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In 2022 we will continue our Spielfeldcheck series of articles. We visit a field for you in every issue and make a detailed report in which we inform you about the key data of the fields and the special features of the individual systems. This time we were on the brand new facility of Adrenalin Zone in Walsrode. It is a multifunctional action facility in which everything is offered that is fun and provides plenty of adrenaline, from reball to airsoft to laser tag and laser shock. A completely new concept that not only fascinated us, but also overwhelmed us in some respects. But it's best to convince yourself.
The Adrenalin Zone company originally comes from Lübeck, further north. Several years ago, the operators opened their first adrenaline zone in an old factory building. The success of the facility was so great that they wanted to open a second hall. And so, after a long search, an old tennis facility in Walsrode was identified as an additional location. The operators invested around six months of work in the new hall before it opened. This was also urgently needed, because the original tennis hall was getting on in years. At the same time, you had the opportunity to renovate and modernize everything from the ground up. The result is a facility that is unparalleled in Germany, if not Europe, in terms of cleanliness and professional ambience. Lots of action can be experienced on a total of five playing fields with a total area of 5,000 m 2 spread over several levels. What is special about the Adrenaline Zone is the diversity of what is on offer. The five fields play completely differently and offer a lot of variety. At the same time, thanks to the indoor factor, you are independent of the weather and can play practically all year round. The Adrenalin Zone team also offers several action sports on its premises. Starting with reball, i.e. paintball with rubber balls, through airsoft to laser tag or laser shock, there are three different sports to choose from. This brings us directly to the point that distinguishes this system from many others. Adrenaline Zone does not shoot with paint! Most of you will probably already know Airsoft. Smaller 6mm balls, so-called BBs, are used here. Since there are very few professional airsoft systems in Germany, the adrenaline zone is well on the way to becoming one of the most popular airsoft systems in northern Germany.
Laser tag is an action sport for younger audiences and for everyone who wants to experience fun and action without hitting the target hurting. Harmless laser beams are fired here and there is an optical and acoustic signal when a hit is made. But here, too, the name Adrenalin Zone would not be the program if there weren't a small upgrade that provides a little more pep. With the new LaserShock, the operators are offering a laser tag variant for the first time, in which the hit player really receives an electric shock when he is hit. This is otherwise only known from SiFi movies like Starship Troopers. Lasershock is definitely a lot of fun and offers a significant increase in thrill and adrenaline compared to normal laser tag.
Since all three sports cause significantly less dirt than paintball, operators have the opportunity to set up their playing fields in much more detail than on a normal paintball facility. These details ensure even more ambience when playing. Otherwise, the feeling is absolutely identical to paintball. As a local player, you will receive a Tippmann TMC Elite Paintball marker in Cal. 50 and associated magazines. Instead of paint balls, the markers are loaded with rubber balls, so-called reballs. – This is the only difference. This variant of the game offers various advantages for local players. The most obvious first, you don't have dirty clothes after playing. Other advantages can be found above all in the pricing. If you book a game package at Adrenalin Zone, you pay a flat rate and then receive as many reballs as you need for the duration of your stay.
Buying expensive ones like with paintball is no longer necessary. The basic price is only slightly higher for this. The operator can afford this luxury, because the reballs are simply collected again after the game, cleaned and can then be shot again by the next group. The operators are happy to pass these cost savings on to their local customers. We would also like to mention at this point that a reball hit pinches just like a paintball hit. So you definitely have the same adrenaline rush. It really all feels one-to-one like paintball, just without the splashes of paint. As already mentioned, the Reball Sport is much cleaner. Everything stays intact and still looks really good even after weeks of playing.
The only small drawback from our point of view: Reball has to be played on a fair play basis. If you don't show hits voluntarily, you're practically indestructible. Unfortunately, cheaters can quickly take away your interest in the game, which is why the local operators primarily appeal to your fairness when playing the game.
But now we finally want to go into the different playing fields of the facility. As already mentioned, five completely different playing fields are spread over an area of around 5,000 m 2 and on several levels. At the entrance of the hall you go to the first playing field:
To start with: All playing fields were built separately in the huge tennis hall! It is really incredible.
LABYRINTH: This approximately 1,000 m 2 playing field consists of many small rooms and obstacles made of wood (there is an incredible amount of wood used). All rooms look almost identical and are reminiscent of American shoothouses for tactical training. In hectic game situations, you can quickly lose track of things. Every CQB fan gets their money's worth here. The operator can provide additional optical and acoustic background music with the specially programmed light and sound system. You choose a pre-set setting in the system and when both teams are ready, each team presses a button in their HomeBase and the countdown starts. Due to the short distances and constant tension of what is waiting around the next corner, you are well exhausted after a few laps. A staircase takes us to the second playing field.
