Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
Reviewed for: MSFS
Add-ons: FSLTL, GSX Pro, REX AccuSeason (which may misrepresent some colours in certain light conditions)
Along with FS2024 compatibility, Marcus Nyberg has introduced a host of improvements and new features, basically making this new version a v2.
DETAIL
Marcus’ airports are renowned for their accuracy, photoreal textures and generally moody feel, and this heavily-upgraded ESMS offers more of the same — which is no bad thing!
I never owned the original version but one huge weakness of Marcus’ early projects was their poor landsides — something that’s been progressively addressed with each new release/update. The terminal is typical of Marcus’ high quality: gritty, photoreal textures, plenty of fine detail, and by far the best outdoor landside he’s produced (although it must be said, the landside just scrapes the good side of average for 2025).
Moving inside, we get practically a full interior, and again it’s of a quality that’s not been achieved by this dev previously. Some fabulous detail, photoreal textures matching the building’s exterior, and plenty of static people.
Out on the aprons, taxiways and runway the textures are first-class, exhibiting just the right amount of weathering/wear-and-tear. Airfield lighting is equally impressive, the majority of it being completely custom and very highly detailed. My only complaint is that the approach lights are default but that’s certainly not uncommon. As always with Marcus’ airports, a number of smoothly-animated ground service vehicles go about their business, tootling along on the terminal’s airside roads. I’d perhaps like to see a little more variety in these vehicles but they don’t half look good, especially at night!
After sunset the whole airport really shines (pardon the pun), with Marcus’ incredibly authentic night-lighting really boosting the immersion. I’ve always said, night-lighting seems to be very much like an ‘on/off’ switch — a dev either gets it right… or totally wrong; and there appears to be little middle ground. Flying in and out of Marcus’ airports by night is pure pleasure, simply because he gets every aspect of the airfield lighting spot-on, without fail. Even the terminal interior looks stunning at night, from the flightdeck of a parked airliner.
Exploring the more remote areas of the airfield, we find a consistent level of detail that includes some nicely modelled derelict airliners (several ex-West Air Sweden ATPs and an MD-80). Do note that the static aircraft around the cargo and maintenance areas included in the original release have been removed.
Admittedly, peripheral detail is a bit lacking but ESMS is sort of in the middle of nowhere — tens of kilometres from the city (in fact, Malmo centre is closer to EKCH than it is to ESMS!) — so it’s likely the sparse surroundings reflect reality. Besides, there is a smidge of detail outside the perimeter fence, namely some sort of motor racing track (though the track itself seems to have been left to default satellite imagery).
PERFORMANCE
Malmo isn’t a busy airport, largely due to the proximity of Copenhagen, but performance is excellent, in spite of the increased detail this new version brings. Malmo city is present in PG in the sim but it’s far enough away to not cause any problems.
VERDICT
Malmo is the last of Marcus’ Scandinavian airports to receive a major update, meaning they’re all now up to 2025’s standards (and FS2024 compatible). ESGG received a similar update not so long ago but this ESMS upgrade is more significant, I’d say.
There aren’t too many real-world flights simmers can fly but the short SAS hop from ESSA is a pleasurable one, particularly since it’s operated by various types in the short-haul fleet. Ryanair, Braathens, Wizz and Sunclass comprise the rest, the latter offering seasonal flights to Med destinations, to satiate those who like to be airborne for over three hours.
In summary, with this latest update, Marcus has again perfectly captured the essence of an airport in this part of the world. It just feels so… ‘Scandinavian’ — inside and out, day or night — and the convincing recreation of the bright yellow paint that adorns every airfield building (terminal included) certainly makes the place feel rather unique.
In just a couple of weeks, Orbx ESMS has gone from being an airport only recommendable to those with a specific affinity for it, to one that’s absolutely essential if you enjoy flying in Sweden or Scandinavia in general. Despite it being one of Marcus’ smaller airports, it packs an unprecedented level of both detail and immersion, to make it perhaps the finest piece of work he’s produced so far.
Ground textures: 9/10
Building textures: 9/10
Apron clutter: 10/10
Terminal interior: 9/10
Outdoor landside detail: 7/10
Jetway connection: 8/10
Performance: 9/10
FSLTL compatibility: 10/10
GSX compatibility: 10/10
Night-lighting: 10/10
Overall immersion: 10/10
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