Yesterday, my family and I beat the heat by visiting Two Bit Circus in Downtown LA. Last year, I attended a media preview for Two Bit Circus, so it was really cool to check it out again. Two Bit Circus invited us to experience the family friendly arcade, midway, and VR games (with some comped playing cards), and we had a blast.
Arcade + Midway
Both my husband and I grew up playing stand-up video consoles, so it was nostalgic and fun to see my six-year old play the same games we played as kids. My daughter loved Mrs. Pac Man, Centipede and pinball. There was a nice assortment of pinball games.
My daughter really liked the carnival games as well. Most are designed for two players or more, for double the fun. Instead of traditional carnival stands, here they are virtual and have a different element of challenge. For example, the balloon “dart” wall is modified, so you throw colored plastic balls at a screen that has balloons that change color and pop, based on the color of the ball thrown. Several people can play that game.
Another fun one was this game where you “wreck” a building on a screen using a soft gauntlet-type of wrecking ball. My kid played that one twice!
A cool new game feature are the changeable consoles. These games are changed out based on what they want to feature. A popular game is Wiffle Waffle, which my kid really likes, and is actually better than me at it. There is only a trackball and two buttons as far as controls. For this game in particular, you launch your waffle out of the toaster and use the trackball to help direct it to collect the coins and large targets that will advance you to the next level. Simple concept, but a fun challenge!
At Two Bit Circus, they have the very popular addictive game, Killer Queen, which can accommodate up to 10 players. It has surprisingly spawned a subculture where there are tournaments.
VR Games
My kid was too small to play the virtual games (her head didn’t fit in the headsets), but my husband and I managed to squeeze in a couple. My husband played this game (pictured below), where you hold two different colored “light sabers” and slash the floating blocks as they fly towards you on the beat of the chosen song. this was a popular game for kids.
My husband also played the game Flex IV, which is a virtual shoot and dodge game. It lasted for quite a few minutes, so it was a good value for the price.
I played this virtual flying game, where you feel like a bird called Birdly. You lie on this glider type machine and wear a VR headset. A fan blows wind at you while you navigate the clear skies with dinosaurs below and mountains to dodge. I crashed three times. It felt very real, and I swore I would have nightmares after. Thankfully, I did not, but it was quite the VR experience, as anyone who heard me screaming “I’m going to crash” could attest.
Story Rooms
We didn’t do a Story Room, but hope to next time. Story Rooms are like “escape rooms” but are navigated adventures. I can’t really say much about this because we didn’t do it, but there were a lot of people scheduled to do them, and they look like fun. There are currently four Story Rooms to choose from at Two Bit Circus.
Other Stuff
They also have food and two bars at Two Bit Circus, including a robot bartender. It was out of order at the time of our visit, but I’ve seen it function before and it’s very cool.
Large parties can also reserve a room for gaming or karaoke, and there is also a theatre called Club 01, which hosts a variety of events. Check out the website for more information.
Thank you, Two Bit Circus, for hosting a fun day of gaming for my family!
Two Bit Circus
Two Bit Circus is an experiential entertainment company building a network of micro-amusement parks. These 35k-50k square foot entertainment complexes are a new platform to showcase the future of fun and bring people together through VR, escape rooms, re-imagined arcade games, immersive theater, and other new forms of entertainment. The venues are a launchpad for new technologies and branded content and serve as an anchor tenant to drive customers and traffic to urban centers and malls. Two Bit Circus has a long history of working with brands to help tell their story through public attractions and spectacle. Some highlights include VR action sports content for the NFL, NBA, and Indy; major entertainment activations at the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and All Star Games; and even a cloud that rains tequila. The first micro-amusement park opened in Downtown LA in 2018.
Learn more at @TwoBitCircus and www.twobitcircus.com
Two Bit Circus is located at:
634 Mateo St. Los Angeles, CA 90021
Disclaimer: I was invited as a member of the media to review this venue. All opinions are honest and 100% my own. Complimentary gaming cards were provided to facilitate this post.
