An OFFICIAL immersive Squid gaming experience launches and we had a special preview to see if it’s as intense as the hit Netflix series.
For an entire heart-wrenching hour, we faced familiar challenges including the creepy giant killer robot doll, a deadly tug of war, and the glass stepping stones of doom.
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- Squid Game at Immersive Gamebox from £26 / $24.99 – buy now
It’s the latest major addition to the Immersive Gamebox – formerly known as the Electric Gamebox – where groups spend time in a single room with clever hats that recognize your every move.
Every step you take is reflected on the ledges, as is your touch – and it’s supremely sensitive, so prepare nerves of steel.
Don’t expect a room full of real-world assignments, and certainly not the death threat if you fail a single one, much like the Emmy-winning show.
This is primarily a test of agility, skillful manoeuvres, coolness and a bit of memory work.
We traveled in a team of six (the maximum allowed) to Immersive Gamebox’s central London location in Southwark, but there are other locations in the UK and US as well.
It begins with a menacing voice resembling the frontman – leader of the Masked Men in the series – explaining that you’ll earn money with every challenge, while the more you fail, the death toll will continue to rise.
And just like that, we’re thrown into the first round, faced with red light, green light.
Except it’s not a red-light-green-light task.
When the robot puppet turns around on the screen, you have to position yourself in a point on the screen.
It’s not as easy as it sounds.
First of all, you need to get acquainted with the idea that moving backwards in space correlates with the point moving down the screen (not crouching, as we and so many are inclined to do) and vice versa when you move yourself move forward/up.
Second, the sensors are incredibly sensitive.
When she turns around, you must stand perfectly still – no shrugging of hands or shaking of your head, or you will be killed (don’t worry, you have infinite attempts until time runs out).
It’s surprisingly tense, especially when she starts to accelerate.
Next comes the honeycomb cutting task, aka the Dalgona Candy Challenge.
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- Squid Game at Immersive Gamebox from £26 / $24.99 – buy now
Again, no real elements – to be honest that might have been a lot easier than what we actually experienced.
We had to cut out the shapes by carefully walking around the room.
Sound easy? Add a timer and suddenly you realize it’s not going to be an easy task.
Sure, the square shape was fine, but once we made it to the circle, things got tricky.
We never managed to do that with the dreaded umbrella.
The third round is the tug of war, which is a test of timing and actually reminded me of the dance mat days.
Stand in a pulsating circle to the beat of the music – but in pairs.
The better you time it, the farther your rope will move back on the screen.
The marble round plays a bit like the old bubble shooter games, with a line to show you where to shoot.
The Glass Stepping Stones, on the other hand, are a group memory test that gets really tough towards the end.
But the last round, the self-titled squid game, is the most excruciating.
Similar to Pac-Man, you must navigate a grid and avoid enemies to reach a safe point.
“I’m actually shaking,” said one of my friends who had the experience with me.
Of course, nothing gets as intense as actually risk your life.
But this immersive experience does a fun job of virtually recreating the charm of Squid Game, making it a must-read for fans.
It would be even better to include some physical elements, but that’s not what this kind of technology is about – we’ll leave that to the upcoming real-world game show.
- Squid Game at Immersive Gamebox from £26 / $24.99 – buy now
And from £26/$24.99 per person for an hour (depending on location) it’s actually a reasonable price compared to other virtual group experiences you can try these days.
You’ll even get a cool group GIF by email at the end, as well as a spot on the leaderboard, provided you do well, of course.
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