If you have been tasked to look for the newest team building activity for your department and is so sick if cooking challenges, paintball and bowling, there is something rather new in town to explore. Most people with kids at home would have probably heard of Nerf guns. These are basically plastic guns loaded on foam bullets which is fun and safer than those with solid bullets. The Nerf gun was introduced in the 90s but only got increasingly popular in Singapore in the last 5 to 8 years.
Fans of the Nerf gun rejoice as the very first Nerf Action Experience Arena was opened in Singapore Marina Square last year in October. The arena spans 18, 000 square feet over 2 levels and has activities for corporate team building, birthday parties or just a simple weekend activity.
The arena itself features 4 different activity areas; Compete, Conquer, Challenge and Create; where some are more suitable for younger customers and some suitable across ages. There are also activity rooms where you can use as birthday celebration rooms or team building areas.
You can purchase tickets on-site at the entrance counter or online. For group bookings and private parties, you will have to contact them separately. There are 2 different kinds of tickets; covering 2 areas or covering 3 areas. The ticket covering Compete and Conquer costs SGD 29 and the one with the addition of Create costs SGD 39. The Challenger area is only open to children 6 years and below.
Something cool to note is that vending machines with different kinds of beverages are scattered throughout the arena for customers to quench their thirst after the activities so no worries on getting dehydrated.
For those with big bags, there are these orange lockers where your valuables can be stored while you engage in the activities. It is advisable not to carry your phone or valuables when playing the games unless you are filming your kid in play.
The activities rooms are brightly lit and decorated and there are a few sizes to fit different requirements. You can have corporate team building briefing or children’s birthday parties with cake cutting in these rooms where they can also offer the specific rooms for the storage of your bags while your group proceed to the activities. The room will also be locked up during activities for safety.
The first area is the Compete area where there are 2 challenges available; the Zombie city and the Sand Dunes. For big groups, you are basically split into 2 groups, the blue Nation or the Orange Nation and you compete against each other for a higher score.
Each zone within Compete has a briefing area for the groups where you arm yourselves with the nerf guns and a plastic goggle for protection. There are 2 kinds of blaster available for the games and it is mainly the elite which is a single load gun and the blaster which is a multiple bullet load gun.
After each game, the points will be tabulated and the team with the highest score will be the winner. There are specific goals and rules for each game which I will leave it out for you to enjoy the games.
The next big area is the Conquer space where there are multiple activities to take part in. Some milder and some for the more adventurous.
The first activity is the summit where you can use it as a training ground to train your speed and shooting accuracy. Basically, you start a stopwatch and run through the course shooting down targets. The final score is based on your shooting accuracy and how fast you can complete the course.
The next big area to explore is the Mountains where it is basically a rock climbing activity with different kinds of obstacle courses. There will be safety harness and helmets for each participants taking part and it is safe enough for children aged 7 and above. Do note that for those with a fear of heights, I would not recommend this as I have seen some people actually crying and stopping the activity midway as the fear got to them
There is also a rock-climbing wall where they named it the glacier because of the clear blue design of the panel wall. Different from the usual odd-shaped walls, this is a flat panel wall where 2 participants can take part from each side simultaneously.
The next activity is the ice cliff which is a slide that is almost 90 degrees steep. You can see how it works in the slow-motion video. The activity itself is safe as knee pads and elbow pads and helmets are provided. You do need to pay attention to the staff’s instructions to tug in your chin or you could risk bumping your head on the slide itself which happened to me.
The 2 remaining areas which I did not visit was more suitable for children. The Challenge space which is open to kids 6 and below only is where you get to run through foam obstacles and the Create room where you can create art using coloured spray guns.
Lastly, there is a retail space where you can purchase different models of Nerf guns and continue with the fun at home.
Overall, the experience at Nerf Action has been great and while it is a safe indoor activity, a few rounds in the different areas actually brings up your adrenaline. While some of the areas are best enjoyed with bigger groups, you can still have fun in small groups perfecting your shooting skills. While safe, do pay attention to all the safety rules to make sure you do not get hurt. As mentioned, I knocked my knee and head while engaged in some games; purely due to my own clumsiness. The staff who attended to our team building briefing was also very professional and full of energy to keep our energy levels high and positive. I would highly recommend to families with kids as well as corporate teams looking for a new team-building activity.
Address: 6 Raffles Blvd, #01-208 Marina Square, Singapore 039594
Operating hours: 12 pm to 8 pm
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