If you had told me ten years ago that I’d be spending my nights meticulously piloting a Bell UH-1H Huey over a fictional Indiana town to save a group of teenagers from interdimensional monsters, I probably would have asked if I’d accidentally consumed some of Steve Harrington’s expired hairspray. Yet, here we are.
In a crossover that absolutely no one saw coming (but that we desperately needed) Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has officially released a Stranger Things expansion. It is available right now, and if you’re a fan of either the series or the high-fidelity realism of flight sims, you’re going to want to clear your flight path.
Taking Flight with Murray Bauman
The first thing you need to know about this expansion is that it isn’t just a cosmetic skin pack. It’s a fully realised, narrative-driven experience led by the one and only Murray Bauman. Having the original cast member provide the voiceover brings that signature “conspiracy theorist chic” energy to the cockpit. As Murray himself warns during one of the tenser moments of the expansion: “Yeah, it gets intense.”
The expansion introduces five brand-new missions that lean heavily into the show’s 1980s government-conspiracy aesthetic. We aren’t just doing scenic flyovers; we are engaging in shady supply operations, close-call chases, and high-stakes rescues. It’s a refreshing change of pace for Flight Simulator, which usually leans toward the serene.
Hawkins Like You’ve Never Seen It
The level of detail Microsoft has poured into this digital recreation of Hawkins is, quite frankly, staggering. The expansion includes over 40 points of interest made famous by the show. Whether you’re hovering over the Hawkins National Laboratory (and feeling a slight chill as you do) or searching for the Wheeler house, the geographic accuracy to the show’s lore is spot-on.
Flying the Bell UH-1H Huey (affectionately known as the “Huey”) is the perfect choice for this era. It feels heavy, mechanical, and appropriately retro. There is something uniquely satisfying about navigating the Indiana treeline while Murray barks instructions in your ear, reminding you that the government is probably watching your every move.
Don’t worry if you still haven’t finished the series, there are no spoilers for the show. But it does make me think just how good it would be if the creators of a game like “Far Cry” were to give that the Stranger Things treatment in a similar fashion to “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora”, now that would be an epic masterpiece.
