Let me tell you about my recent trip to the desert side of the alien planet Natua…aka my visit to play laser tag in the arena at Space Race Adventures in Pigeon Forge, TN.
I had been hearing for about a year that this was a really unique arena using iCOMBAT’s Invictus in a space setting (which has always been my favorite theming), so I had it on my radar to visit and the timing on my recent tag trip was perfect for this.
This facility has a lot going on and when I arrived I first walked up to the ticket booth for the go-karts on the lower level. I was directed to walk up the stairs to find the laser tag attraction and, compared to the racing area, at the top it really was like a whole other world!
I went from the outdoor roar of the “race” into a much more chill vibe upstairs, where I discovered the “space” was incorporated into the other attractions with a storyline that tied them all together.
I walked up to Mission Control, where I met Winston who kindly gave me a tour before my laser tag game began.
He explained to me that the entire facility, which opened last March, is themed around the storyline that you have landed on another planet out in space. He told me the planet’s name “Natua” is the German word for “nature” and that the scientific exploration of the worlds in the mini golf area includes the serene water…
The crystal caverns…
And concludes as you play through with a cumulus cloud looming above.
And if you are looking for VR, their Metaverse provides “training simulation” for your time in space.
However, I was mostly looking forward to exploring the desert side of the planet Natua inside their 5500 square foot laser tag arena. I joined a group going in and we were seated in a rather cool briefing area.
Benches lined both sides of a rack that shelved the Invictus phasers and we took a seat to listen to the briefing instructions. I selected my phaser (Alpha5) and put the cross-body sensor strap over my head. Time to enter another world!
I have only played Invictus a couple of times before, so I welcomed listening to the briefing instructions, where I picked up a very helpful tip about using the shield at the bottom of the phaser screen. When you use it you get five seconds of protection and then a five second cooldown before you can activate it again…however its use is unlimited! I’m not sure I realized that the last time I played this system, so this time I used it liberally by shielding, peeking out to tag my opponents and then ducking into a hiding spot to wait out the cooldown. That made a big difference, which forced a shift in my play-style, but it was also incredibly useful information.
The arena is essentially a single-level space with some raised platforms and ramps giving parts of it higher elevation
My favorite example of this led me inside the structure near the computer station.
I understand they are adding more escape room-style challenges within the laser tag arena, some of which you can see hints of already.
Some are already hidden in plain sight. :)
And the combination of the look of the arena with the vibe of the gear really works together well. This is a good match that made for a really enjoyable game! Though not in an overdone way, this experience had an immersiveness that kind of made me picture myself in a movie (I don’t know why Stargate comes to mind), which is a good indicator that they got it right.
By the end of the game I had earned the MVP for my team and we came out victorious.
Everyone seemed to really enjoy the experience. If we had wanted to play using different equipment, Winston showed me that they also have an alternate briefing room with the iCOMBAT irSMG and irShotgun taggers as options.
However, for a space themed experience I think the Invictus hit the mark…quite literally! I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Space Race Adventures. Now, back to planet earth. :)
Comments or Questions?
Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com
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