Guys, I finally got to try Variant 31 last week! As someone who loves zombies and claims to be an expert in any zombie apocalypse situation, this was a dream come true for me. I was invited alongside Love Pop Ups: London. A couple of people dropped out so I was able to drag my boyfriend along as a plus one!
I already felt my nerves crumbling as we arrived. The first thing I saw was smoke etching out of the Toxico Technologies sign and a long line of people waiting in anticipation. We joined them in queueing outside of two or three dirty run-down buildings. Oh, and I also heard constant screams.
I wasn’t sure what to expect at all really. I figured it was some sort of immersive game/escape room but probably leaning more towards a total zombie experience. After all, the website didn’t reveal much. But it wasn’t long before we were ushered in. We were then placed in protective vests, given ‘guns’ and listened to a lecture about how to use them and how to keep ourselves safe inside.
Once we were in the actual ‘experience’ we met with a doctor and two assistants. They explained to us about an experiment that went wrong (of course) and then things got a little…crazy. I’m not going to reveal much. But within minutes we were sprinting through the twisting corridors, outrunning the undead and trying to find our bearings. The experience is said to be set over 25000 square feet of derelict buildings, staggering staircases and hidden rooms. So it was easy to feel lost and on edge, especially with zombies at nearly every corner.
We soon got into the stride of things. Sticking with my team at first, we got each other’s back and I may have gotten a bit too into it! I was soon barking orders, screaming that zombies were nearby and I needed back up. At points I even found myself doing some sort of spin move and throwing myself up against the wall in protection (you can just call me Tomb Raider…).
My Review of Variant 31, London
I had an amazing time. I was especially delighted to find fireplaces to crawl beneath or little cubby holes/slides to dive down. The entire thing felt extremely realistic and like we really were in the middle of a video game.
However, as our group began to separate and more groups began to file in behind us, we began to feel a little frustrated. We soon felt completely lost and had no idea what we were supposed to do. We spent a good 45 minutes just walking around and exploring the same rooms over and over looking for clues. Eventually, someone took pity on us and gave us a hint at what we had to do. But by the time we put this into practice, our time was up.
There were also a few mishaps. at times, we got infected despite not being close enough to the zombies. Being infected meant we had to find a health station within 90 seconds and if we failed, we died. Luckily there were doctors on hand to revive us, but this began to get a little frustrating too. When we were infected without being near a zombie, it was frustrating to run back to a health point. Often was too crowded to reach a health point in time because people simply wouldn’t move out of our way. Sometimes we felt like we were close to getting somewhere with our clue, only to have to start all over again and find a doctor.
This was both good and bad. It certainly got the adrenaline running and felt realistic as we had to run away to survive, but at other times it just became annoying. Especially when we were doing so well at shooting zombies in time but still getting caught and then ‘dying’ through no fault of our own.
I also felt dying didn’t make much difference to the game. A soldier called me out at one point and dramatically made me run after him to find a doctor, shouting at people to move out of the way. This was fun, till I had to run up three flights of stairs (I could barely breathe!) and get healed by a doctor…who took all my points away! Boo!
However, I do think these things made the game more realistic and immersive – I’m glad it was a challenge. I would only say that letting less groups in would be better and giving people some sort of direction – we later met up with our group who had got a lot further along than us and experienced much more exciting things which seemed a little unfair.
Now that I know we were on the right track, I would without a doubt return. Despite the frustration of being a little too busy and having little sense of direction, it feels like the type of experience that you can do at least two or three times – as your paths change and there’s always different things to experience.
In Conclusion
As a group, it’s a lot of fun – but at times when I was alone (cursing my boyfriend for running off), this was when things got real scary. The attention to detail was amazing and it was so discerning at times with really narrow corridors or darkly lit rooms. Then again, I’m not surprised given that the set designer was Tim McQuillen-Wright, who worked on Secret Cinema’s 28 Days Later.
Overall, despite feeling a little frustrated at the end, I really loved the experience. This is one of the coolest and fun things I’ve done in a long time – and if it really wasn’t finished or was still experiencing teething problems like suggested – I think the end result is going to be absolutely amazing.
I never felt like it was ‘unfinished’ – though after, reading other reviews, I discovered there were lifts we could unlock with our wristbands or areas where we could control the weather – and that there’s snow, rain and gale-force winds. I also heard a rumour about there being bars inside (a break for a drink or a cocktail would have been amazing but with limited time during the experience, I don’t know how that would have worked) – which now, looking back, makes me feel like we missed a few things. However, I never felt that at the time as there really was so much to explore. I do feel a little disappointed now that I’ve heard what we missed out on – but more than anything it makes me want to return and experience these things (and explore more!) rather than be put off.
The actors were amazing too! And the zombies themselves = very gory and scary.
I’ll definitely be going back – and I would recommend any fan of video games, zombies or horror should book a ticket. Finished or not – it’s totally unlike anything I’ve ever done before and I’m actually really grateful I had the chance to experience it.
Would you try Variant 31? Let me know!
*Please note, although I visited this experience free of charge for review purposes, my review is unbiased and entirely honest.
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