I visited London’s ‘urban theme park’ that is great for rainy weather with indoor arcades and go-karting

IT’S worrying to know that I wouldn’t survive long in a zombie apocalypse – if my VR shooting technique is anything to go by.

One of the best places to test those skills is Gravity Max in Westfield shopping centre, East London.

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With games spread over 67,000 square feet across three floors, it calls itself London’s biggest urban theme park.

There are Gravity Max centres in Liverpool, Castleford and a second capital site in Wandsworth.

Its most popular activity is the E-Kart racing track on the ground floor.

After a quick presentation on safety, I was kitted up with a balaclava and helmet before scrambling ungracefully into the vehicle.

It’s been a long-running joke how I take corners like a rally driver in real life, not least being taught by my mechanic dad.

This didn’t however translate to the track as I struggled to overtake my fellow drivers even with my foot to the floor, hitting 30mph.

Tapping away

I quickly had my revenge on one racer who slipped past, accidentally ramming into their side on a sharp corner (intentional bumping is strictly banned).

Taking bronze out of three drivers never felt so bitter.

My losses continued in both Hologate VR games – a zombie survival and capturing the tower.

In the bulky headgear with a clicker as my gun, I came last again, constantly being killed as I repeatedly missed my targets.

No matter, I knew where I would excel – the dance mats.

The huge Gravity Arcade lets you pay for games with credits loaded on to a card.

My childhood was spent tapping away on the plastic dance mats so it was finally something I did beat everyone at.

While shooting and driving are not my strongest skillset, active sports are, so I spent most of my time on the Hyperfloor.

With 12 different modes to choose from on the glowing floor, the basic game is won by stepping on the coloured lights without getting hit by the wrong one.

There are skill levels for kids and adults, ranging from 1-10.

We managed to complete the hardest level, although it’s safe to say we were left extremely sweaty, so a quick beer break was needed at one of the bars, also serving wine and cocktails.

But if that’s not enough, head to the very top floor where there are The Voice karaoke booths complete with big red buttons, as well as VR darts and TV screens.

There were a few teething issues – we were unable to get lap times while E-Karting and a few of the arcade games didn’t seem to work.

And the meal options are limited to hot dogs and nachos so I’d recommend going to one of the restaurants outside.

But as a theme park fan, it was a great way to get my thrills without being ruined by the rainy British weather.