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When you catch a plane, whether it be as you head off on holiday or for work, there are two facets to the airport experience. The first is the one we all see – the smiling ticket area, then the not-so-smiling security entrance, the ‘give me your money’ duty-free area, and then more smiling as we hop on the plane and travel the globe.
But on the other side are those things we don’t see – the mechanics of the airport really work. There is cone management, baggage handling, signal marshals, and helping an aeroplane find the right place to park.
If you always wanted to know about this and get involved in the ground crew work then AirportSim could be the game for you.
When you first load up AirportSim you will get the option to start a new game. But let me tell you one thing – HOLD YOUR HORSES. It’s essential that you do the long, but important, tutorial first because without it you won’t have an idea of what you’re doing.
It’s worth saying that, unlike other sim games where you have a kind of career mode – the Farming Sim games as you go building a farm from scratch – in AirportSim it’s more like you are taking in a series of jobs on the ground, all as you look to ensure the day-to-day running of the airport is doing okay. Story-wise it hasn’t got the same progressional feel, but the sim gameplay loop is there and the satisfaction of doing a job well is definitely part of the experience.
AirportSim comes with four real-life airports for you to play in. Varga is the only airport in the Faroe Islands, then you have Keflavík in Iceland, Warsaw in Poland, and Key West airport. Wherever you decide to start, you’ll need your trusted tool to hand – your tablet. Here you have a list of jobs that need to be completed with the times of planes, departures, and arrivals, alongside where things need to be done. You have a map too, which shows the huge airport space you’ll be working and a weather tab which speaks for itself.
The impressive bit about AirportSim comes in the range of tasks you will be doing, taking on the role of ground crew at an airport. You will be driving vehicles to guide aircraft to parking bays, using machinery to connect gates to arrivals, refuelling aircraft, handling baggage, and marshalling with glow sticks. Catering is even included. What that variety means is that you’ll never get bored, always left to get on with something, even if repetitiveness and a slow pace kicks in. I’ll admit, as I was left placing cones around the tarmac, I began to question my lifestyle choices.
Airport and sim fans will be pleased to hear that the aircraft machinery and locations all seem authentic. And aside from the scenarios which work as the main campaign, there are challenge modes when the conditions become harder and you compete for a high score. I don’t think this mode is for me, but I won’t throw any stones at those who find enjoyment.
Visually, and as you may suspect, AirportSim has accuracy in the planes themselves, as well as the equipment. But on the whole this is a bland place to spend some time; mostly tarmac based as you enjoy being part of the ground crew. Some weather effects are okay too, but far from jaw-dropping. They are clear though and easy to use, as is the tablet that you have to rely on.
AirportSim gives a unique perspective on how a ground crew works an airport life – and with that in mind, it does the job. The range of different elements and the four unique airports should be seen as highlights, but the lack of a career mode or any real progression or story makes it feel lacking. There’s no doing that some of the jobs are mundane as well,
What AirportSim will do though is make you think, saluting the hard working staff as you jet off on your holidays.