Hybrid X - First review

For one of the final scares of this Halloween season, we made our way to Rotherham, home of the Magna Science Adventure Centre and Hybrid X, the latest scare maze from GNG. Dubbed as Europe's largest indoor scare attraction and hot on the success of their last creation, Deranged, Hybrid X had a lot to live up to.
We chose the strictly over 18s event and the place was buzzing! With a full bar, DJ's, live music and a busy dance floor, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a nightclub rather than a scare attraction. The queue for the attraction was HUGE but ScareTOUR candidates were entitled to exclusive VIP treatment, where they met Gary and Gavin (the creators) and were ushered straight to the front of the queue!
We were dispatched in groups of 15 (slightly too many in my opinion but completely unavoidable with such a large queue) into a large holding room. This room served as an introduction to the whole attraction and we enjoyed the concept of the professional and slick “marketing” video being hacked from the outside to warn guests what was about to happen.
The pretence of a corporate tour was kept up until all hell broke loose and we were forced to try and escape for our lives. The creation of panic through any number of sirens and warnings was enough to get us moving. What then followed was a crazy combination of deranged actors, hideous Hybrid monsters, flashing lights, tight corridors and sudden attacks from every angle.
One of the key things throughout was the interaction with the audience. Often attraction visitors can be passive to the events around them but here we were asked to hold doors shut and participate. In fact certain members of the party got selected for special treatment and in one terrifying scene a Hybrid creature burst out of a seemingly empty cage and grabbed one of the group, forcing them inside and locking them in. No time for being brave here as we all left the "victim" and moved on through the maze!
Heading deeper through the attraction we encountered an insanely intense strobe maze. Standard techno music with a hint of death metal rang out around us and the fog was so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. We were attacked multiple times in this section by actors who threw themselves at us, climbed up and over the fence and almost shook the structure down around us!
And still it wasn’t over – the strobes gave way to darker corridors filled with air cannons and swinging props which perhaps felt a little over crowded but were a break from the strobes beforehand.
We chose the strictly over 18s event and the place was buzzing! With a full bar, DJ's, live music and a busy dance floor, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a nightclub rather than a scare attraction. The queue for the attraction was HUGE but ScareTOUR candidates were entitled to exclusive VIP treatment, where they met Gary and Gavin (the creators) and were ushered straight to the front of the queue!
We were dispatched in groups of 15 (slightly too many in my opinion but completely unavoidable with such a large queue) into a large holding room. This room served as an introduction to the whole attraction and we enjoyed the concept of the professional and slick “marketing” video being hacked from the outside to warn guests what was about to happen.
The pretence of a corporate tour was kept up until all hell broke loose and we were forced to try and escape for our lives. The creation of panic through any number of sirens and warnings was enough to get us moving. What then followed was a crazy combination of deranged actors, hideous Hybrid monsters, flashing lights, tight corridors and sudden attacks from every angle.
One of the key things throughout was the interaction with the audience. Often attraction visitors can be passive to the events around them but here we were asked to hold doors shut and participate. In fact certain members of the party got selected for special treatment and in one terrifying scene a Hybrid creature burst out of a seemingly empty cage and grabbed one of the group, forcing them inside and locking them in. No time for being brave here as we all left the "victim" and moved on through the maze!
Heading deeper through the attraction we encountered an insanely intense strobe maze. Standard techno music with a hint of death metal rang out around us and the fog was so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. We were attacked multiple times in this section by actors who threw themselves at us, climbed up and over the fence and almost shook the structure down around us!
And still it wasn’t over – the strobes gave way to darker corridors filled with air cannons and swinging props which perhaps felt a little over crowded but were a break from the strobes beforehand.
Eventually, we burst into the final scene, ironically dubbed the Recovery Bay. This was set up to resemble a medical room where the patients would go to recover from their treatments but from the outset this room was simply chaos. Multiple actors worked this room and they were literally pouring from the walls and props. Beds were thrown (perhaps a little too dangerously), screams, growls, a whole host of animal sounds rang out all bathed in flashing red lights.
With one final big surprise scare at the end, we finally stumbled back into the real world, slightly out of breath and suitably shaken!
With one final big surprise scare at the end, we finally stumbled back into the real world, slightly out of breath and suitably shaken!
Overall, the GNG boys have created a really good show. It’s a manic assault of the senses, with more actors than I could keep a count of, great set design and some amazing scares.
Was it Europe's biggest indoor attraction? I am unsure. It WAS big, very big and unlike other long attractions actually entertained for the full duration. Regardless of the marketing claims – we still had a brilliant time.
One final thing though - I am still unsure what happened to the poor bloke who got locked in the cage, we
never did see him again!
Another Christmas scare attraction will be operating at Magna this year called the Curse of Christmas Past. On a smaller scale than Hybrid but if the GNG team continue to grow as they have done so far we will be in for a treat. Keep watching the ScareTOUR website for full details of our exclusive VIP trip up there in December.
Was it Europe's biggest indoor attraction? I am unsure. It WAS big, very big and unlike other long attractions actually entertained for the full duration. Regardless of the marketing claims – we still had a brilliant time.
One final thing though - I am still unsure what happened to the poor bloke who got locked in the cage, we
never did see him again!
Another Christmas scare attraction will be operating at Magna this year called the Curse of Christmas Past. On a smaller scale than Hybrid but if the GNG team continue to grow as they have done so far we will be in for a treat. Keep watching the ScareTOUR website for full details of our exclusive VIP trip up there in December.