A Portal to Atlantis
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
This one is impressive! From the moment I stepped foot into the briefing room at Portals Entertainment Center in Temecula, CA I got a good vibe that there would be something cool behind the arena door. After all, THIS was their vesting area!
Timing on my trips is often unpredictable, so I was happy to get a 1v1 game with marshal Travis, as this may have been the best way for me to properly experience the arena. He definitely gave me a competitive game, which allowed me to better test the flow of this one and a half floor game space. I call it that because the second level is nicely raised platform that creates a higher half on one side of the arena rather than a complete second floor, though it functions beautifully and gives the effect of two very distinctive game floors, accessible by ramps on each side.
This arena executed the Battle for Atlantis theme very well. I believe I know which arena designer created this space (though not 100% sure) so let me just say kudos to whomever executed this design!
The main focal point on the lower level is wall that delineates the upper half from the lower half. Here we see a giant representation of (I assume) King Neptune, flanked by fully animated monitors on either side with continuous motion oceanic scenes playing throughout the game. This is an attention getter!
You can see how this area is flanked by playable ramps on either side.
On the top floor the outer walls showcase some amazing blacklight reactive artwork that I found stunning and captivating as I tagged my way through the maze.
Eye on the prize, I located the upper level base.
And while keeping a watch for where Travis was moving throughout the arena (and he was quick!) I peeked out over the walls to see where I might catch a flicker of his pack moving throughout the lower level “waves”.
Again, I must give props for the arena design. They utilized a relatively smaller footprint of space and made it feel much larger by adding this height and dimension along with a very well executed and engaging theme. I genuinely felt this arena was very well done without needing to go “over the top”. Key areas got the deluxe treatment and the rest of the space augmented that theme well.
Now, let me backtrack to the briefing room for something I want to mention. I am aware of the card technology being available, but this is the first time I have purchased a game, had it loaded onto my card and the been told to tap the card to my pack to redeem my game. They happen to use Semnox, but I don’t think this feature is specific to that supplier.
As this was the first time I have personally encountered this “out in the wild” I was observant to the process, but had questions. I tapped the game card first and followed up by tapping my member card from Syracuse. I know something registered because Travis could briefly see my code name and level on his screen, however the pack did not retain that info. After talking with some pros after the fact at Amusement Expo, I think that if I had reversed the order and signed in as a member first that I could have played as Tivia here. Well, I’m learning things through experience and will bear this order in mind next time I come across this scenario (which may not happen often, but it’s good info to tuck away). Regardless, I had a wonderful experience at Portals and I thank Travis for keeping it competitive and bringing his skills to the game so I could have a really great time playing this Battle for Atlantis arena as my final stop in California this trip. It was awesome!
Comments or Questions?
Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com
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