TAXINAUT

In TAXINAUT you start as a lonely taxi driver with a ship, a modest home base and a galaxy called Kyprei-41 that holds more than 100,000 star systems. Your job is to carry fares between planets and stations, pay your rent, eat, sleep and keep flying. The game has been described as Taxi Driver in space, and the comparison fits its grimy, slightly melancholy sci-fi atmosphere.

Flying Fares Across Kyprei-41

The core loop is transporting passengers. You pick up a customer, plot a route and fly them to their destination, whether that is a bar, a diner, a garage or somewhere more exotic. Flights move smoothly between planet surfaces and space without loading screens, and longer trips use warp travel between planets.

Traffic is a real obstacle. On busy planets you have to weave between other craft, and collisions are both common and costly, with heavy penalties for wrecks. Rear-end hits in crowded lanes are one of the most frequent complaints from new pilots.

Talking to locals is part of the job. You can ask for directions or learn about the hidden, shady side of the galaxy, which often leads into side stories and quests.

Controls, Pace and Progression in TAXINAUT

The whole game is playable with a mouse alone. It runs in real time but can be paused with a click, letting you pick a weapon and a target before resuming. That pause-and-plan approach makes encounters with hostile ships or creatures more tactical than frantic.

Progression comes through Gongs, an RPG-style skill system for modifying your clone. Food, drinks and other consumables give temporary buffs, equipment can be unlocked at your home base, and ship modifications provide items each time you sleep.

The pace is the biggest point of debate. Early travel can feel slow, the learning curve is steep and the interface is dense with icons, so some players bounce off quickly. Patient players who enjoy deep systems often describe it as relaxed and absorbing, with far more layers than the simple look suggests.

TAXINAUT Stories and Scale

Beyond the daily routine of fares, there is an optional main storyline of more than 30 hours plus four secondary storylines. They are quirky and well regarded, and they give the endless taxi work a sense of direction.

The scale is huge, with many planets and varied biomes. Some uncivilized planets require proper equipment before you can safely land, which encourages you to plan expeditions rather than flying blindly.

The game also includes an integrated tutorial, a manual and short videos, and it supports mods for those who know Java. The tutorial is thorough, though many players find it wordy.

What do you do in TAXINAUT?

You work as a space taxi driver, carrying passengers between locations across the Kyprei-41 galaxy. Along the way you manage rent, food and sleep, upgrade your ship and follow optional storylines.

Can you play with only a mouse?

Yes. The game is designed to be fully playable with a mouse, and a click pauses the action so you can choose actions calmly.

Why is early travel so slow?

Distances in the galaxy are large and early equipment is basic. As you progress and upgrade, travel becomes more efficient, but the deliberate pace is part of the game’s design.

TAXINAUT rewards patience above all: learn the crowded lanes, spend your fares on Gongs and ship upgrades, and the vast Kyprei-41 galaxy slowly turns from an intimidating map into your own long, strange taxi route.