Haunted Laser Tag
This is the time of year when haunted laser tag attractions begin showing up in arenas all over the country and each location puts its own spin on how they approach it. When I heard about the Scare Games happening at Spare Time in Clifton Park, NY my interest was immediately piqued, so I planned a visit to see who (or what) might be haunting this particular arena!
The experience begins with briefing, as usual. However during the video there were some pounding noises coming from behind the wall, setting the scene to let us know we were not alone. Paul and I suited up in Helios 2 packs, ready to face whatever was waiting for us inside the arena.
The decorations put you in the Halloween spirit even before the game starts.
What makes for a good haunted experience is multi-tiered. In this case, the first thing you notice upon entering is the atmosphere. There are spiderwebs hanging liberally throughout the arena with creepy-crawly props on top of box towers and unexpected places. There were sheer fabrics draped over windows and by the base entrance to slightly obscure the sight-lines (although not stopping the IR, we could absolutely tag right through them). The typical black lights had been reduced, making the space darker than normal. And, while I was told there was different music, I honestly didn’t notice it. Unless one of my jam tracks comes on during the game I usually tune out the music.
However, the scare actors sharing the space with us didn’t want anyone to tune out on the fright. Throughout the game there was banging on the walls, shrill shrieks of terror and plenty of bumps in the night that would distract anyone who wasn’t in the “Zone” (pun intended). And the actors did an excellent job of trying to surprise us by sneaking up from behind or just staring us down with a creepy look on their masked faces. Imagine turning the corner and seeing this!
There was one moment when a ghoul crawled along the floor behind me, very similar to that girl in The Ring. In my head I defaulted to my first instinct, which was to say “you have to play on your feet” (kids constantly have to be reminded of this), but I caught myself when I realized that this was part of the fun! However, when in fright mode the scare actors do not speak, so I had to just interpret that he was doing this intentionally to surprise me.
Once in the game, my focus was really back in the game, so I probably didn’t let myself be as surprised by the creatures as I could have been. For me, the actors turned into moving obstacles, which actually enhanced the game simply by their presence walking around. Was that a target or a ghoul passing behind me? But they did a great job of keeping me extra alert to the environment and the knocks on the walls and the screams were a constant reminder that this wasn’t an ordinary game. I thoroughly enjoyed!
By the end of the game, I was ready for more and asked the manager, Aidan, if we might play a game with the humans vs the ghouls. The reaction from the masked marauders was awesome. Since they were still in character they could not speak their approval, but rather jumped up and made noises to indicate they were up for the challenge! Love it!
Now, most tag systems have some variation of a Zombie game (which BTW was not what we played) where the goal is to have the Zombies vs the Humans. This is the most literal interpretation of that I could have asked for. Notice, the ghouls are wearing Helios 2 packs at this point as well. :)
This was not the norm, but they accommodated my special request and it definitely became the best part of the evening! These ghouls really got into it and not only brought some excellent competitiveness to the arena, but really made it a fun memory. Playing against the creatures of the night certainly made this night all the more exciting!
Two things to note. Laser tag is usually all about team communication. While I was shouting out directions about tagging the base and opponent positions during the game, the ghouls continued to keep completely silent. Creepy! That made for an interesting dynamic, but they knew their arena well enough that they played well together even without call-outs. Also, while the masks gave them a spooky appearance, the scariest thing about these ghouls was NOT being able to read their faces if they got an unexpected tag or were staring right at us. To me, THIS was the coolest element about having costumed creatures in the arena with us. Laser tag is a very social game where the engagement with other players is a huge part of it, and the blend of playing but not seeing faces was both a tiny bit jarring and really fun.
So, while I may have enjoyed parts of this haunted attraction a bit differently than the average customer coming in for a game and a ghost, I am certain that anyone looking for a twist on a typical game will have a great time. I really enjoyed the entire experience playing Scare Games at Spare Time Clifton Park. Happy haunting!
Comments or Questions?
Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com
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