A Launch Into Laserforce

2 days ago
3 min read

When I paid a visit to Launch Family Entertainment in Herndon, VA I discovered that I was on my way towards another traveling achievement, as this is the first (and currently only) Launch arena operating using Laserforce. So I was excited to log in with my membership card and play some free for all in their “Attack on Atlantis” themed arena with Darwin, Laneyah, Kaitlyn and Leilana.

My thanks to Kyle, the assistant manager who facilitated a chance for me to play a couple of games with this group who were excellent players! Laser tag is a new addition at this site, which opened in 2017, but only installed the Laserforce gear at the beginning of this year.

I signed in with my membership card from my home site, but learned that here they refer to this as a “player profile” so as not to be confused with the membership packages they offer. Once we battle-suited up we went in for a game. Darwin offered me the chance to play several options including Color Conquest, but I opted for some classic free for all.

As a level nine, I have to tag players five times to deactivate them, so the challenge was excellent playing with this group. We all worked up a sweat during the course of the two games we played.

In between games we chatted and I was able to share some insights about my experiences with the traveling achievements and show them how this visit to Launch was now archived on my mission stats page at IPlayLaserforce.com.

This is a sharp looking, single-level arena that sets the scene for an underwater adventure. Watch out for sharks! ;)

Have I found King Triton?

He’s guarding one of the beacon-style bases that I made a beeline for at the start of the game.

There were some cool structures to tag around, like this rock tower.

And it’s clever how the texture on this structure gives the illusion of a real underwater scene.

I talked a bit more with Kyle following our games and commented to him about seeing the game format posters on their walls. I was impressed by their willingness to offer experiences beyond just the standard games. So many FECs stick to just the basics instead of exploring the full scope of what they can do with their system, but this site seems to be really open to tailoring unique experiences to their customers.

I was curious about how this was the only Launch site I had experienced using the Laserforce system and was told that, while they do have standard guidelines for operating their franchise, they are also able to request flexibility in some decisions, which does also explain some of the differences I have seen from one facility to another under this brand.

I also noticed they had one of the coolest t-shirt designs of all the Launch shirts I have brought home over the years.

Ultimately, what makes the biggest difference to the player is the experience they have with the game and with the staff. I can say I felt that both of these were top notch at Launch Family Entertainment in Herndon. I hope I have an opportunity to visit them again!