In Turkey, taxis are different than in most cities. They have Dolmus taxis which only depart once every seat has been filled by a passenger. Most run on pre-designated routes to and from airports, bus stations and urban centers. This sets the premise of Dolmus Driver, a fast paced driving game based in Istanbul.
You have to drive as fast as you can, avoiding the police, other vehicles and road works to reach each checkpoint and ultimately your destination.
The Faster, The Better
You must play as one of three taxi drivers along the three different routes; however they’re not available right away. As you’re a taxi driver you need to earn virtual money by delivering passengers to their destination. You can then use your wages to purchase other routes to advance through the game.
But that’s not all you can spend your virtual money on. In order to increase your speed you can fit out your vehicle with a huge rocket booster purchased from the in-game menu. There are several available, increasing in power as you advance through the game. It only last a short time but can be topped up with fuel each time you have a near miss with another vehicle on the road.
Quick, Change Lanes!
Things aren’t as simple as that however. The longer you go without a crash, the more speed your dolmus (taxi) will build up. Although this seems helpful, and it enables you to reach your destination quicker, it make avoiding traffic accidents much harder. This ever-increasing speed is only increased by the rocket attached to the top of the dolmus.
You’ll notice that there are no steering control on the screen. This is because Dolmus Driver uses tilt controls. Although this is difficult to get used to at first (I kept over steering) it makes the experience much more fun.
To the right of the road there is a special lane only for use by the police apparently. You can swerve in to complete a quick overtake, but if you stay in it for too long the police will chase you. If they catch you the journey is over and you have to start all over again. Similarly, if you collide with another vehicle your journey is over and have to start again, unless you have enough money to pay off the driver.
You Lose!
If you stay in the right lane for too long, the police will start to chase after you. If you collide with anything, your journey is over and you have to start again. If you have enough money, you can continue driving after a crash without having to start again. Passengers, will get angry or make funny quips when you crash or have a near miss, but they’re all in Turkish. Most text, menus and the UI have been translated however.
Like most free games, Dolmus driver is supported by purchasing the in-game currency with real-word money. Not to worry however, it’s easy to get more currency without making a purchase by sharing the game on Facebook or simply by getting better and better at each route.
Final Thoughts
The gameplay in Dolmus driver is quite good however at times it can feel like the car is sliding with no feedback from the road. Other than that, Dolmus driver is a fun game that never ends and is well worth a try. You’ll find yourself retrying each route again and again to get a better time.
