## Description
In _Tokyo Bus Guide_ , players drive on three real-world routes of the Toei
Bus service. In addition to stopping at the right bus stops on time,
triggering announcements, and ensuring passenger comfort by not accelerating
or braking too harshly, drivers also have to follow the rules of traffic by
stopping at traffic lights, obeying speed limits, and correctly indicating
when turning or changing lanes. Part of a green “life bar” in the lower left
corner of the screen turns red every time a rule is violated or a task not
completed correctly. More serious violations, such as crashing into another
vehicle, entail more serious consequences than minor mishaps, such as
forgetting to announce the next stop. The life bar can be replenished by
passing or stopping at stations on time. When the life bar turns entirely red,
the player is forced to retire prematurely.
The three routes selectable in the game are the Niji 01 (across the Rainbow
Bridge in Tokyo Bay area), Tian 70 (in the busy Shinjuku ward; this line was
decommissioned in 2000), and Ume 76 (a more rural route in Western Tokyo). All
the routes can be driven at noon, in the evening, or at night, with
respectively different traffic density and amount of passengers. Some of the
routes and schedules have to be unlocked by gaining experience in Story mode.
Story mode also includes short cutscenes of interactions and monologues of
some of the passengers, which play at certain bus stops. These cutscenes
unlock brief files on the respective passenger’s profiles in the main menu,
along with occasional entries into an album. There is also a Free Run mode
where no data is saved and no content can be unlocked.
A mini-game that can be downloaded to the Visual Memory unit is a quiz game on
Japanese road signs.
Tōkyō Bus Annai