
Airplane Mode, a Purposefully Dull Air Travel Simulator, Gets In-Game Podcast About Itself
Pretend to be in a plane while listening to a podcast on recreating the experience you're pretending to have…
I recently got an ad about discounts on air travel and found myself a bit wistful about flying, an experience I've never really enjoyed, per se. I guess the stay-put nature of the pandemic has finally gotten to me in this way; but hey, if I really want the my plane passenger experience (half asleep, podcast on) I can just go load up Airplane Mode.
Yes, I suppose you could combine just about any podcast with Hosni Auji's intentionally banal air travel simulator before, but now it has two exclusive episodes from a show I actually listen to. Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games is a real show hosted by designers Zach Gage, Nick Suttner, Andy Nealen, and Douglas Wilson, but now it's also part of Airplane Mode's (mostly public domain) media library.
Publisher AMC Games commissioned two episodes of the Eggplant podcast for Airplane Mode, and they're available in the game as part of a free update now. AMC Games' Simon Ferrari confirms on Twitter that one of the episodes is about Airplane Mode itself, so you can almost think of it as some added designer commentary. I'm fairly certain that I actually have listened to the Eggplant hosts discuss Spelunky on an actual flight, so for me (and perhaps me alone) this would be both a very meta experience and a pretty authentic simulation for me.
You will need to finish at least one flight before you get access to both podcast episodes, though. If a six-hour trip to Reykjavik is too inconvenient, remember you can pick a flight to Halifax instead. Also, you can speedrun long flights with the use of sleeping pills—no, really, that's in the game.
I was intrigued by Airplane Mode when I first saw it and now, having talked with Auji about its design and seeing it out in the world, I'm happy it's getting expanded with these weird free updates. Recently, thanks to the AMC connection, it also received a Walking Dead-branded virtual pet app (starring a zombie, of course) for the in-game phone. All it needs now to make the simulation perfect for me is a handheld console with a game like Into the Breach on it. A complimentary cookie would be nice too.
In other news
Stardew Valley Just Got Beaches, Fish Tanks, Swimming Ducks, and a Whole Lot More
Nearly five years on, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone just pushed what he says is Stardew's "biggest update yet."
Among Us Sneaks Aboard Game Pass for PC Today, Will Ruin Xbox Friendships in 2021
Yet another way to play Among Us today and one more planned for next year.
Dicey Dungeons Had a Surprise Launch on Switch Last Night
Turns out Nintendo had another card up its sleeve. A card with, uh… with dice on it.
How Familiars.io's Creator Fit Multiplayer Monster-Taming Into a Single Tweet
Bless Twitter's Javascript embeds for letting this Pokemon-like flourish.
Need help?
Stardew Valley Guide - Essential Tips to Help You Become the Ultimate Farmer
Everything you need to know to go from rags to riches in Stardew Valley.
Disco Elysium: How to Find All Four Pieces of the Fairweather T-500 Ceramic Armor
We show you how to find the hanged man's armor hidden across Martinaise.
How Long Is Disco Elysium and How Many Days Are There?
We take you through the length of Disco Elysium and how many days the game covers.
Disco Elysium: How to Find Your Gun, Badge and Bullets
We show you how to find your pistol and police badge ID after losing them.