Viva Las Vengeance: Army of the Dead

Army of the Dead arrived with much hoopla on Netflix in May. This big-budget zombie movie had a legion of Zack Snyder fans ready to support his latest effort in no small part due to the buzz around the “Snyder Cut” of Justice League. Army of the Dead will launch of a franchise, to be followed by a prequel movie, an anime series, and now, a Virtual Reality Experience: Viva Las Vengeance.

Viva Las Vengeance is the first of these franchise extensions available to the public. The others are still in the works. The story is changed from the film; instead of sneaking into the quarantined city of Las Vegas before it’s destroyed, you’re running officially-sanctioned rescue operations. Your team uses a tricked out, armored Taco Truck as your transport. It doesn’t quite sync with the film story, but it’s close enough and vaguely set in the time period just before the film so there aren’t any direct contradictions. Why isn’t it opening closer to the film’s release, you may ask (as I did)? “The VR attraction was always planned to open after Army of The Dead launched so fans could see the film first then experience the world in real life. We also took into consideration when we could offer fans a physical, in-person experience,” says Greg Lombardo, Head of Experiences at Netflix.

Infection

This physical experience is set up on top of a parking garage at Westfield Century City. Looking like an army base/recruitment center, you sign in and choose an avatar. This is familiar to anyone who’s done other location-based VR like the (sadly-closed) Void or Dreamscape. Viva Las Vengeance has additional gameplay options, which amps up the customization. You can choose between two weapons, with different specs, AND you choose your own handicap level. This comes in the form of a laser sight on your weapon if you need the most help, or no help at all if you’re confident in your aim. Your team (6 maximum) proceeds through the “Forward Operating Base,” through quality scenery and sets, like you’d see at Halloween Horror Nights, even though they don’t have much function. After an introductory video featuring one of the film’s stars, we head to our Taco Truck. It’s parked with rear doors thrown open, metal bars welded over the side window, and spikes sticking off the hubcaps. There are two of these, each behind double doors to maintain the immersion of a solo mission.

Eradication

Entering the truck feels appropriately gritty, with metal plating everywhere. Donning a VR headset, your virtual view remains the truck interior, but now with a full military base outside the windows. Keeping the same scenery is smart and adds to a smooth transition, instead of being jarring. Once the crew is evenly distributed, the doors shut and we roll out for the mission. We need to escort a transport to rescue some survivors in the heart of the overrun city. Despite not being a free-roam experience (the headsets are tethered), a genuine sense of movement enhances everything. The floor rumbles and vibrates perfectly in sync with the vehicular audio and the graphics of rolling through the city. Soon, of course, the zombies (“shamblers” in Viva Las Vengeance parlance) swarm the truck. Players blast away through the metal bars, earning extra points for headshots. Keep an eye out for bonus opportunities to do extra damage, like propane tanks ready to explode and construction equipment hanging by a thin rope.

Containment

There is a good amount of variety in the action. Most impressively, the story doesn’t feel perfunctory. There are some real surprises and character moments. The backgrounds showcase impressive details with a wide variety of zombies, including many that don’t attack the truck but enhance the feeling of a city gone to ruin. You can make a mini game out of spotting different zombies–there is definitely Elvis, tourists, and police offers, among dozens more. After a suitably big finale, the team returns to base, returns the equipment and exits to find a neon scoreboard. It tracks all kinds of stats, including damage, kills, accuracy, and even which side of the truck performed better. Best of all, everyone earns rankings and cool nicknames, sure to be good for teasing your friends.

Aftermath

A substantial gift shop, and a themed restaurant (Sin City Tacos) round out the post-mission experience. Of the partial menu that was available, the quesadilla was just ok, but the tacos were very good and the margarita was strong. I’d finished before my scheduled time, and given the option to try again, it was an easy “yes.” The VR is high-quality and the mission is definitely fun enough for round 2. This time, I removed my weapon handicap and hoped for a different position in the truck, to get a new view out the virtual windows. Alas, I was assigned to the exact same spot. I wish there was a way they could accommodate location requests. Maybe if you ask them early enough. However, the second time was still a blast, as I concentrated on accuracy and causing more damage with the traps.

Each staff member wore a mask, and every guest I can remember did too. However, I overheard a recommendation to pull the mask down to prevent the headset from fogging up. Plus, the restaurant area didn’t have masks in order to eat, obviously, although it was outdoors, so I felt comfortable. Other than that, Viva Las Vengeance is a lot of fun and goes deeper than a generic VR shooting game. It’s not quite as immersive as free-roam VR, but it’s better than any stationary VR I can remember. These motion-platform Taco Trucks will be touring across multiple cities simultaneously, with an average run time of about 8 weeks per city. It launched in Los Angeles, and is coming to New York, Las Vegas, Washington DC, and London, among other major cities. Tickets range from about $24 to $37, depending on which day you go and how many tickets you buy together. Viva Las Vengeance is open 7 days a week, and more information is available on their website here.