ROOFTOP: This playing field is located above the maze and simulates an industrial roof terrace with many ventilation shafts and heating fittings. The covers consist of the real ventilation shafts of the old tennis hall. You could integrate them perfectly, even if they no longer have any active use. The atmosphere is definitely right here. Both teams start in a shed on opposite sides of the roof and try to hit the opponent from safe cover or gain more space. We leave the roof terrace via a secret door and get to the next theme world.
WAREHOUSE: The camp is one of the larger fields of the complex. Not only was a complete warehouse with high racks recreated here, which you can walk around completely from the outside or fight your way inside piece by piece, but there is even a second level from which you have a significant advantage in height. This can be reached either by side stairs or directly from the ROOFTOP. In addition, there are four large offices downstairs that are integrated into the warehouse. This field can easily be played with 10 against 10 and offers a lot of tactical possibilities. Incidentally, the field was inspired by an old Counter-Strike map. The warehouse even borders on an indicated restaurant with seating areas, which can also be used. The distributed cover in the form of stacks of tires and wooden constructions (a lot of wood was really used!) offer both teams sufficient protection against foreign fire.
SPEED-QB: In the forecourt of the camp you can currently find the SPEED-QB playing field in the form of a SupAir paintball playing field. (The system is really so big that a SupAir field was simply placed across the hall.) The operators informed us on site that the SPEED-QB field will probably only be a temporary solution. Later, the forecourt of the warehouse will be built here and construction machinery, pallets and everything that goes with it will be brought up. But maybe the airsoft game mode SPEED-QB, which is extremely popular abroad, will also establish itself here in Germany and the field will remain. In SPEED-QB, as in classic tournament paintball, two teams of five people (or more depending on the game mode) compete against each other on a fixed and mirrored playing field. As with paintball, the aim is to touch the buzzer or the base on the opposing side without being hit first. As with paintball, it is also possible here to win the game without a single shot. (But you have to be able to run very fast for that 🙂 ). In any case, we swell in memories of old paintball times and go to the next field. On the side of the SPEED-QB field, a ramp takes us down to the fifth field… And that's really impressive and incredibly big.
HOSPITAL: The hospital extends over two two-story buildings, each with around a dozen rooms, some of which are furnished. The buildings are connected by a bridge that opens into a huge hallway. Several rooms on two floors lead off these corridors to the side. As in a building with several apartments. The rooms always border on the building wall and have all windows to the outside. Partly, as already mentioned, even furnished with furniture. The entire building can be infiltrated through several outside stairs. Here you can really let off steam. You definitely haven't seen anything like this! It's really incredible what has been built here. (By the way, this is also where the wood used culminates 😉 ) We are thrilled. Finally we come to the "secret" sixth field.
THE HALL: For very large groups or events, there is the option of merging all five fields into one huge field. For this purpose, the operator has integrated a cable construction, which simply moves the nets that separate the fields to the side and thus connects all fields with each other. This results in an incredible number of possibilities that are normally only known from outside fields. A wide variety of scenarios can be simulated here. This is really unique in all of Germany. If not all of Europe. We have never seen the sheer size of 5,000 m 2 , paired with the great wealth of detail of the playing fields and the weather-independent location, anywhere else.
The operators are already planning larger team clashes and a kind of small big game in which dozens of players per team will compete on both sides. Game variants from well-known games are also possible. For example, Domination from Call of Duty or Breakthrough from Battlefield. The system is definitely there in terms of size.
Now that we are completely exhausted and overwhelmed by the many impressions from the fields, we have to take a shower first! Here, too, the operators have not saved. There are spacious changing rooms with free lockers for valuables and ultra-modern, clean showers and toilet facilities. You might think you are in a SPA or swimming pool. Dark tiles and a heated changing area are not to be taken for granted. This means that after your visit you can move straight on to the next club or end the evening with the group in some other way without having to go home again first. A cool highlight apart from the games is the drinks flat rate on site. For only 5 euros you can drink as much as you want. A more than fair offer.
So much for our visit to the adrenaline zone in Walsrode. We could probably go on forever, because the facility has so much to offer, but this post has to end at some point. We definitely recommend a visit to all fans of tactical, adrenaline-packed games. Regardless of whether you play paintball or reball, belong to the airsoft group or perhaps want to play laser tag for the next JGA, or even try out the unique LaserShock, the Adrenalin Zone Walsrode is definitely worth a visit. We wish you lots of fun.
