Zombie SWAT Training - Bunker 51 - London
It’s not often that you find yourself on an industrial estate in Greenwich on a Sunday afternoon (let alone with the possibility of spending a few hours battling the undead!). But today we found ourselves doing exactly that, courtesy of Bunker 51, a purpose built facility for paintball and laser tag. They have taken the step of creating a new monthly event called Zombie S.W.A.T. Training. The story is simple, the undead have risen up and flooded the world from the far east and finally landed in London. Trainees are collected from North Greenwich station and transported to the venue which gives a sense of adventure and mystery about the location of the event.
The venue itself is themed very well as it operated as a conventional ‘military’ themed attraction usually, and so lends itself to this special event with little outward addition. From the outset we are met by the Sergeant, who made it clear right from the start that no insolence will be tolerated. She was brilliant and stayed convincingly straight faced throughout, dishing out dry wit as and when required. The Lance Corporal on the other hand was absolutely nuts! The day built up well, and in an immersive environment we were given an intro into everything that the venue offers, from paintball and airsoft, through to Laser Tag via target practice
So, after our briefing we were introduced to the resident doctor and to learn more about the ‘specimens’ he is working so hard to find an antidote to and save the future of the human race. Unlike some productions, there was very little ‘staginess’ in that the cast went about their roles almost oblivious of us, the Doctor in fact was almost dismissive, genuinely wanting to get on with his ‘work’. We were introduced to ‘Patient Zero’, where the whole outbreak began and also various other creatures behind barred windows or chained to walls. The theming here was fairly minimal, but gave exact impressions of the laboratory and Cell areas as needed.As you can imagine, during the training is when things started to go wrong! The zombies were loose, and it was time to put into practise what we have learned……
….from here on in, we were bombarded with various tasks, from gathering ammunition, rescuing the Doctor through to full on fighting the zombie horde! This attraction was unique in that it really does feel like you’re in a film, images from George A Romero’s Day of the Dead come to mind (the one in the bunker!). The Zombies are suitably menacing (if on occasion a little over enthusiastic) and provide suitably intimidating foes….although it’s absolutely brilliant to be able to shoot them!
As you would expect , the show is very physical and it was incredibly hot when we visited (30+ degrees). Fortunately they did provide us with ice cold bottled water…but if it’s hot when you visit, a dry t-shirt is probably a must to change into afterwards! Our group numbered about 14 but was intended to be larger. As it was - our small group felt the perfect size and it would be great to book a whole experience with a group of friends. The team aspect of the game would be even more rewarding!
We understand that this is the first time they have staged the event and as such there are a few little things that will need tightening up. We seemed to have a few weapon problems and a few times there seemed to be a shortage of ammo or ‘allowed’ ammo. There’s nothing worse than getting well into a scenario and finding that you’re firing blanks! Having said that, there was always someone on hand to get it sorted.
Little niggles aside, we really enjoyed Zombie SWAT Training and the aches and pains today attest to how much we threw ourselves into it. So if you want to kick some zombie butt next month, we recommend you head down to Bunker 51 and get yourself armed up!
The venue itself is themed very well as it operated as a conventional ‘military’ themed attraction usually, and so lends itself to this special event with little outward addition. From the outset we are met by the Sergeant, who made it clear right from the start that no insolence will be tolerated. She was brilliant and stayed convincingly straight faced throughout, dishing out dry wit as and when required. The Lance Corporal on the other hand was absolutely nuts! The day built up well, and in an immersive environment we were given an intro into everything that the venue offers, from paintball and airsoft, through to Laser Tag via target practice
So, after our briefing we were introduced to the resident doctor and to learn more about the ‘specimens’ he is working so hard to find an antidote to and save the future of the human race. Unlike some productions, there was very little ‘staginess’ in that the cast went about their roles almost oblivious of us, the Doctor in fact was almost dismissive, genuinely wanting to get on with his ‘work’. We were introduced to ‘Patient Zero’, where the whole outbreak began and also various other creatures behind barred windows or chained to walls. The theming here was fairly minimal, but gave exact impressions of the laboratory and Cell areas as needed.As you can imagine, during the training is when things started to go wrong! The zombies were loose, and it was time to put into practise what we have learned……
….from here on in, we were bombarded with various tasks, from gathering ammunition, rescuing the Doctor through to full on fighting the zombie horde! This attraction was unique in that it really does feel like you’re in a film, images from George A Romero’s Day of the Dead come to mind (the one in the bunker!). The Zombies are suitably menacing (if on occasion a little over enthusiastic) and provide suitably intimidating foes….although it’s absolutely brilliant to be able to shoot them!
As you would expect , the show is very physical and it was incredibly hot when we visited (30+ degrees). Fortunately they did provide us with ice cold bottled water…but if it’s hot when you visit, a dry t-shirt is probably a must to change into afterwards! Our group numbered about 14 but was intended to be larger. As it was - our small group felt the perfect size and it would be great to book a whole experience with a group of friends. The team aspect of the game would be even more rewarding!
We understand that this is the first time they have staged the event and as such there are a few little things that will need tightening up. We seemed to have a few weapon problems and a few times there seemed to be a shortage of ammo or ‘allowed’ ammo. There’s nothing worse than getting well into a scenario and finding that you’re firing blanks! Having said that, there was always someone on hand to get it sorted.
Little niggles aside, we really enjoyed Zombie SWAT Training and the aches and pains today attest to how much we threw ourselves into it. So if you want to kick some zombie butt next month, we recommend you head down to Bunker 51 and get yourself armed up!
The hone of Zombie SWAT Training
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Decontamination
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For more info about other Zombie SWAT training or other games at Bunker 51 – check out their website.
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