The Void Virtual Reality Experience Opens at the Mall of America

I felt like I had stepped directly into Ready Player One as the staff at the Void strapped me into a virtual reality suit for what would quickly become my favorite experience at the Mall of America. The VR suit I strapped into had some heft to it—not too heavy, but heavy enough to make me feel like I was wearing armor. This was fitting given that I was about to virtually put on Stormtrooper armor and immerse myself in Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire developed by the Void, ILMxLab, and Lucasfilm.

Enter the Void.

I didn’t know what to expect when I pulled up to the Mall of America and walked over to a modern-looking shop across from the North Food Court. I first noticed the employees acting as brand ambassadors, attempting to educate and wrangle the casual mall-walking audience into the Void experience. I didn’t really realize how immersive the experience would actually be; I expected to be hooked into a static suit within a small room that restricted my movement, an idea reinforced by the series of VR suits hanging indiscriminately on the walls as I entered. This impression was instantly shattered, however, as I suited up and entered the physical environment completely untethered to any computer or video-game set. The suit felt snug in a good way and the headset was comfortable on my face, which is something the VR industry tends to struggle with. Before entering the experience, I was given a briefing by Cassian Andor, the spy hero from Rogue One, who instructed me that I would be going undercover as a Stormtrooper on a reconnaissance mission gathering intelligence on a special crate for the Rebellion. Sounds boring at first, but it’s everything but that.

Secrets of the Empire not only left me wanting to return to the Void with a group of my closest friends but also made me want more Star Wars experiences from the venue. Everything felt incredibly immersive, from K-2SO instructing me on what to do throughout the journey to the entire atmosphere. Once the VR experience went live, I was ready for everything that the villainy of the Empire had to offer me. The one thing I noticed was missing, though, was my blaster—something that would be rectified later in the experience.

What’s incredible about this experience is the mix of VR with physical sensations. In one sequence, I needed to enter the secret base by going down an elevator shaft, and I walked over to a Star Wars lift and pressed an actual lever to drop me down; I physically pulled the lever down, and I physically felt like I was going down. I felt like I was accompanying Chewbacca when Luke and Han attempt to sneak into the cell block to rescue the princess in A New Hope. There were also other moments of physical sensation, like standing on a moving platform that made me feel that I needed to be careful so as to not fall off and a blast of pure heat as I got close to lava in one sequence, a pretty amazing experience.

I was pretty much done with all this sneaking around when I got to a small room complete with two blaster rifles for my partner and me. It felt exactly like I was carrying the Stormtroopers’ standard-issue blaster rifle, and I couldn’t wait to use it. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long, as my partner accidentally discharged their rifle, setting off a series of alarms complete with waves of Stormtroopers charging toward us. I had to fight my inner urge to take off running Han Solo style after the enemies and instead carefully walked through the corridors, blasting Stormtroopers as I went. The absolute best part of the experience, though, is the haptic vest that you’re wearing. When you get shot, the suit vibrates and heats up, making you feel like you took a blaster bolt to the left side of your stomach. The precision of this feeling is incredible and makes you react instantly to take down that rogue Stormtrooper with good aim. Speaking of which, the aim system is accurate and responds immediately when you hit the trigger.

The VR suit in all its glory.

I won’t give it all away, but there are also some surprise cameos in the experience that made me feel like I was in the room with the characters, giving me genuine fanboy joy (or fear might be a more accurate representation). It took me about 15 minutes to complete the experience, but I was ready to suit back up and go again as soon as I exited.

Afterward, I asked a few questions of Taylor Thompson, general manager of the Void’s Mall of America location. He explained to me that most of his clientele come in specifically for Star Wars and enter with the same static VR expectations I’d had. Thompson explained that the brand ambassadors outside the door help dispel this stereotype as they recruit customers to this very unique experience. He also echoed my sentiments about the technology as we focused our conversation on the incredible haptic suit, which was built in partnership with Oculus.

As I left the venue, I started texting my closest friends and trying to coordinate our next joint event at the Void. Thompson also noted there’s much more to come in terms of unique VR experiences: a new one is coming in December, and while he didn’t reveal the details, he feels it will blow people away. I was impressed with the experience and would recommend that everyone in the Twin Cities go and check out the Void. I promise the experience is worth the visit.

Come on in.