SEOUL (ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – “Squid Game: The Experience,” the immersive attraction that plunges fans into the dystopian world of “Squid Game,” will open in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong on Friday.
Bringing the phenomenon to its homeland, this version of the blockbuster series will present unique never-before-seen challenges exclusive to the Seoul edition, Netflix said.
Taking place in S Factory, “Squid Game: The Experience” offers a 90-minute adventure where players can participate in games inspired by the series as well as a “Squid Game” themed merchandise shop.
The environment reflects the unsettling, high-stakes vibe of the series, with hallways resonating with the haunting soundtrack and life-sized, pink guard figures menacingly positioned in the corridors to monitor contestants.
Thankfully, the gameplay itself takes a departure from the series’ brutal do-or-die nature.
Instead of elimination, participants don wristbands that monitor their scores throughout revamped versions of the challenges. The lineup includes marbles; a treasure hunt; memory steps; red light, green light; tug-of-war and round and round.
The games’ developers have added new elements: In red light, green light, participants must navigate randomly placed obstacles rather than simply sprinting across an open field. Round and round now requires players to take a specific position after the music halts instead of entering separate rooms. Even tug-of-war has been adjusted to ensure fairness, with participants pulling ropes from a machine to determine who extracts the most within a set time frame.
At the end of the six games, there is an exclusive, top-secret final game accessible only in Seoul. The six highest-scoring players gain the opportunity to vie for a grand prize, and the Frontman will present the final prize.
The aim of “Squid Game: The Experience” is to bring the show to life in a way that allows fans to fully immerse themselves in its universe, according to Netflix.
“Over time, we’ve discovered that the magic of these stories isn’t confined to the screen. When you fall in love with a show or a movie, you don’t want to just watch it, you want to live it, and especially when it’s (‘Squid Game’),” said Greg Lombardo, Netflix’s head of live experiences, on Wednesday.
Lombardo also emphasized the deeper cultural impact of “Squid Game: The Experience,” highlighting how the event serves as a bridge between Korean culture and global audiences.
“(‘Squid Game’) has not only captivated audiences worldwide, but it’s also shined a spotlight on Korean food, Korean lifestyle and Korean culture,” he said.
Bringing the experience to Seoul, however, brought extra pressure.
“A couple of things were top of mind for us when we decided to bring this experience to Seoul, knowing that this title originated in Seoul, and knowing that these games are so deeply personal and resonate with so many people who grew up in Korea,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure that this experience is bigger than any experience we have done in the past, and we also wanted to make sure this experience included some new games,” said Lombardo.
“So we’ve really set our sights on recreating not only the games that you will recognize from the series but also (new games),” he added.
