By Sabina Graves
The latest immersive event for Marvel, Avengers: Damage Control, lets fans step inside the world of the Marvel Heroes, and battle against a new threat to their universe. Once we selected our Wakandan armor color, we were greeted by Shuri (Letitia Wright) at one of her many outreach centers. She informed us that the new suits we would be wearing were a blend of her tech and Stark Tech, which made for some pretty bad ass designs.
The backpacks were placed upon our shoulders, and as we slid the VR helmets over our eyes, we were instantly transported into the world of Marvel. Shuri was now standing in front of us. The image clarity in the VR world was astounding, and having Shuri as our guide was simply a delight. As she informed the group of their virtual enhancements, we were guided by an instructional tutorial on how to use the weapons associated with the suit during a testing exercise.
However, things didn’t go as planned, as we were then thrust into a larger story, which brought an old foe back to the forefront. Ultron was back from the Damage Control facility, after last being seen in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Well, as it turns out, Ultron had been faking his sleep, and one of his sentries had been hacking systems all over the world on his behalf.
Once his tech had breached the advanced firewalls of Wakanda, all of the Avengers remaining on duty post “Avengers: Endgame” were made aware of his presence. After some intense, in-field training, we were shown a portal created by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and transported to the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York. It was a bizarre feeling, moving from one location to another, but the experience was enhanced by added details, such as a banister you are able to hold onto as you walk through the stairway, and a drastic difference in temperature as you move inside the warm room where Doctor Strange’s cloak levitates.
With the accompaniment of visual aids, Doctor Strange explained that Tony Stark created Ultron from the mind stone which had previously been bound to the inside of Loki’s staff, as we saw happen in “Age of Ultron.” We were then shown the door, or in this case, another portal, which transported us to the Damage Control facility in Los Angeles, where Ultron had been hiding.
Once there, we were attacked by more bots, and were assisted in the battle by none other than The Wasp and Spider-Man… Oh, and Ant-Man was there, too. At one point, things got so intense, Ant-Man and the Wasp shrunk the group to protect us from blasts and explosions. Thankfully, we were next to some popcorn and got to just enjoy the view. They even programmed the smell of popcorn to be present during this sequence, so that your senses could truly be fooled into believing you were there.
I truly enjoyed the mechanics of the gameplay in this scene. You were given just enough enemy counter to absorb their incoming blasts, and to fire off a barrage of spiraling power blasts back at the Ultron bots. This allowed for multiple targets to be taken down in a single move. Once enlarged again, Falcon and War Machine flew in to offer some backup, which helped clear the area.
From there, we rode up a lift that took us onto a mini-jet vehicle that allowed us to split up and maneuver over to a Helicarrier. This experience was great, because you felt the wind rustle your hair as you flew through the sky. I truly loved the piloting mechanic of these vehicles, as it felt like you were in control of a spaceship hovering hundreds of feet above the ground. Suddenly, Ultron bots showed up mid-flight, and started attacking, making the ride even more intense, as we had to fire our repulsor blasts at each one to keep them at bay.
Once we had gracefully crashed into the hull of the Helicarrier, we were escorted up an elevator to the very top, where we met a giant Ultron. Everything looked grim. We opened fire, and repulsed the absorbed energy we had acquired back at Ultron, but things started to appear hopeless - that is - until the Avengers showed up! Doctor Strange, Shuri, Black Panther, War Machine, Falcon, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Spider-man, Captain Marvel, and even smart Hulk stepped in to battle against this giant menace.
Once smart Hulk appeared, it became clear that this was post “Avengers: Endgame,” and that all of this was happening within the MCU as we know it. The game play mechanics here established the need for the larger blasts provided by your suit, as it was up to us to defeat specific sections of the Ultron armor. This gave the Avengers an upper hand. The simplicity of these mechanics were just what you needed to be a part of the story, and never lose track of what was going on.
Once the threat had been defeated, we had earned our status of introductory Avengers, if just for the day. And this, of course, was all thanks to Shuri’s new tech, which definitely helped keep us all alive.
Damage Control is an exhilarating, in-the-moment experience, that provides you the incredible opportunity to join the battle alongside your favorite heroes.
Damage Control is available to experience thanks to ILMxLAB and has just been extended to more locations, so get your tickets now! https://www.thevoid.com/dimensions/marvel-avengers-vr/
Avengers: Damage Control lets fans step into the MCU for the very first time and team up alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes! Groups of four will be enlisted by Shuri (Letitia Wright) to test her latest prototype design: Emergency Response Suits, created with a proprietary blend of Wakandan and Stark Industries technology. When sinister forces intervene, guests at the Wakandan Outreach Centers will find themselves recruited into action, exploring iconic locations across the MCU. Fans will fight side by side with Avengers like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), and more.
Avengers: Damage Control pairs virtual reality with real-world sets and physical effects like heat, cold, and wind. The result is a uniquely immersive experience: a virtual world that guests can touch and feel, bringing their favorite Marvel characters to life in a way that’s never before been possible.