Status Operating Participants per group 30 Capacity 300 Soft opening date September 2013 | Attraction type Indoor Laser Skirmish Site area 650 m² Replaced AVPX Opening date 13 September 2013 | |
 | ||
Manufacturer Sudden Impact Entertainment Duration 5 minutes of combat plus a preshow Designer Sudden Impact! Entertainment Company | ||
Zombie Evilution is a seasonal multi-use attraction at Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. The attraction was originally introduced as a scare maze before being converted to a laser skirmish attraction. It opened on Friday the 13th of September 2013, replacing AVPX. The attraction is currently used as a scare maze during Dreamworld's peak summer period, and Screamworld events.
Contents
History
In 2009, Dreamworld launched AVPX, a laser skirmish attraction by Sudden Impact! Entertainment Company. The attraction was originally licensed for a two-year contract, which was later extended for a further two years. In late 2012, Dreamworld contracted Lynton V. Harris of Sudden Impact to work on creating a replacement. Using the town name of "Kevil Hill", originally developed for an attraction at Taman Safari in Indonesia, Harris developed the Zombie Evilution attraction concept.
On 6 March 2013, Dreamworld officially announced that AVPX would be closing at the end of the month, stating "a new enemy will arise in 2013". On 31 March 2013, AVPX operated for the final time with Dreamworld stating it would be replaced by a new attraction which is "to die for". The new attraction was later announced to be named Zombie Evilution.
Zombie Evilution officially opened to the public on Friday the 13th of September 2013 as a scare maze. The maze featured live actors, with guests being admitted in small groups. On 14 October 2013, the scare maze was closed, pending conversion into a laser skirmish attraction. On 18 October 2013, the attraction reopened to the public.
In 2015, the attraction was relegated to a Seasonal position, it no longer operated during the School periods (including weekends), only on School Holiday Periods and during the night-time Screamworld events (As a scare-maze).
On 27 January 2016, the attraction closed for the off-peak season, it was later revealed that the attraction will no longer operate as laser tag, however, the park claimed that the attraction would still be in use as a scare-maze for their night-time, and other special, events. The exit room were later used as a merchandise store for the Tiger Cub Kindy area, which occupied the area in front of the attraction in February 2016. The attraction currently remains as a scare maze operating for peak periods and Screamworld events.
Laser Skirmish
Guests admitted in groups of 30 into one of three briefing rooms. The guests were asked to stand by a weapon which determines their teams. Half of the group were infected humans, with the other half being normal, uninfected humans. A short preshow details the backstory for the attraction. The attraction was set in a small town named Kevil Hill (a play on the evil & live palindrome), a zombie utopia created by billionaire James Buchanan (J.B.) Kevil (portrayed by Tony Bonner). Professor Jacques Madigan manages the town's cryonics chamber, where the dead are preserved for a future re-awakening.
Guests were told the rules and how to use their weapons, before being moved from the briefing room, down a tunnel to a final room before the main arena. The main arena is 650 square metres (7,000 sq ft) and featured multiple buildings. To earn points players shoot those from the opposite team.