For those who might have enjoyed the meticulous elements of the Bus Simulator series of following speed limits and the rules of the road, but don’t want to interact with other humans, may equally enjoy Car Driving School Simulator from BoomBit, which is available now via Steam.
As you might expect, the game doesn’t involve picking up passengers, and instead navigating the streets of a variety of locations, ensuring to follow speed limits, brake when necessary, use the indicators, as well as lights and wipers. So, like real life then? Sort of.
Car Driving School Simulator begins with the lessons, which are effectively a tutorial and not the core part of the game. It’ll introduce the controls and expectations (stopping at a stop sign and using indicators – or blinkers when turning), and allude to the additional controls that apply to the windscreen wipers and lights. There isn’t an instructor in the car, however, nor do you have L plates visible, as would be surmised by the thumbnails.
Once you’ve completed a handful of lessons, you’re then free to ‘explore’ the streets of California, reaching the destination and achieving the highest score. These stages are extended versions of the lessons, only without any prompts and instead, fines. If you don’t stop at a sign, you get minus points. Cross a solid line? Minus points. Forget to turn on/off your wipers? You get the idea.
Car Driving School Simulator employs a medal system where the more efficient you are, the more credits you earn. These, in turn, can unlock new areas that do not unlock automatically, or new vehicles that are a little redundant, in my opinion. Based on the way the game works, it’s quite easy to get trapped in a bubble of perfectionism, as one slight mistake and you drop from a gold to a silver. However, this definitely improves, and there’s a bit more leniency for mistakes later on.
I was quite surprised by the handling of the game, as well as the general vibes. This isn’t a Forza type, nor is it GTA, though at the same time, it isn’t so much of an advanced simulator as all the controls can be handled on the fly and far from complex. At the beginning, you press a button to start your engine, and one for seatbelts, and then they are no longer required. Indicators are affected by the shoulder buttons, left for wipers and right for headlights (from the perspective of the Steam Deck).
Initially, the reverse option was counterintuitive, as you have to drop down into it and still press the accelerator rather than holding the brake. After a couple of crashes that evoked a penalty, I got used to it, but wasn’t a fan. Nor was I a fan of the AI cars as they would indicate the wrong way, block you when reversing, and pedestrians simply have a death wish.
Perhaps the most surprising element of Car Driving School Simulator was the range of vehicles. You start with a pickup truck, and it’s more than agile to use and feels very responsive on the throttle. Next is a Mini, which is arguably the best for around town. Soon, you get an Audi, and further down the line, a Lambo (all unlicensed but decent modelling – you know what they are). I did feel the lineup was redundant, as you have to adhere to speed limits, and considering you’re being awarded for safety, hooning down the road at 200mph seems silly.
In short, it’s quite a fun game and clearly accessible to more casual drivers. My younger daughter, who’s a bit of a gamer, is absolutely terrible at driving games, but managed to get a silver on her first attempt, and though it isn’t as simplistic as Truck Driving on the Switch, it’s very much a casual experience with more than enough stages and vehicles to shake a stick at.
