If you've ever wondered what it's like to shoot your way through a horde of flesh eating zombies or survive a night in a haunted abandoned hospital, then we've got good news for you. All of these things are now possible at Manchester's newest virtual reality attraction.
Found on Brown Street just a few steps away from the Arndale in the city centre, DNA VR opened it's doors last month with a star studded event to herald it's first venue outside of London. As the chain is popular with celebs such as KSI, Idris Elba and Chris Hemsworth, we decided to head down and see what the fuss is all about.
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The experience is broken up into four main rooms. The first option is a VR arcade where up a group of up to 10 play a variety of different games in dedicated VR booths. The session is at a discounted price of £27 per person and lasts an hour. DNA VR say if you wish for a longer session then you can pay the same rate for a longer time.
The other room is the VR escape room where a team of six must put their wits together to solve puzzles against the clock and it currently costs £19 per person. Then there is the Ubisoft VR escape room where, for £32.50 each, groups of up to four immerse themselves in the world of popular Ubisoft titles like the Prince of Persia.
Finally there is the premium free roaming room which will set you back £33.50 per person and is the one tried out. Here, you're are placed in a larger room devoid of any wires and the only equipment you have is the headset and controllers.
From this room you are given unapparelled freedom instead of being hooked up to a mains plug or placed in a pod like the other rooms. In the free roam room we played two games that are on offer at the arcade.
The first one was Arizona Sunshine, which is exclusive to the Battersea and Manchester branches. The aim of the game was simple, you and a partner (you're allowed up to four) must clear a nuclear plant swarming with zombies to launch a missile.
What ensued was genuinely some of the most fun I have had in years. The room itself is no bigger than a living room in a reasonably sized house but it doesn't feel that way once your VR headset is connected and switched on.
You are genuinely transformed into another world filled with terrifying mutated victims of an apocalypse. Every aspect of the experience was incredibly impressive, but the biggest 'wow' moments was how immersive some actions felt.
For some amazing reason I do not have the capacity to explain, your body genuinely felt like it was in a descending elevator, a moving tray or reloading ammo despite the room being completely bare. Shooting zombies felt even more exhilarating than it does on console games such as Call of Duty and I was left absolutely petrified whenever I turned around to see a grotesque dead body racing towards me.
After we killed off as many zombies as we could we were transported to the Hospital of Horrors by our VR master who is a member of staff who sits with you throughout the full session. For horror fans this game mode is a treat, for those who aren't fond of horrors like myself it was a nightmare.
For ten minutes you must make your way through different dimly rooms of a dilapidated hospital. The high powered guns are replaced with torches and you and your partner must explore these rooms.
The next minutes are filled with heart racing, anxiety inducing but ultimately fun moments that will leave you with a wide grin on your face.
DNA VR's Manchester venue has the capacity to host up to 16 virtual sessions (19 people) at one time. The option to book the whole arcade is available and you are allowed to bring your own food and drink.
Large parties are advised to book up to two hours a session for a chance to have a go at the 70 games available. It also works great as a date night, after work do or spontaneous city centre trip.
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