Ever thought you'd be a BOSS during a Zombie Apocalypse? Now's your chance to prove it!
Held at an "undisclosed" factory location in the northern suburbs of Melbourne is an interactive "real-life" zombie experience. And by "real-life" we mean actors running around dressed as zombies scaring the crap out of you and your troops.
Patient-0 is a full interactive gaming experience. Think Resident Evil, but in real life. You're a soldier tasked with putting an end to a zombie infestation. It's your job to clear a top secret facility of all things undead.
After assembling a team of 6 mates and purchasing tickets that aren't cheap ($137.50), it was time to meet up at the secure location and let loose on a bunch of flesh-eating zombies.
Upon arrival, soldiers are initiated into the fold by a hot-head sargeant not afraid to drop the "C-Bomb". Word of advice, don't laugh or be a smart-ass (like my larrakin mate); He will destroy you. Once the heart rate has kicked up a notch and you find yourself strapped with a gun it's time to demolish the undead.
There is an overall mission to the game, aswell as certain "side" objectives (if you read your emails). So there is structure to the chaos. We won't mention the story as we would hate to ruin any of its surprises.
Let's just say that it's not just a zombie shooter, there are puzzles and decisions to make throughout the game that determine success or failure.
The old factory used for Patient-0 is split into different rooms that are detailed to deliver maximum creepiness. Ranging from pitch-black rooms only accessed via torchlight, to a creepy nursery with the sound of babies crying, to long open hallways with zombies zig-zagging this way and that. The set design itself is reason enough to give Patient-0 a crack.
Now, considering this is their debut and a world first into the art of a real-life video gaming, there are bound to be a few teething issues. Here are a couple we came across:
The massive guns, reminiscent of something Arnie would rock in a 90's action flick, fail to impress in the noise stakes. The noise that emits when shooting is really disappointing, as is the lack of recoil. Often we experienced times when we didn't even know if we were shooting.
The guns are unfortunately the weakest aspect of Patient-0. Despite rumours circulating, there is no scoring system that we were aware of at any stage throughout the hour long crusade.
The Zombies will always drop dead, even if shots are completely wayward. This is done purely as guess work on the part of the zombies/actors. Thankfully from all accounts, the team at IRL Shooter are already focusing on improving this aspect.
But hey! It's still a alot of fun and it is a world first. So despite being a little critical, the flaws are at this stage, totally acceptable.
So long as you go in with the correct attitude, the world first Patient-0 is a hell of a lot of fun and one that is sure to be the beginning of something massive!
Check it out at irlshooter.com
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