Space taxi sim Collateral hits Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight

In the grand tradition of Harry Canyon from Heavy Metal, Collateral puts the player in the role of a flying taxi driver named Zack Edgewater, whose job puts him in the crossfire ”between warring factions, bloodthirsty customers, and the corrupt corporations that run the city of New Bedlam.”

The developer cites Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, Crazy Taxi, Carmageddon and Quarantine as its influences.

Collateral features a large, open world environment in the city of New Bedlam, which consists of various areas ”each with a distinct aesthetic”, with such sectors as China Town, the Industrial Zone and the Redlight district.

Players will also be able to upgrade Edgewater’s taxi with new weaponry and components. The weapons range from ion cannons, mine layers, plasma cannons, gatling guns, cryo guns, buzz saws, burrito cannons, cluster bombs, drunken missiles, laser cannons, turtle mines, napalms, and scuds.

Check out the developer diary for Collateral here. Gamers can visit the Kickstarter page here and the Steam Greenlight page here.