Is it a case of bored rather than board when it comes to dice games in your house?
I would imagine every home has a Monopoly board lurking in a cupboard somewhere. For some households this may even be a family favourite, especially at Christmas.
But whether we play it or not, we’re certainly all familiar with the concept of Hasbro’s fast-dealing property board game first published in 1935.
Today Monopoly has evolved into many themed versions – including regionalised street layouts – so it’s easy to find yourself owning more than one of the boards. But for those who aren’t interested in any form of competition that involves a dice, (including my older sons) this latest iteration is more likely to get their attention.
Monopoly Lifesized is an immersive on-your feet version of the game which is capable of keeping all members of the family both engaged and entertained.
Located in the heart of London, small groups compete against each other as they vie for the chance to unravel a series of ‘escape room’-type puzzles to advance around the giant board with human game tokens as their guides. (These hyper characters are central to the success – and pace – of the game.)
Experience the thrill of trying to stage a heist in Mayfair or competing against the clock to solve a baffling murder mystery. From Maths and code-cracking challenges to dance steps and whack-a-mole, each successfully accomplished mini mission can unlock property purchases – and even those you have to build yourself!
If it all sounds a lot to take in, don’t worry, the guides are there to walk you through the whole thing as well as keep an eye on those all-important cash and asset stocks.
And yes, we did spend some time in the clink. But then it wouldn’t be Monopoly otherwise. We soon drew on our teamworking skills to negotiate our way back out from behind bars and carry on making our way around the board to make up for lost time. (Make no mistake – this is as fiercely competitive as the smaller version.)
I wasn’t sure what to make of the supersized concept of this family favourite before I arrived but, whether a game player or not, you can’t help but enjoy the 80 minutes of high-octane fun. Great for groups of family or friends, it struck me this is particularly good teambuilding activity for colleagues too. A word of warning though – it is not for the more shy and retiring among us as everyone’s expected to play their part. Unless you want to spend the entire game in prison, there really is nowhere to hide and you’d be better served dusting off your kitchen table game instead.
Once we let our guard down and enter into the fun, we had a brilliant experience. While the fast pace of it all can leave your head spinning (80 minutes goes in a flash and none of us had a clue whether we were doing well or not – although we somehow managed to come second!) we were certainly left feeling as though we’d been part of something unique and keen to return to give one of the other boards a go. There are four available – Classic, City, Luxury and Classic Own It All boards.
If you have time check out the funky new Top Hat Bar & Restaurant located on site for a fun Monopoly themed menu.
Unfortunately, Monopoly money is NOT accepted when it comes to forking out up to £69 each in real cash for the privilege of playing. But definitely fair value if this is affordable to you. A new fun group activity for hen and stag parties too.
For more information, visit www.monopolylifesized.com, and keep up to the date with all the latest news at Monopoly Lifesized on Facebook, @monopolyldn on Twitter and @monopolylifesized on Instagram.
The Path Entertainment Group (TPEG) is a London based production house dedicated to producing world class experiential and gameplay entertainment. TPEG brings together teams from theatre production, hospitality, and event management to bring some of the largest global brands and intellectual property to life in life-sized immersive experiences.
