The best VR Experience in London – Review

The first thing to note is that you’re not allowed to take any phones, cameras, or technology into the experience – not even a digital watch. They’re big on the authenticity of the performance. Attesting to this, during the first half of the interactive experience a playful actor attempts to explain the VR technology within the 19th century narrative. It’s alien equipment, of course! A convenient plot device.

We were initially lead into a room where 3D projection explained the history of the Martian invasion, and the fates of the journalist protagonists George Herbert and his wife. In a confusing time-warp, you’re then told that for the next two hours you’ll be seeing these events play out, from the beginning of the Martian invasion to their defeat via bacterial infection (this isn’t a spoiler, there are literally posters telling you this in the lobby).

For the next two hours you’re inserted into what can only be described as a well thought out fever dream. I won’t give too much away for those of you who haven’t read the book, but participants are shepherded into various different rooms, through corridors and staircases, and spirited along by actors who represent characters from Wells’ book. Generally, the actors and the IRL scenarios are used to further the plot and explain ongoing events to participants. If the actors are there to ‘tell’ then the VR comes in for the ‘show’ portion of the event.

At certain intervals, you’re told to put on your ‘toppies’ (headsets) to ‘protect your eyes’. You are then either sat down or directed to wonder aimlessly into an empty room whilst the VR fills in the blanks for you. Think standing in the middle of a battle between soldiers and Martian tripods, watching people get captured and zapped, and an aquatic journey down a burning River Thames. You fulfil purely an observational role and, thankfully, are not expected to help in any way.

As someone who had never used VR before, I was struck with how happy I was to simply stand there and soak up the experience. The tech, whilst not ‘realistic’ exactly, was about as visually expert as you’re likely to get on the market, and at times it could get overwhelming (there was a particular section where Elliot our videographer came away looking a bit green around the gills). I think if I was expected to participate in the action (as you generally are with gaming VR) I would have become flustered and uncomfortable. There’s a strong possibility I also would have injured myself.

WotW:TIE gets the balance between participation and observation just right. They don’t overload the VR but pepper it throughout – you feel like you’re witnessing a technological and artistic spectacle when you’re immersed in a headset, but you’re also allowed to come back to ‘reality’ and run around, ensuring the experience doesn’t become too one note.

Though this was, and is still, my only experiment with VR, I can imagine that in your living room the dynamism of the immersion mixed with complete stasis could be nausea inducing. It would be particularly difficult to sustain whilst the graphics of the tech are still a little uncanny-valley. But here we encountered no such issues, and the appeal of the VR as a novelty specific to this experience really enhanced my engagement with it – it was always progressing some element of the story and engaging with us in new ways.

There were certainly times when, after removing the headset, I had to walk very slowly and carefully scrutinise every face in front of me to make sure they were real. But I think that’s probably the sign of a well-done VR experience – making you lightly question your reality whilst not completely throwing you into insanity.

It was easy to see during this experience that the VR had benefitted from being meticulously programmed and plotted out: something that wouldn’t be possible when adding VR elements to existing at-home entertainment media. The production actually had a reason to use the tech – it added an experiential element to an otherwise impossible to experience story (an alien invasion). In this way, it avoided feeling tacked on.

I’ve always been a fan of immersive theatre for those who aren’t afflicted with epilepsy or intense anxiety (it can at times be a little stressful) and I thought this was a good example of the form. The actors were excellent, but not so committed to the absorption that they refused to interact with you. There were moments of humour thrown in amongst the jump scares, and it was easy to augment those moments with a cheeky wine in the themed bar during interval.

All in all, WotW:TIE bills itself as an adventure for the whole family. Whilst this generally translates to ‘a child-oriented activity with opportunities for alcohol consumption’, I genuinely thought that this experience lived up to the description. Fans of the Wells book or the Wayne musical will enjoy the many homages to the OGs, and those who couldn’t care less about the plot will just enjoy it for the thrills.

It seems that VR isn’t dead, it was just hibernating. I’m glad to see it fall into the hands of people who know how to use it effectively rather than just throw it willy nilly at your TV screen. Did this make me want to purchase a headset of my own? Absolutely not. Did this make me want to recommend WotW:TIE to others? Absolutely yes.