It is no exaggeration to say that I enjoyed one of the best and most original tactical laser tag experiences I have ever had when I played a session at Heroes Paradise in Brandon, FL. This place has got it all together AND incorporated some tremendous ingenuity in their creative approach to game play, using the full spectrum of iCOMBAT laser tag equipment. Believe me, I’ve never played a game that looked quite like this!
Let’s start at the beginning. While I was at IAAPA I began Google searching arenas and I had already decided that a road trip to the Tampa area was going to be part of my weekend plans, so Heroes Paradise was on my radar to begin with. However, as fate would have it, the owners happened to be at the iCOMBAT booth at the show when I stopped by to talk with Ziad, who kindly introduced me to owner-operators, Tim and Julie, and I let them know I was planning a visit to their site the very next day.
When I arrived, I got checked in with more than ample time to look around and relax on what I am going to call the world’s most amazing observation deck! Now, I love it any time there is an observation area for spectators to watch a game, but I had a complete view of two huge outdoor fields from here!
Now, THAT is quite an ob deck! And the view from either side lets you see either the 14,000 square foot Elysium field (where they typically play using Invictus)…
Or the 32,000 square foot Hades field that can be played either using only a half-field choice (the “industrial” theme side or the “jungle” theme side) or the full field from one end to the other.
We played half fields to start and then used the full field for the final few games. :)
Julie joined me on the observation deck and explained that this facility had formerly been a tennis club that she and Tim purchased in 2015, but didn’t open until 2020. She invited me to tour the downstairs armory and see how they prepare their games, prior to the arrival of the group I would be playing with for the hour and a half long session.
The lower level has lockers, tables and a projection rock wall that you see before entering the armory area where they store all the taggers and equipment.
There are racks lined with taggers, vests and…helmets?!
Is this tactical Photon, lol? No, these are helmets they customized themselves using the headset sensors and electronics as an alternative to wearing the standard headband. Amazing!
Julie also showed me the digital practice range they have set up for players who want to get more comfortable with how the equipment works.
The staff who would be running the game experience prepared the gear that would be assigned to each player and they hung individual sets of irSMG, vest and helmet or headset for each of us.
This is what we all started out with.
However, the unique thing that they do here is allow a player to upgrade to different equipment when they either reach a particular point threshold…
Or they can purchase the upgrade if they find this special “money” that has been strategically hidden out on the field. Love this!
The group arrived and we prepared to take our starting positions at each team’s base, located in large industrial “storage container” buildings on either side of the half field.
Our first game was Team Deathmatch, a standard game to start. I was placed on Team Alpha with three teammates.
We took to the field and maneuvered in and around several of these metal “buildings”.
My team was victorious and I upgraded to a new tagger, using the Valkyrie this game in place of the irShotgun (the typical first level up here).
Our second game was also Team Deathmatch, only using the jungle half of the field. I took my Valkyrie and found some sweet positioning, both on the ground and from above in this cool tower.
Next game I upgraded to the Invictus.
Now, this is what really makes the experience stand out. Of course I know that all the iCOMBAT equipment is designed to work with all the other pieces. However, it honestly would never have occurred to me to use the particular combinations that they did. I would not typically expect to use the Invictus in a tactical game, but as a “reward” for leveling up it actually does make sense as an upgrade. It plays differently and has different advantages, which only once I played it opposite the irSMG did I truly appreciate why this is such a clever move!
We played a game of half-field Domination where the use of the Invictus was particularly fun.
This game really requires you to be not only mindful of tagging your opponents, but also maintaining control of the strategically placed Dominator game tubes.
Periodically I would have to respawn at the pod.
And at the end of this game I received what I would have previously thought to be an unusual upgrade for a tactical game that turned out to be really fun. I’m talking about Hero Blast!
Because I think of this item as being predominantly geared for kids, this was my first time ever trying it up against the tactical equipment.
But (similar to with the Invictus), if the upgrade is intended to be a reward/advantage (as anyone would assume an upgrade should be) then this really does accomplish that because it results in a very different kind of fire power in our game of full field Domination.
And by the end of the game I was feeling a little like She-Ra!
Ok, final game and final upgrade…this was a BIG one!
This is their Juggernaut suit. It is their own customized creation they made from a retired hazardous devices tech suit…and it is HEAVY!!!
I must point out that they do have a lighter vest option if you prefer (bearing in mind the only function is really to identify the Juggernaut player), but I was much more interested in wearing the awesome monstrosity that required two people to help put it on me! When a friend saw this he asked me “is that really necessary?” My reply was “is ANYTHING we do actually ‘necessary?’ No, but it was VERY cool!” And it was an experience I will definitely not forget!
Because it is big, bulky and heavy, the suit is cumbersome and it was not particularly easy to hold the irSAW (the one upgrade that made perfect sense to me) as I lumbered out onto the field, now playing as a team on one against everyone else in the Juggernaut game. I immediately climbed to the top of the hill in the center of the huge field.
In this game I had 3000 health, but only one life, so the goal for everyone else was to take me out of the game. Now, this is easier to play when you are not carrying all the extra weight of the suit, but it was definitely more fun this way!
I tagged around the ship, the plane and all the other “wreckage” on the jungle side of the field (my favorite of the two sides because of all the cool props) while my opponents came at me from the other side, as we were still playing the full field.
Ultimately, with seven against one I was taken out…or so I thought. I returned to the armory only to be told that I was somehow still in the game! So I returned to the field…SHE’S BACK!!!!
And thirty seconds later I actually was out, but it was quite a moment making my semi-triumphant return to that final game! :)
This was truly one of the most memorable tactical laser tag experiences I have had and I really love the ingenuity they have implemented with the customization of everything from the helmets to the Juggernaut suit to the creative approach to the upgrades. Heroes Paradise was a top notch experience and I had an absolutely fantastic time!
Comments or Questions?
Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com
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