Imagine joining the Star Wars Rebel Alliance, infiltrating an Imperial ship and sneaking into a stronghold on the planet Mustafar only to engage Stormtroopers in battle. Because of the collaboration between ILMxLAB and The Void titled Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, coming to The Void at the Rec Room in downtown Toronto.
As one of the first to experience the immersive hyper reality feature, I was brought in The Void to get briefed on the mission, i placed on my 20 pound VR jacket and headset and the next thing I knew, me and my co-player were immersed in the Star Wars universe. Flying inside a shaking ship, trading blaster fire with Stormtroopers and sneaking around a very hot Imperial stronghold.
Initially disorienting, the experience engages participants on every level and can be intense. How intense? They make you sign a waiver before suiting up.
Photo and video credit: Courtesy of The VOID
It takes a year to develop experiences for The Void. All the elements of a Star Ware epic battle scene played out with me and my partner in it and it was thoroughly immersive. Despite being in a headset and a VR vest, I felt like was in the simulation and even had enough room to move around and could feel the walls, seats and items around.
Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire is a socially interactive, breathtaking journey that blends the physical with the virtual world. Under the orders of the rebellion, teams of four guests must work together to infiltrate an Imperial base disguised as storm-troopers where they’ll navigate through to steal critical intelligence with help from familiar Star Wars characters along the way.
Participants of this fully immersive experience will feel the turbulence of the skiff below their feet, withstand the impact of blaster bolts, and smell the smoke as they approach the fiery planet Mustafar. The experience begins this Friday at The Void, which is located inside The Rec Room in downtown Toronto, fronting the Rogers Centre.