MILD SPOILERS AHEAD! You have been warned...
Somewhat of a controversial attraction, it's fair to say that Black Mirror Labyrinth was fairly low on people's radar when it came to new attractions for 2021. Between your Croc Drops, Sky Lions and Tornados, Black Mirror seemed a bit like the bit on the side for many enthusiasts.
Well all I can say to those people is that you're wrong!
The Labyrinth far surpassed our expectations in terms of quality, storyline and fun! The experience encapsulates the feel, imagination and creativity behind the series and turns it into a quirky, anxiety inducing theme park attraction.
The experience starts from the moment you enter the surrounding Labyrinth area with uniformed staff directing you to "Registration". Whilst I found the white and black outfits gave off a late 90's boy band aesthetic, it was nice to see the effort being pumped into what some may call a "glorified mirror maze". Upon reaching registration, you are prompted to stand again a wall and take off and hats, glasses, masks and smiles you may be wearing on or around your face ready for a mugshot that'll give you "drivers licence 2021 edition" vibes. Following this, we were told to walk over to a tablet and input our names under our photo. Now, one gripe I had was we did this twice, and on our second run I wasn't even given the chance to put my name into the Labyrinth which was kind of a bummer, but this isn't an experience-ruining issue.
"a glorified mirror maze"
If you have been following along with all the excitement surrounding the surprise success of the Labyrinth, you may have heard a few quips and jabs that it is merely a glorified mirror maze. To which I bring attention to the definition of "glorified".
"(of something or someone ordinary or unexceptional) represented as or appearing more elevated or special than is the case."
Now, I don't know about anyone else but I'd put a pretty strong argument against this statement solely for the first half of this experience alone. This attraction is so much more than a mirror maze (and spoilers, a nice chunk of this attraction IS a mirror maze... because you know... Black MIRROR). It takes you into a crazy environment where you genuinely feel lost due to some very nifty tricks and what I like to call "live route changes". The best way I can really describe it is an adult's Hocus Pocus Hall, and that is a very good thing. I found my anxiety levels climbing higher and higher as the experience became more and more twisted and hysterical, and I have to admit this attraction was really helped by the COVID-19 pandemic in that it was myself an my group, alone.
The way this attraction has been designed meant that unlike the usual walkthrough attractions or mazes, we didn't actually see a single person throughout our run. This was because Thorpe Park have cleverly designed the attraction into what is essentially a number of pre-show rooms where after a certain time frame a door would open allowing us to proceed. This made the experience feel safe, personal and exciting as it meant that even though this attraction has no physical staff within it, it had a clear pre-show, experience and finale. Speaking of which, the attraction's story was simple, clear and digestible even with how hectic and intense the experience was.
Being able to craft a story has always been a hit or miss for Merlin Theme Parks, with some attractions getting it right and others needing a few tweaks here and there. Black Mirror Labyrinth has arguably the best story that has been developed at Thorpe Park in a very long time, and it's for a walkthrough attraction. Whilst it's less on the nose as I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'s "you do the trials lol" story, it's also no where near as convoluted and hard to follow as Ghost Train: Rise of The Demon (especially with this years new story 'improvements'?). It finds the nice squishy point of out of the ordinary and simple, then adds in the impeding doom of death as with the majority of Thorpe Park/Alton Towers attractions circa 2009 and what rises from the ashes, or in this case shattered glass, is a truly fun and quirky story... they even get a plot twist in there!
To summarise, I really just want to say if you are sceptical on this attraction and can get a time slot it's worth giving a go. Whilst I wouldn't say it's a more than once a trip attraction, it's definitely worth a 45 minute wait or so and it's a fabulously twisted and fun addition to Thorpe Park Resort. In order to experience Black Mirror Labyrinth guests must book a timed ticket. These can only be done on the day from the Island Ticket Centre self-service tills from 9am, the attraction entrance by scanning the QR code using your mobile from 10am or from the Fastrack kiosk by scanning the QR code or the self-service tills from 10am. For moe information you can visit https://www.thorpepark.com/explore/theme-park/rides/labyrinth/#can-i-book-a-free-timed-ticket-online-before-my-visit
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