Better known for their gory zombie shooter, Alive-4-Ever [$2.99 and its sequel, Meridian takes on an entirely different genre in Airport Terminal, pitting you in the shoes of an entrepreneurial airport mogul. In doing so, they show off the spectrum of their creative output by not only being capable of gory zombie shooters, but also charming time management games.
In each of the whopping 70 levels in Airport Terminal you are faced with a variety of different customers from all walks of life. Basketball players, movie stars, snotty kids; each have distinct needs that must be catered for. Firstly, this involves delivering them to their respective First, Business or Coach class check-in, before sending them off to a number of different amenities and services invariably found in an airport terminal.
What separates Airport Terminal from other time management games on initial observation, is the dual-screen challenge presented by the check-in and boarding process. If you manage to incur the wrath of a patron or incur delays at check-in, expect these patrons to be equally sour and tardy come boarding time. This is especially so when faced with the endless customs queues that we’re all so fond of.
Activities are different between the two screens (though some actions are shared, such as hitting each customer up twice at duty-free) and comprise events such as passport stamping, customs scanning, restroom stops and even a chow-down while waiting for your plane. As seems to be the trend with the better time management games, sending a customer to a facility triggers one of 8 mini-games that require your immediate attention. These range from fun to effortless (read: mindless) but all importantly add up to further time sinks and distractions that compound the frantic pace of the game.
Besides its huge number of levels, spanning 7 different airports, each with individual setups, customers, assortment of minigames and strategies; Airport Terminal also features 70 individual upgrades to customize and improve your terminal. These include upgrading the light rail between areas, increasing the staff at various service points, and increasing staff competency levels (to name but a few). Though these upgrades promote bettering your score (and thus earning more money to spend) even the most expensive items never seem too far out of reach.
Airport Terminal is an endearing time management game that will hold your focus for hours as you coordinate the activities and improvements of each world famous airport. Though not as complex as titles such as Mystic Emporium [$2.99], Airport Terminal still offers enough frantic timely tapping to satiate any fan of the genre.
