We levelled up my son's 11th birthday celebrations with a fun gaming experience that kept the kids active.
Immersive Gamebox is an interactive group gaming experience where your body acts as the controller, and it was game on when I went along to London's South Bank branch with my son Odhran, his eight-year-old brother Reuben, and three of Odhran's friends.
Odhran chose our team name - Fantastic Five. As there were six of us, I assumed I was the one considered to be less than fantastic. So, I had a point to prove as we stepped inside the gamebox.
After booking your date and time slot online, you arrive at the venue and the process is simple - you're directed to one of the enclosed gameboxes, where you each choose a numbered and coloured headset - this is a lightweight visor with motion-tracking balls that react with wrap-around touchscreens. So, there are no clunky VR sets.
The experience if for two to six players with six being the maximum number per gamebox. There are a variety of games to choose from, catering to different interests and age groups, from little ones aged 3+ (Angry Birds and PAW Patrol fun) right up to adults, who can choose between competitive games or teamwork challenges.
We selected the Squid Game experience - an hour-long challenge where your team must survive six tasks inspired by the Netflix show. I thought it might be a bit tricky to get set up, and feared that could end up eating into our time. But the game you've pre-booked appears immediately on the screen and all the instructions for the tasks are clear and easy to follow.
For some of the challenges, we had to take it in turns to complete an individual task, whereas for others we had to pair up. It requires good co-ordination as every move counts - you must carefully step forwards and backwards, left and right, to guide your marker on the screen, while working against a ticking clock. It was surprisingly tense! Squid Game has the highest difficult rating and is recommended for ages 12+ but Reuben, 8, proved one of the strongest players on our team. All of the kids were completely invested in the challenges and the aim of boosting our jackpot total. There was lots of cheering each other on.
All that running around is thirsty work and you can request drinks straight from inside your gamebox. As the experience features smart rooms where three walls serve as large, touch-sensitive projection screens, you can order directly from the interactive screen either before the game begins or during gameplay and staff will bring the drinks to your gamebox. There's a handy little shelf, colour coded to match the headset colours, so everyone can place their drink in their allocated spot.
Where is Immersive Gamebox located
There's a branch in Yorkshire, Liverpool, Manchester and Essex, and several locations in London.
Cost and how to get the best value for money...
The cost varies according to location and whether you're booking during peak or off-peak times. As you might expect, London is the priciest location. Cost is based on a per person per experience booking. We visited the South Bank venue on a Saturday at 2.30pm, which was peak time. To book the Squid Game experience at this venue on this day and time for six people costs £276, which is a hefty amount. But there are lots of ways to save. For example, booking a slot for earlier on a Saturday could save more than £50 on the booking (the 1pm to 4pm slots at the South Bank venue are the most expensive) and you can save by booking any time Monday-Friday or on Sundays, when the same package will cost you £222 instead of £276.
Squid Game is recommended for ages 12+ so there is no 'Junior' pricing option. If you were to book a game such as Floor is Lava , which is suitable for kids aged 7+ then you can avail of a 'Junior' pricing option, which starts from £27 instead of from £37 for kids aged 3-11. You can also get 10 per cent off your first booking by signing up for emails, which is a good way to knock a bit more off the total cost. Student and Blue Lights discounts are also available.
But the best way to make BIG SAVINGS is with a Game Pass. A One Month Unlimited Play pass costs £185 and is valid for six people. This membership gives you unlimited visits to Immersive Gamebox for a whole month, allowing six players to play 30-minute or 60-minute interactive games, seven days a week, with no blackout dates. So, you could take the kids with cousins one day and friends the next.
Squid Game is included so it would actually work out cheaper to do it by purchasing the Game Pass and then you could also return to enjoy more games. With the Game Pass you must still book in online. Once you purchase your pass, you’ll be emailed a unique URL link. This will take you to a redemption page where you can book your activity, and when you want to visit again you just follow the same instructions. During the summer holidays, it's a great way to keep the kids occupied. If you went just four times during the month it works out that you'd only be paying around £7 per person. Immersive Gamebox also offers a three month Game Pass, which costs £215 and includes 20% off drinks and birthday parties.
Take a Break's verdict
Immersive Gamebox turned out to be the perfect way to celebrate a tweens birthday and they record a fun little gif at the end, which is a nice touch. But it's also a great activity for younger kids, groups of adult friends, work socials, or couples on a date night. We'd booked an hour, but it's possible to book a 90 minute session. So, we could have done Squid Game and spent another 30 minutes playing other games. I thought the kids might start to get bored after an hour. But I was wrong. They'd have loved to play for an extra 30 minutes. Odhran is already asking to go back to do the Batman experience and Reuben has his eye on Football Arcade. Immersive Gamebox is like stepping inside a video game, and it is really great fun. But a Game Pass is the way to unlock savings and get the best value for money. Find out more here