Tired of regular old escape rooms? Beat the Bomb, a new immersive social video game experience that opened last week in DC, brings the concept to new levels with high-tech game rooms and an explosion of paint as the finale.
The experience opened in a 10,300-square-foot venue in the Ivy City neighborhood on February 10, according to a news release from Beat the Bomb. This is the third Beat the Bomb location in the U.S. The others are in New York and Atlanta.
The venue has a lot to offer, but the most popular attraction is the mission experience, where teams of four to six people suit up in white hazmat suits and set off on an hour-long mission through high-tech game rooms, interacting with touch screens, lasers, and motion cameras along the way.
As they move through the mission, players earn time to be added to their “bomb clock” to be used in the final challenge. When they reach the last room, they must work together to disarm the paint bomb before it blasts them with neon paint. Only 10 percent of players will successfully complete the game before the bomb goes off on their first try.
Once players have completed the mission (and taken photos of the colorful aftermath), unsuccessful teams can either try again on mission one or move on to a second mission with a similar structure but new games and a foam bomb at the end instead of paint.
And the fun doesn’t end there. Guests can make their way to the Bomb Bar, a full-service bar serving food and drinks, including house-made slushies. Visitors not interested in the full mission experience — or not ready to go home once their time is up — can play individual games in their immersive arcade lounge.
“We are incredibly excited to bring Beat the Bomb to Washington, DC,” said Beat the Bomb CEO and Founder Alex Patterson. “Even the Pentagon has nothing to counter our hi-tech game rooms, multiplayer teamwork challenges, and crazy special effects paint and foam bomb endings. With the addition of The Bomb Bar, we look forward to welcoming guests to the most exciting entertainment venue that DC has ever seen.”
Visitors must be at least 8 years old to participate. Participants who are 8 and 9 must have an adult accompanying them throughout the entire experience, and participants who are 10 to 15 must have an adult present on the premises.
Tickets for the mission experience start at $44.95 per person for a one-hour experience, with a minimum of four people and a maximum of 12. 2005 Hecht Ave. NE, DC
Feature image courtesy Beat the Bomb
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