Hidden in plain sight in (what looks like) a warehouse in Canada Water lies Phantom Peak, a veritable treasure trove of experiences and whimsy that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
This isn’t just another flavour of the month “immersive experience” in London’s outskirts, though. Often those inferior attractions throw guests into a well-built set with a couple of actors and a few drinks before calling it a day.
Phantom Peak is completely different. So much so that I’ve been wondering what kind of secrets I missed in its 30k square foot play area for days. And it’s not just large – but it’s dense, too. The gigantic footprint comes complete an actual high street beside a running river, water features, endless custom decorations, two or three floors, a graveyard, and immersion like you’ve never experienced before.
Guests (players, residents of Phantom Peak – take your pick) are welcomed to the fictional town by Mayor Pocket before being given a quick rundown of their proprietary app. Using this, I was sent on one of dozens of “trails” in which I ventured on a scavenger hunt to: figure out who was murdered and why; learn about a secret organisation that is pulling strings behind the scenes; a superhero whose identity is not so secret – and who his enemy may be.
This retrofuturistic world allows players to truly explore a brand-new universe where missions, experiences, and lives are altered and experienced in real-time. No two run-throughs will ever be the same. And, a couple of times, I had to just stop and soak in the living, breathing world around me – just to prove to myself it was real. From players getting to know one another to average Joes from humdrum nine-to-fives pulling faces, doing dances and adopting accents to figure out who killed a fictional platypus.
READ MORE Phantom Peak transforms into Hallowed Peak – get tickets to the spooky event now
Buy Phantom Peak tickets here
All of Phantom Peak is wrapped up in a (really) sky-high world, populated with multiple buildings, a dungeon and a curious collection of characters.
Actually, that’s perhaps the most exciting and (truly) immersive part of Phantom Peak: Its characters.
You could strip back all of the exterior, the buildings, the technology, the unique and well-thought-out merchandise and Phantom Peak would still stand head and shoulders above every other experience in London because of the exceptional performances its actors delivered.
Another key to its success is that the trails force the players to go and live in the world, talk to the characters; make conversation, deduce, seduce, trick, and manipulate them to get the information they need. This endless fun lives and dies on its actors.
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Buy Phantom Peak tickets here
When all was said and done at the end of Phantom Peak’s runtime (which came complete with a closing ceremony, an election, and a surprise appearance…) I was rebirthed onto the streets of Canada Water. Dejected. Flat. In that moment, I realised the looming and multiplying worries of day-to-day life had disappeared – just for a few hours. True escapism had been achieved, and I didn’t want to be back in the real world. I wanted to go be a detective in Phantom Peak for just a little while longer. There were some things I had not yet figured out about the mad scientist. What the hell was up with those graves? I’m counting the seconds until I can go back and find myself again.
Phantom Peak is the ultimate remedy for forgetting who you are for an evening and reinventing yourself as a new person. And for it to do that, inherently, it has to be bl**dy good.
Phantom Peak tickets are available right now, with a brand new Halloween event just around the corner (Hallowed Peak: The Lunar Festival).
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