Alton Towers Resort creates ‘spooktacular’ escape maze

Alton Towers Resort is celebrating Halloween by combining two immersive entertainment genres into a ‘spooktacular’ technology-enhanced escape maze.

The UK theme park has teamed up with YouTube star Daz Black to create Daz Games: PANIC, which combines live-action horror with a tech-driven escape game

The experience has been designed and delivered by CDTR, which has provided immersive soundscapes and effects, theatrical lighting and delivery of the full show system, including the interactive technology and gaming engine.

After entering their details into the system, players receive a wristband and are given the symbols that they will need to find to aid their escape. Once in the maze, the wristband intelligently recognises when they have found their two symbols using sensors that are integrated with a robust software and proprietary gaming engine.

CDTR created a bespoke session management portal that allows the operators to adjust key game variables, such as removing interactives, adjusting timings, throttling difficulty and altering content. This creates a range of configurable alternatives for less ambulant players to enjoy the experience.

A specially developed CTDR engine allows full environmental control by combining the operation of the show elements, including the pre-show, main show, lighting, SFX and interactive systems, with the game logic. All reader and hardware solutions were developed, built and innovated by CDTR in its Manchester R+D Lab.

CDT chief executive and founder Peter Cliff said: “We have used technology to enhance and enrich the guest experience, using a seamless tracking mechanism that allows guests to focus on the interactive experience, rather than the technology interaction.

“By harnessing new and emerging technology platforms, we are delivering a ‘fang-tastic’ new wave of interactive and immersive experience that delivers heightened emotional reactions, transforms physical environments and ensures narratives are always evolving.”