Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom

Developer: Panik Arcade

This madcap mash-up of Mario 64 and Crazy Taxi trades running and jumping for accelerating and steering as you hunt for collectible Gears around colorful 3D maps. The game boasts of having no jump button—technically true, as most vertical traversal involves using ramps to boost yourself skyward—though a double-tap of the boost button gives your cab a little bounce, which becomes essential for climbing the occasional step.

The idea works, and the goofy plot is appropriately low-stakes, but I wish the levels leaned more into puzzle-solving and found more ways to emphasize the thrill of scooting around at high speeds. Too much challenge comes from wandering around in search of each Gear rather than performing the right maneuvers to collect them. A hint system might be the one nod to 3D Mario that’s missing.