Holidays are an exciting time. You spend months or years planning the perfect break; you pay for your trip, and you get everything ready. However, no matter where you are going, there is always one major headache. Normally, that is the airport you are flying from and to. Every time you stand in the airport concourse, you think, why is this so appalling? What’s more, you begin to contemplate ways to improve your experience. Whether you add more shops, improve security, or increase the baggage drop area, anything has got to be better than the current setup, right? Well, now is your chance to prove your worth as you contemplate each of these ideas in SimAirport.
Developed by LVGameDev LLC and published by Ultimate Games S.A., this is an in-depth simulation title. What’s more, it understands its levels of complexity and provides a thorough tutorial to cover the basics. As the owner of each airport, you are responsible for every level of detail. Now, this distinct micromanagement approach will be off-putting for many. Yet, if you love statistics and tweaking minor gameplay elements, then you will adore this game.
SimAirport has a steep learning curve.
Normally, I don’t mind a heavy data dump. However, SimAirport pushes you to your limits. You must expand your airport while balancing the books, increasing passenger satisfaction, hiring staff, improving facilities, and appeasing each airline. On top of this, you are in charge of baggage delivery, security, queues, research, purchasing, and much, much more. Consequently, your head will be spinning as you learn the fundamentals.
Thankfully, though, the developers have used an easy-to-follow UI. Yet, this PC-ported game would be much easier with a mouse and keyboard. However, this to one side, SimAirport has done a great job of overcoming this issue, as many of the menus are hidden in subcategories that are simple to navigate.
The steep learning curve will turn some gamers’ stomachs. But if you love simulation games, I urge you to wade through the information and challenging elements to learn the basics. Thankfully, once you complete each of the meaty tutorials, you’ll love the complex nature of the gameplay and the balancing of money and satisfaction.
Construction and airlines.
The core gameplay revolves around expanding your airport while attracting new airlines. Both elements are as important as one another as you build new gates, special runways, and different areas for each of the 16 aircraft. Furthermore, investing in research and improving the day-to-day business is essential if you wish to succeed. However, balancing these mechanics is easier said than done.
Unfortunately, if you take your eye off the ball, your passengers can become disgruntled. Whether it is an ugly environment, a lack of entertainment or food, slow queues, poor security, or losing baggage, it all adds up. As such, you must evolve your workspace slowly if you wish to be considered the best.
On top of these issues, you are responsible for your workforce, the selling of goods, and, of course, financing your business. Moreover, each airline will only join forces with you if you incentivise them. Consequently, you must offer lower prices without undermining your business model. Understandably, this is a tough ask, and every layer of micromanagement must be considered. Accordingly, SimAirport isn’t an easy game. However, once you get to grips with it, it is extremely rewarding and satisfying to play.
SimAirport has a simple art style.
Like its peers, SimAirport focuses on its gameplay rather than its visuals. Therefore, this won’t win awards for beauty, nor will it wow its audience. Instead, it does its job just right as you enjoy the top-down viewpoint. Alongside this, the clean interface is easy to navigate thanks to the submenus. Furthermore, the use of heatmaps and special zones ensures the action is easy to follow. Special coloured areas highlight satisfaction levels, bottlenecks in queues and so forth. Consequently, by using the right tools, you can easily solve any problems before they get out of hand.
The audio wasn’t impressive. As such, the use of “lift” music was both tedious and uninspiring. However, the calm nature of the songs and the basic sound effects worked with the theme and genre. Sadly, I can’t see how the developers could improve this element, as too much noise and energy would have been equally bad.
Not the best of controls.
I know sim games work better on PC. Yet, there are some phenomenal ports to console. Unfortunately, SimAirport hasn’t fared so well and this impacts the gameplay. However, once you understand the shortcomings and the fundamentals, it isn’t so bad. Additionally, the aforementioned UI makes it much easier to play. My biggest complaint has to be the button setup! For unknown reasons, the developers insisted on using unusual inputs for each command. Instead of the A button for placing an object, you must use the bumper or triggers. Though this is a minor thing, it plays with your mind and takes some getting used to.
Like its peers, this oozes both replay value and longevity. If you can overcome the initial data dump and steep learning curve, you will enjoy a fulfilling and tough simulation experience. Moreover, no playthrough is the same and you can adjust your business model to suit a new approach.
SimAirport is challenging but rewarding.
It would be easy to become disgruntled with SimAirport. Unfortunately, its slow-paced action and the steep learning curve will turn many gamers’ stomachs. Yet, if you have patience and an eye for detail, you’ll enjoy this challenging but rewarding game. With plenty of layers of complexity and many unique business models, you can test yourself in many ways. As such, I enjoyed it and I recommend that you buy it here! Do you have the ability to run the perfect airport? Hire your staff, improve your facilities, and encourage every airline to fly with you.
