On 26 February, my mum and I went to Monopoly Lifesized, an immersive experience in the heart of London.
Just like the well-loved board game, players move around the board and can buy properties, only so much bigger. There are four boards to choose from: Classic, City, Luxury and Junior. I played the City board which involved rolling the dice to move around the room and playing interactive challenges as a group to win the property. There was even a Lifesize jail (which we managed to avoid), Community Chest Cards and Mr Monopoly himself, to recreate the full board game experience.
Once we owned a property, we could then build a house and subsequently a hotel. The race to physically build a hotel out of blocks was a challenge, and one that required strong teamwork. As there were only two of us, we were grouped with another pair and our team worked together to complete nearly all of the challenges we attempted.
Each team was given a token (a tour guide for the game) but with the themes of the iconic Monopoly counters. They gave strategy advice and explained each of the latest amazing elements of the game. There was always a new challenge or an investment decision to make, as Alex from Preston said, ‘we were constantly entertained’.
All the staff were extremely friendly, including Maryam from London, who greeted us at the door. She loves her job, ‘it’s a really great place to work’, she says, ‘it brings me a sense of enjoyment to see people come to together as a family during the game’.
As we arrived a little early, we waited in the Top Hat Restaurant & Bar, which opened at 12pm. There were also lockers and a a shop for souvenirs.
We had a great day out and I would highly recommend Monopoly Lifesized to anyone, you don’t even have to have played the board-game, it’s really easy to pick up. It successfully manages to distinguish itself from the other interactive games I have played, such as escape rooms as it is one of a kind.
