Our
understanding of air-traffic controllers comes mostly from Hollywood
caricatures of chain-smoking radar jockeys, so it's hard to say whether Air
Traffic Chaos
accurately simulates a modern control tower. But accuracy be damned, this game
is faithful to the legend. With relentless difficulty and an unforgiving pace, Air
Traffic Chaos
forces you into the twitchy, overstressed mindset of airplane disaster movies.
The
game mechanics are simple: You tap a plane's call sign on the DS touchscreen
and choose a command—e.g., "Clear Takeoff"—which plays out on the
top screen's airfield view. Along the way, Air Traffic Chaos stokes your rage with
annoyances like slothful tow-truck operators and hotshot pilots who don't even
bother to look out the window before slamming into the 5:45 from Seattle. A
fixed-zoom perspective makes it tough to keep track of land and air
simultaneously, but that isn't a major hindrance, as the skies are pretty
peaceful. It's the situation on the ground that really makes your onscreen "stress
meter" climb, as you shepherd planes through a limited number of gates and
taxiways. You aren't managing the air; you're managing the concrete.
The Chaos in
the title is a bit of a misnomer. While the action initially seems random, each
stage follows a set schedule of arrivals, departures, and weather. The only way
to conquer the insanely busy expert levels is to memorize the patterns and
puzzle out a precise rhythm of pushbacks and landings that will avert
catastrophe. That's a fun challenge, but once you succeed, the replay appeal is
almost nil.
Beyond
the game:
Each level features a real-life airport simplified into cute, crisp SNES-style
graphics. All the airports are in Japan, though. Your dreams of manning the
radar at O'Hare will have to wait.
Worth
playing for:
Killjoy aircraft separation rules don't exist in Air Traffic Chaos, so you're free to take a
daredevil approach, weaving jetliners on and off the runway within inches of
each other.
Frustration
sets in when:
Restrictions at certain airports, like separate gates for domestic and
international flights, aren't adequately explained, leaving you to discover
them through trial and error—emphasis on the latter.
Final
judgment:
A pleasingly tough puzzle game disguised as an airport sim.