Zero Latency On Tilt celebrated its grand opening on April 29 – 30, 2022. It’s Calgary’s first free-roam virtual reality experience and it offers families a truly unique and memorable experience.
I cautiously stepped forward, hands flung out like an awkward 8-year-old pretending to be a debutante at a ball. My brain was believing my eyes, not my good sense.
“Whoa – hold on!” I felt myself tipping over the edge (virtually and literally!) and I froze.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” said a voice in my ear. I felt a tug on my backpack and slowly started walking again.
My headset burst out with teenagers, “Come on, Mom! You’re the last one!”
Trying not to fall over — with a little help from our guide.
I may have been the last one to our goal, but, in my defence, I was walking on a twisting precipice while a whale floated serenely over my head. The voice of reason was telling me I was on a flat floor in a dark room, but it was amazingly hard to keep walking as if I knew it! We were playing the virtual reality game Engineerium at Zero Latency On Tilt, in celebration of their grand opening, which has been a long time coming, thanks to Covid. I was discovering that virtual reality is not for the faint of heart! Or, at least, it’s tricky for middle-aged moms of teens who get dizzy going up an elevator.
Zero Latency On Tilt is Calgary’s first free-roam virtual reality experience, where you can physically play games together with your family and friends, as you move around a space about the size of a tennis court. This takes the experience to the next level of virtual reality as you play, either cooperatively and working towards a common goal or competitively as you battle it out in a virtual world.
Exploring our virtual world in the free roam space
While the experience is officially recommended for ages 10 and up, you know your child best, and as long as your child can carry the weight of the VR backpack, they’ll have an excellent time. Kids as young as ages 7 or 8 can join the fun and the best way to determine if your child is old enough is to try it yourself! There are several experiences for adults and teens that include fighting zombies or fighting A.I. gone rogue and you’ll also find a couple of games more suited to kids or beginners.
In Mission Maybee, the fate of the world is in your hands as you journey through an enchanted forest to stop Doctor Maybee from destroying the world with his poisonous goo. We played Engineerium during our visit and it’s an excellent beginner game, where nothing is as it seems. You’ll walk up walls, defy gravity, and share the space with flying whales while you work to coordinate your mind and body. It was quite an adventure and it was sometimes surprisingly difficult to convince myself to take another step. (Ok, it was difficult for me, but not so much for the kids.) But you don’t have to worry about falling over — again, maybe that was just me — because there will be someone in the real world watching out for you and ready to grab your backpack when you start tipping!
Zero Latency On Tilt also has a bright, welcoming lounge with arcade games and free shuffleboard or pool, plus a place to purchase drinks. It’s a comfortable place to hang out if you’re not playing VR or if you want to discuss the success of your mission after your adventure. Birthday parties are welcome and as many as 8 people can play the same game. For larger groups, you can just book back-to-back games and meet in the lounge for cake.
Enjoy relaxing after your adventure Image: Zero Latency On Tilt
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, a special occasion, or just making it through the week, Zero Latency brings you an immersive experience where you go right inside the game, with nothing holding you back. Be transported to another world and forget about work and school, errands and laundry while you enjoy some time that’s just plain fun!
Ready for an adventure!
Zero Latency On Tilt Virtual Reality:
Address: 300, 6940 Fisher Road SE, Calgary, AB
Phone: 403-253-8566
Website: www.zlontilt.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ZLonTilt
Instagram: www.instagram.com/zlontilt
