Bus Tycoon ND is an Android game that puts players in the shoes of a fresh Bus company that’s looking to connect a region of newly-founded towns together and make sure that residents and businesses alike can get on with their day. Players will need to build a comprehensive road system, with bus stops, traffic lights and regular maintenance. They will also need to manage their Buses to make sure that they don’t run out of gas while out in the field or break down while on their route. All of this is easier said than done, as the game moves quite quickly, with evolving challenges and new areas to connect all over the map. For fans of the classic Sim City games that particularly enjoyed the transport side of things, as well as classic gaming fans in general, this is a focused tycoon game that has a hell of a lot to offer.
As with most games on Android, downloading Bus Tycoon ND from the Play Store is your best best. It’s not a free game, but the small asking fee ensures that players won’t need to sit through pesky ads or in-app purchases. All of the currency that players earn in Bus Tycoon ND is done through hard work.
With that said, the game starts off with a simple, and quick tutorial, which does a very good job of letting players know how the game works, as well as allowing them to just get on with things, rather than other games that just bog people down with lengthy tutorials. One of the first things that players need to do in Bus Tycoon ND is to make sure that they have a decent road network. This is where players will start off small, providing roads to the Service Station, Gas Station and connecting the nearby towns together.
Dotted all over the map are a number of small towns, some larger and some smaller, that players can expand into once they get their little empire all up and running after a while.
After that, players will need to make sure that they have a network of Bus Stops, which are super-simple to put down – but important to remember that only large Buses will be able to handle multiple stops, with 8 being a fair average for most of them.
Of course, once you’ve got your roads and your stops all sorted out, you can go ahead and purchase your first Bus. The starting Buses aren’t all that great, but it will surprise you how quickly you can make money in Bus Tycoon ND. As such, it’s easier than you think to get a newer, better Bus later in the game.
From here, users will need to make a path for each Bus, weighing up the amount of stops and areas that they have inter-connected with each other, making it touch to weigh up which route to give which Bus.
Players can tap on their Buses to get a view of what they’re up to, as well as make sure that they each have enough Gas, or whether or not they need to head to the Garage for a service. This is something that will creep up on some players, I was one of them as I completely forgot to refuel one of my Buses, leaving it effectively stranded in the middle of a route.
With all of this going on, it can be tough to create the sort of Bus empire you have in mind, but after a time, you will definitely have control of a massive part of the region.
Bus Tycoon ND is a good game, and one that’s a lot of fun, regardless of whether or not you enjoy these sorts of games, or have yet to play something like this in a long time. While the graphics could be a little sharper and a little more detailed on new and more higher-end Android devices, it’s tough to say that this isn’t a good-looking game. The retro charm here will remind players of classic tycoon games as well as the golden era of Sim City games. Gameplay here is good fun, and can become quite addictive after a while managing all of your different Buses and such, all the while offering a simple and straightforward path to success. Games like these thrive on having to keep track of a lot of things at once, and Bus Tycoon ND does a great job of this, getting the core ingredient of any tycoon game sport on. The tutorial is quick and simple, and the game doesn’t pester people with in-game purchases or any ads like this, all of which makes this a fairly straightforward and accessible tycoon simulator that has a lot of value to offer players.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Bus Tycoon ND runs well on practically any device out there, and while the game speed is a little quick, that’s part of the fun.
- Theme (4/5) – Graphically, things could look better here as the overall appearance does look a little soft on higher-resolution devices, but the retro charm will definitely appeal to some and makes the game easily-understood.
- Features (4/5) – Gameplay here in Bus Tycoon ND is solid, addictive and surprisingly accessible for a game such as this. There are a lot of things to manage at any one given time, and the game has a great road system – complete with traffic lights – which is often one of the most enjoyable things about games like this.
- Overall (4/5) – While there’s definitely room for improvement here where the graphics are concerned, the core gameplay is great, and players won’t be asked to pay for any more of the game, or be bugged by ads.
Pros
- Classic gameplay that ticks all of the right boxes, without trying to be too clever or complicated.
- Gives players a lot of things to keep track of all of the time, such as servicing, gas levels and the constant expansion of the network.
- Steadily becomes more difficult with different routes and more Buses to manage, giving players a tough challenge.
- Doesn’t bug players with pesky ads or in-app purchases.
Cons
- Could do with some better-looking graphics overall.
- Might be considered a little basic for some, more hardcore players.
All-in-all, Bus Tycoon ND is the sort of game that will appeal to oldschool players of classic tycoon and city building games, all the while offering something simple and accessible for new players. There’s a lot going on all the time in Bus Tycoon ND, and there are no pesky ads or anything like that to get involved with, either. It’s a fun game that could do with something of a facelift, but ultimately there’s very little to complain about in this classic gem on Android.