THE FUTURE OF CHILD’S PLAY AT RABBIDS AMUSEMENT CENTER
For Montrealers of a certain age, childhood birthday parties and school field trips often meant an off-island trip to the Récréathèque. The now-shuttered Laval amusement centre offered miniputt, roller-skating, and more. But even during its heyday, it always looked a little worse for wear.
While gearing up for a tour of the new Rabbids Amusement Center in Pointe-Claire, the Récréathèque couldn’t help but loom large in my mind. I was under the impression that fun centres designed for children under 12 still followed the same template as the ones from my youth. It turns out that times have changed.
There are still ball pits and slides, but Rabbids Amusement Center (or Le Centre d’amusement Les Lapins Crétins) also has plenty of new tricks, like virtual reality, kinetic sand and interactive walls. Child’s play has become technologically savvy, and could even put a smile on a stern adult’s face.
The indoor Rabbids Amusement Center opened last September, and it marks video game publisher Ubisoft’s entry in the live recreation business. Named for the famed brand of cute and destructive critters, the centre is designed with locals in mind. The experience consists of obstacles, games and puzzles, and lasts about two hours. It’s a versatile space with three private rooms, able to cater to larger corporate or charity events. While much of the centre is dedicated to the 3-12 age group, there’s also a safe section for crawling infants.
Besides the toilet bowl photo booth in the corner by the entrance, the first noticeable thing upon entering is the front desk. Youngsters and parents alike are given smart bracelets that allow them access to the site, but they’re also used to provide an extra layer of security, as they come equipped with a family photo that’s taken when you arrive. There’s also an annual membership program, called Troop, where four family members can join for a year at $40. It comes with extra perks like a special kids’ night without parents at least once a month and the ability to accumulate points through challenges. The points can then be spent on wholesome snacks in the cafeteria or goodies from the gift shop.
Once inside, with shoes safely put away in a storage locker, the first game available was the HTC Vive virtual reality headsets. Participants sit in a D -Box chair that moves and sways to a surprisingly exciting roller coaster race set in the Rabbids world. The chair rocked to explosions and tilted uncomfortably forward as you perched over virtual ledges, while a wind machine set close to your feet blew a very real breeze in your general direction. The experience gave me goose bumps. According to employees, the kids tend to handle virtual reality better than the adults.
Next up, we checked out the laboratory. In the middle of the room was a box of kinetic sand with moulds. Unlike regular sand, the kinetic variety — called Lunar sand at the centre — can be pulled and squeezed without falling apart. It’s a joy to clean up afterwards. The lab also had drawing and colouring tablets, as well as building blocks that could be put on a platform that rumbles after a timer goes off.
Even the ball pit and slide area, a staple of the fun centre experience, has been updated here. Rabbids line one of the walls via projection. Kids can throw balls from the pit at them, and they react to being hit by a well-placed strike.
It wouldn’t be a fully-fledged Ubisoft experience without video games, and sure enough kids can play along to popular motion capture game Just Dance or pick up a Wii U controller in the lounge area.
Kids today are more accustomed to smart technology than their parents ever were. They’re no strangers to connected bracelets and tablets, so it makes sense that a place designed for children would figure out how to incorporate technology in a fun way. Rabbids will certainly entertain children, and it’ll also impress the adults.
For more information, visit centrelapinscretins.com/en.