Compliments from “Not a Mom”

I want to pay a major compliment to the laser tag arena at Acres of Fun in Wooster, OH, but I’m not quite sure how to say it the right way. When I played this arena there was a really particular vibe to it that reminded me of a smaller version of Stratum. Genuinely, that IS a big compliment and one that fills me with nostalgia for an experience I miss greatly. I had a really great game experience at Acres of Fun, but there was a clear comparison in my mind the whole time and I think it would be apparent to anyone who was lucky enough to have experienced both of these awesome arenas. The brightly stunning airbrushed art on the walls was one of the more obvious parallels that really make the arena distinctive.

Also, let me make clear that just because I say it is smaller than Stratum does not make it small in any sense of the word. This was a good size arena space and the multi-level maze was convoluted in the best way!

There were ramps, an actual maze, well-built structure and (as my friend Dave puts it) “bouncing boxes” where reflective surfaces were discreetly placed on a few inner walls so they don’t immediately jump out at you, but you can angle a well-placed shot off the reflection and tag an opponent who might never see it coming!

One more genuine compliment I have is that, had I not been pressed for time, I would have happily played at this arena all night.

However, I was on a tight schedule, so I had to get into a game as quickly as possible and by luck I walked in just as a game was being called. Perfect!

The briefing room moving party light effects while we watched their original briefing video for instructions before moving on to find racks of Nexus packs waiting in the next room. The game master told us to pick up packs and form teams, but I was the only one to put on a green vest.

In response to that he said “you’re gonna make the mom play alone?” Lol, I told him I wasn’t a mom...well, unless you count being a lizard mama to Heli!

Having the "mom look" usually keeps me under the radar until I can get into the arena and prove that I'm "not a mom" and you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! However, he had already decided to change the game to rainbow solo. Even better!

I loved exploring the arena. It actually took me a couple of passes on the lower level before I located all three bases. Along the way I passed a couple of game stations positioned on the walls and I tagged quite a few targets as well.