Josh Hendrickson
Twenty-five years ago, Penn & Teller (yes, that Penn & Teller) almost released a series of mini-video games for the SEGA CD. Among them, would have been Desert Bus, a game where you simulated driving a bus for eight hours. AMC Games wants to bring you the modern version with Airplane Mode, the game where you sit in economy class for six hours.
Your flight begins in New York and ends in Reykjavik, and roughly simulates the time to make the flight in real life. You’ll find yourself in economy class in a window seat, which is naturally a cramped position without much room to yourself.
https://youtu.be/CNn-ImYfgtA
Throughout the flight, random events will occur like screaming babies, loss of Wi-Fi, and turbulence. Yes, there is Wi-Fi because this is economy class, not the dark ages. You can also spend your time watching movies from the 1930s, playing sudoku games and crossword puzzles, and you can “enjoy” a safety video produced by AMC’s IFC channel. Sounds marvelous.
As AMC Games put it: “Other flight simulators give you high-definition cockpits with a billion switches and dials, but Airplane Mode is the only one that offers a realistically rendered seatback trays.” Just like real life, no amount of willpower will speed up the flight and make it bearable.
AMC Games says you can also try a “short-hop” flight, just a mere two-and-a-half-hours from New York City to Halifax, Canada. That must be the choice if you only mildly hate yourself.
We look forward to seeing charity events play days of Airplane Mode back to back until the players have no willpower or soul left. The game will release on PC and Mac this fall, and you can already add it to your Steam wishlist.
