In summary
Activate is a live-action gaming adventure, based at The O2 in London, where groups enter interactive gaming rooms to either compete against each other or work as a team to score points. Set your difficulty level and expect to work up a sweat as you jump, crawl, shoot and laugh your way through fun physical and mental challenges.
When did we visit?
I visited midday on a Saturday in August during the school summer holidays with my husband and our two sons, Odhran, 10, and Reuben, 7. It was busy but not over-crowded.
What does the experience involve?
When we arrived, we were handed a wristband to activate one of the lockers to place our belongings in. We were also each given an electronic wristband to track our individual progress so we could rack up points during the experience. Before we stepped into the gaming zone, we used one of the screens in the waiting area to enter our details and create our usernames, which appeared on a leaderboard inside the gaming space. Then, we stepped through a tunnel of lights, and a member of staff explained how to play (we found all of the staff at Activate to be really friendly and helpful).
There are 12 gaming rooms and each room has several different games to play. For example, in the Laser room, you can play a game where you've got to move from one end of the room to the other, while jumping and crawling to avoid laser beams. Or you can selected a laser shooting game. Other rooms include Grids, Hoops and Portals. At the door to each room, there's a screen to choose which game you wish to play, and you can select your difficulty level. You can find on-screen instructions of how to play. Once you've chosen your game and difficulty level, each member of the team then taps their wristband to begin, and you can choose to play as a team or against one another for a bit of friendly family competition. You can reset your difficulty level throughout the experience. So you try a game at one level and then move up to the next.
Odhran's favourite game was the maze laser game, while Reuben loved the laser shooting. I really enjoy the Grid rooms, where one game involved stepping on all the blue tiles as they appeared, while avoiding getting eliminated by the moving red lights on the floor. In another room, my left arm got a workout as I enthusiastically fired balls at a screen to explode approaching asteroids. My husband's favourite activity was the basketball hoops, where there is lots of variety on how you rack up points - you can play a straightforward shoot out, or you can add to the complexity of the game and make it more technical and interactive by selecting an option where each player is assigned a colour. They must only shoot into the hoop their colour flashes up behind. But the lights move around between hoops, so you have to be alert and fast to react.
You're given an hour to enjoy the experience and you can move about the rooms in whichever order you like. You're completely free to explore the whole space and play whichever games you like as many times as you like within that hour. It felt like the right amount of time, as after about 50 minutes we were hot and thirsty from all the running and jumping.
There are 10 levels for you to master at Activate, which seems incredible, as we struggled to make it past level 2! But it means you have a reason to return and try to beat your level on the next visit. By being able to set the difficulty level, it means Activate is suitable for both kids and adults. It's a fun and interactive familyactivity. There are prizes to be won if you manage to rack up enough points. We're clearly going to need a lot more practice to unlock a bigger prize next time. But the boys were happy to each win a glow-in-the-dark souvenir wristband.
What to know before you go
Open toe shoes or high heels are not permitted. Trainers are recommended. It gets hot in there, especially with all that running around. So, wear loose clothing. Have a good drink of water before you head inside, and have water in your locker for when you emerging sweating and parched! There are toilets inside the gaming area so you don't have to leave the space if you need the loo.
What age is it most suitable for?
Activate is suitable for groups of 2-5 guests. Players must be over age six to participate. Reuben is aged 7 and he loved it, though it is harder for little ones to reach to through the basketballs properly in the Hoops room.
How much does it cost?
Activate costs £29.50 per person when booked online. There's also a £1.50 booking fee. Walk-ins are welcome, but it's best to book in advance to avoid disappointment, as popular time slots can get booked up.
Take a Break's verdict
We weren't sure exactly what to expect when we arrived at Activate. But, between the staff and the on- screen instructions, it was really easy to follow the instructions on how to play each game. I worried there might be queues waiting to use each gaming room, which might eat into our hour-long time slot. But because you're able to move about the venue freely and jump between games rooms, we only ever had one group of players ahead of us, and each game is short, so queues don't build up. The kids were excited from the moment we arrived, and we all had a really fun time. It's a great way to burn off a few calories! The only criticism is that some of the games are a bit repetitive and it could maybe benefit from air conditioning and a water fountain, as you will get thirsty. But we had a laugh and will returning. Overall, we rate Activate a 4.5 out of 5.