We had a blast on a busyish Friday night. I took my 7 year old around 6pm and he played three games, I played two. We were both a little warm, but now I know for next time to dress for running up and down ramps. This place was so much fun with all the different ways you can play, I can’t imagine getting the same experience twice. Both our packs worked and we were excited to get score sheets when it was all over. The employees were not only polite, but helpful too. They explained the game properly and answered questions(even some I wouldn’t have). The line also moved fast when we were there. I have been in Maryland for 4 months, done tons of crap, and so far have been really really really disappointed with the service industry here, so this was a very pleasant surprise.
Adam K.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Baltimore, MD
Been coming here on and off for a few years. Had an experience similar to Melanie R’s that’s worth noting. My girlfriend and I decided to make a trip to Shadowland part of a date(don’t judge us…) as we had enjoyed past experiences there. This particular time(February ’13), however, it was jam packed. We paid for 3 games and were ready to start tagging. We soon noticed that neither of us had working packs — that is, we couldn’t tag anyone, and they couldn’t really tag us either. «MARSHAL!!!» We waited until a marshal came to resolve our issue, which basically meant swapping our packs. Both of us tried again, and neither pack worked. By the time we were fitted with new packs, the game was over in less than five minutes. Maybe next round. Nope, same thing for me. My girlfriend had better luck. I figured it wasn’t worth wasting my time and asked if I could have my money back for the third game, rather than play it. «Well, they probably won’t give it to you; they don’t often do that.» *sigh* Okay. Third game — success! Both of us had working packs that time! Hell, I even ranked in the top three! It was just so bizarre that so many packs were out of order. I understand that such things happen, but you need to have reliable equipment, Shadowland. So, after such a crap experience, why three stars? Well, this was my only negative experience in years of coming here AND after sending an email to the main office, I got a quick reply, in whic they apologized for the inconvenience and sent us vouchers for all three games, essentially reimbursing us for our bad experience. A good business knows when they messed up and rectifies the situation. They even asked for specifics so they could address the situation with their management. I’m not out to get people in trouble, but I appreciate that upper management is working to resolve issues. It overall is a great place to blow off some steam and let out a bit of aggression in a healthy and fun way. One of my friends even made this a stop between bars for his bachelor party! Not too expensive, but three games will run you about $ 21, so you know. It’s always a great place to have fun.
Melanie R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Ellicott City, MD
Ok folks… after I slammed Shadowland and wrote them an email. they took the time to contact me to discuss my experience. They also sent a few free passes and profusely apologized. They made my horrible experience better by making it right. I will give them a second chance.
Lindsey S.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Philadelphia, PA
I admit this concept is really fun– everyone wears a vest sort of things with lights on it with a gun attached and you get to run around(okay, walk really fast) and shoot people in the dark. HOWEVER, it is quite expensive for $ 8/game(lasts 15minutes) and you don’t get to choose your teams. Also, if you have lots of people in your group, not all of you will end up in the same team. Everyone will be grouped together in one game as long as there are enough guns– that means you could have upwards of 20+ people in a game, most of which you don’t know. There is also the issue with other players, particularly the immature sore losers who take it personally when you shoot them. They will curse at you and sometimes shove you around. Yes, there are«marshalls» walking around but they only do so on the bottom and most poeple are on the upper levels. This means they usually don’t see anything. One particularly large player probably in her late 20s cursed and screamed at my 12-year old niece and made her upset enough to cry. The marshalls did ABSOLUTELYNOTHING, even when I called them over. They offered a slight apology and then kind of shrugged and walked away saying they didn’t see what happened. No comp game was offered, NOTHING. So basically, we paid about $ 80 to have our day ruined.(It is very difficult to follow someone in the game if you’re a parent/guardian since there are a lot of people running around and it’s very dark) Save your money and go somewhere else more family-oriented. Unless you can reserve the entire stadium to yourself or your group, this place isn’t worth the gamble.