Variant 31 is a single-player action game where you are required to move through a labyrinth infested by zombies.
Once you have registered and signed a disclaimer, you get a body armour pack put onto you, with a gun attached.
Running up and down the stairs and scary corridors, you need to touch in a wristband you have been given onto as many dotted points around the buildings as possible. Obviously, the zombies will be there to attack and infect you. They come out from nowhere, unexpectedly; they are brilliant and quite frightening. The good news is that you can shoot them in the head (err..hopefully good news).
At the end of the time, the group goes back downstairs, where they can find out who is the winner.
The buildings are a bit difficult to navigate and I found myself going back to the same point a few times. Also, it is not clear what the mission you have to accomplish is and how to do so. The explanation given at the beginning was not enough and the riddles too cryptic and obscure: we were wondering what we had to do to end the mission and we could not find a way to complete it. The actors met along the way give their all and are completely committed to their roles.
Still, the game is like an adrenaline injection and it will make your heart beat fast for 90 minutes.
Billed as ‘Europe’s largest immersive survival experience’, staged in a 40,000 square foot space in central London, with 150 actors and massive use of technology, Variant 31 is an innovative, absorbing and fun immersive experience, definitely worth doing.
Tickets: here Photo: Ali Wright