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Press release:
JUNE 7 2022.
The Winnipeg-based (Canada) indie games publisher/developer ZenFri Inc. today announced with great excitement and delight that their morally-driven VR narrative adventure “The Last Taxi” is now available for PC via Steam.

Players will find themselves behind the wheel of a hovering taxi as the only organic transport operator in the futuristic city of Progress Point, a megacity fractured by politics, morality and money. With automation having all but eliminated the need for human labour, work is incredibly hard to come by and every day is a struggle for survival for those not among the lucky few of the city’s elite citizens.

After carrying a mysterious wounded passenger in your cab, they disappear suddenly, leaving trouble for the player in the form of an unregistered infant. Players will have to work hard to support both themselves and the infant while they figure out what’s best for them. Thankfully it’s not a decision that will be made in a vaccuum, with over 80 passengers with their own thoughts, philosophies and problems, players will become a true citizen of Progress Point, and can decide the future for the infant that they believe to be the best with over 20 different endings.

As players explore both the soaring heights and rotting underbelly of Progress Point, they will carry passengers to their destinations, providing a comfortable journey and pleasant conversation throughout. Helping citizens to relax might just encourage them to open up to you about their problems, and with no saints found among survivors, players will have to consider either helping them with their woes, or reporting their shadier customers to the proper authorities. There’s never a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ solution, but a player’s decisions could have far-reaching consequences.

Standard taxis in Progress Point come equipped with mandatory listening devices (as per governmental regulation), but as a non-automaton players can customize and modify their taxi with a variety of above board and under the table upgrades. Improve comfort for passengers, or invest in remote hacking equipment to unlock areas taxi drivers really shouldn’t be in.

The Last Taxi introduces players to a diverse cast and a one-of-a-kind setting, creating a true sense of place. Progress Point truly comes alive for players as they explore one of the most vibrant and alive worlds to ever come to the world of VR.

A nuanced story of morality and meters, each decision carries weight, no two playthroughs of The Last Taxi will be the same as players ask passengers (and themselves) the big questions, “Is it right to commit crimes to survive?”, “Do machines have souls?” and “What should you do when a stranger leaves a baby in your car?”, okay that last one might be a bit more literal.

Dee King, Co-Founder of ZenFri Inc. said: “The Last Taxi is a ‘sonder’ experience. It’s not a word you often hear, but it describes the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. This perfect word is what our game encapsulates.

In The Last Taxi, you play yourself – the last human driver – having conversations at the end of the world. You show up very briefly in the lives of the characters in Progress Point; some you help, some you hinder, and some maybe you have no profound impact. Much like real life, you’ll encounter all sorts of people, all of whom have their own big and complicated lives, and you might only be a fleeting moment in their day.”

The Last Taxi is available now on the Oculus Rift and Vive via Steam VR, priced $29.99 / €26.99 / £22.99.

About The Last Taxi
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.

How you interact with passengers is up to you! With varied dialogue choices and multiple endings, you can choose to keep the tips rolling in or spend all your time insulting them.

But keep in mind, gaining their trust and listening to their problems is a lucrative side business. As per Progress Point’s governmental regulations, all taxis are fitted with sleek, handy, and mandatory listening devices – for uhh… quality assurance.

Features:

Earn tips by navigating through 80 treacherous, quirky, and haunting choice-driven passenger conversations.
Aid and abet criminal passengers, help them reconsider their actions, or report them to the authorities.
Upgrade your taxi with new tools allowing for hijacking cargo, hacking toll booths, and more, all in the name of enhancing customer experience!
Maximize fares by managing malfunctioning equipment, avoiding environmental hazards, and keeping your passengers comfortable.
Experience a rich and detailed world of technological headquarters, mountaintop temples, sunken metropolises and pirate-infested underworlds.
10 hours of gameplay with 20+ unique choice-driven endings.

About ZenFri Inc.
Founded in 2007 by Corey King and Dee King, ZenFri is a creative company with a deep passion for storytelling. Experienced in producing interactive media, film, visual arts, scientific research projects, and literature, they go wherever their ideas take them.

They’re never satisfied with sticking to a specific medium, genre or style, and are constantly experimenting and reinventing themselves to service the needs of each project they undertake.

With a crack team of world-class artists and engineers, they push the boundaries, in order to bring truly innovative projects to life.