Have you ever wanted to escape reality and be fully immersed in a virtual world? Well, I recently had that experience when I visited Exitus VR in Houston, Texas, with my family.
In this blog post, I’ll give an in-depth and personal recount of my time at Exitus VR, including what games we played, what worked well, and what could be improved. I brought along my wife Patty and our two kids, 14-year-old John and 12-year-old Jenette. It was a great virtual reality family bonding time!
The Games
When we first arrived at Exitus VR, the owner, Dora, gave us an overview of the different virtual reality games we could play. We decided to try out two of their most popular games — the zombie shooter “Rotten Apple-Zombies” and the escape room game “Mind Horror.”
Rotten Apple-Zombies was an intense first-person zombie shooter that took place in a creepy abandoned carnival. As soon as we put on the VR headsets, we were transported inside the virtual carnival with zombies lumbering towards us from all sides. John immediately started blasting away at zombies with his virtual shotgun while screaming at the top of his lungs. Jenette and Patty teamed up to cover each other’s backs as more zombies closed in.
We probably looked hilarious flailing our arms around in real life, but in the virtual world, we were badass zombie slayers. I’ll admit the zombies coming straight at my face was terrifying! But we managed to survive all 10 levels of the game. High fives all around!
Next up was Mind Horror, an eerie escape room set in a serial killer’s lair. Our mission was to search for clues and solve puzzles to find his latest victim. I liked how even though we each had a VR headset on, we could still talk strategy and work together as a team. The level of detail in the virtual escape room was insane – I kept wanting to touch everything and pick things up off shelves even though they weren’t physically there. We came so close to cracking the case but couldn’t find the final key in time. No worries though, it just means we’ll have to go back to finish the job!
What Exitus VR Did Well
I was seriously impressed by the overall experience at Exitus VR Houston. First off, the virtual reality gear itself was top-notch. The Oculus Rift headsets provided crisp visuals and extremely accurate head tracking without any motion sickness. The arcade is also set up thoughtfully to avoid running into real walls while immersed in VR.
The games themselves were so much fun and offered a great variety of experiences from heart-pounding action to atmospheric puzzles. I liked that multiplayer games allow you to talk and interact with others even while in the virtual world. The zombie shooter would have been way less exciting playing solo.
But what really stood out was the customer service. Owner Dora is so friendly, passionate, and knowledgeable about all things VR. She carefully explained how each game worked and made sure we were comfortable before starting. And she didn’t just take our money and abandon us – Dora monitored our progress during games, gave hints when we got stuck and took fun pictures of us in action! Her enthusiasm was contagious and made the whole experience feel special rather than just playing random VR games.
Areas for Improvement
As much as I enjoyed our outing to Exitus VR Houston, no review would be complete without mentioning a couple of opportunities for improvement.
Firstly, the physical space is quite small, and it can feel cramped with more than a few groups playing at once. During the zombie battle game, I was concerned about hitting someone from another group. A larger venue would create more space and freedom of movement. Moreover, having some kind of mat or markings on the floor would help keep people centered in their designated VR quadrant.
The games library is highly entertaining, but it is also quite limited in scope. Most of the current games are either zombie shooters or escape rooms. I would love to see more variety, such as outer space adventures, fantasy quests, or quirky mini-games. Expanding the catalog with more titles could encourage repeat customers who want to try something new.
Finally, during peak times, reservations can be made quickly. However, as a walk-in group, we had to wait about 20 minutes for the next available play session. An online reservation system could manage demand and minimize wait times.
Conclusion
Despite some minor nitpicks, I give Exitus VR in Houston 5 out of 5 stars! We had an absolute blast and created priceless family memories battling zombies and solving puzzles in virtual reality. My kids can’t stop talking about it and are already begging me to take them back.
I love that Exitus VR caters to all ages and skill levels. The games are immediately approachable yet challenging enough to stay engaging. And the communal aspect makes for a uniquely shared experience that feels more impactful than playing games alone at home. In today’s digital age, it’s rare to find entertainment that pulls people away from isolated screens and brings them together.
So whether you’re looking for a kids’ birthday party venue, a unique date night idea, or just some good old family bonding time (like we were), I’d highly recommend stopping by Exitus VR Houston.