is to survive as long as possible and get the highest score by successfully dropping off as many waves of robbers as you can. Your worst enemies? The clock and the cops.

Game Loop:

  1. When starting the game and at the start of each wave, an order of colors is displayed. You have to remember this order.
  2. Drive → Wait for a Robbery to Finish (Bank robberies are represented by blocks of color)
  3. Pick Up the Crew (Drive through the blocks of color in the order you had to remember)
  4. Dodge the Police (You are not chased by the police in the first wave.)
  5. Drop Off the Crew (The number of robbers is limited to four in the taxi; to drop them off, you need to drive through a transparent block.)
  6. Repeat, but Faster!

How Does It Fit the Theme "Loop"?

My game fits the theme in a few ways:

  • The Looped Circuit: The city map you drive on is a continuous loop!
  • The Memory Loop: The core challenge revolves around remembering the order of the heists!
  • The Progression Loop: When you lose, you restart with the possibility to use your score points to buy upgrades.

Post-Jam Notes

As with any game jam, time was tight! Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • The Shop is not available. I didn't have enough time to implement it.
  • The Mini-map is not working in the submitted version. I fixed the bug that caused it to fail just 2 minutes after the jam ended. ._.

Development Breakdown

What's in the Game?

This game was built from the ground up in 3 days. Here are the core features I managed to implement:

  • Core Driving Mechanics: The taxi is always moving forward, and the player can drift by braking.
  • Procedurally Generated Tracks: The tracks are generated from splines using a custom mesh building logic.
  • Nitro Mini-Game: Time slows down, and you can earn a speed boost by nailing a timing-based challenge.
  • Dynamic Heist System: A game manager spawns waves of bank heists in a specific order that you must memorize. The challenge grows with each successful wave.
  • Police AI: Police cars will spawn and chase the player. Their numbers increase as you progress through the waves. Police cars use navmesh to chase the player, I had never used this so it was a challenge to implement it.
  • UI and Indicators: The game features a start menu, UI to track your lives, the number of robbers in your car, the heist order, and off-screen indicators for approaching police cars, and more...
  • World and Assets: The game includes custom 3D models for the buildings, taxi, police cars, and civilian traffic. The city is built with procedurally placed buildings and obstacles along the road.
  • Visual Effects: To enhance the experience, I added smoke/spark particles for drifting and an FOV increase when you hit the nitro.

What's Next?

With more time, here's what I'd love to add or fix:

  • High-Priority Fixes: Address bugs with road intersections, prevent civilian traffic cars from flying away unrealistically, and fix the logic for bank locations deactivating/reactivating correctly.
  • Audio: Add sound effects for driving, collisions, and nitro, along with a high-energy music track.
  • Features & Content: Implement the full Shop menu for buying upgrades with your score, add stunt ramps for stylish escapes, and introduce new obstacles like police barricades and patrolling characters like police officers and pedestrians.
  • Polish: Create a proper Game Over screen, animate the UI, add more detailed 3D assets (like characters and textures for the road and sidewalk), and introduce more visual flair like slow-motion for near-misses with police.

Thanks for playing, and please feel free to leave a rating and a comment!

Credits

This game was made possible thanks to the following tools, assets, and people!

More information

Development log

Leave a comment

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.