From DCPA Off-Center, this escape room/game show immersive experience is fun for all ages

Invented in 1903, the game of Monopoly is played all across the world. Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying the massive legacy of this fairly straightforward board game. But have you ever wanted to live the game on a larger-than-life scale? That’s the premise of  Monopoly Lifesized, presented by the Denver Center Theatre Company’s Off-Center division.

In August 2021, Hasbro Inc. and Gamepath opened Monopoly Lifesized in London. The game was given a stylish redesign as a hybrid game show/escape room immersive experience, featuring live actors, unique puzzles and challenges, and a massive Monopoly board for players to roam as they compete in teams.

As an emerging hub for immersive theater in the USA, it’s only fitting that Denver would host the first-ever tour of Monopoly Lifesized outside of London. Featuring local actors as game hosts, it’s  a fun night out with friends or family – especially those with a competitive spirit.

The Tophat Bar

Pre-game activities

Players are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled start time, to ensure they’re checked in and ready to roll once the game begins. You’ll want to arrive earlier than that to take advantage of the Top Hat Bar,  featuring Colorado-themed drinks like  the East Colfax Ave cocktail (a Tequila Negroni).

While enjoying our pre-game refreshments, we perused the gift shop, which featured several exclusive collector’s edition Monopoly games. These included The Beatles, Barbie and my favorite as a native Coloradan: South Park.

Once we reached our start time, our group of 16 assembled and was broken up into four teams: the Thimbles, the Battleships, the Irons and the Dinosaurs. We were shuffled into the orientation room, where we watched a brief video explaining the basics of the game.

And now, your hosts …

As soon as the tutorial wrapped, our hosts “Lily Pad” and “Wheely Dan” burst into the room and greeted our teams. With wacky costumes and corny dialogue, our hosts brought enthusiasm and energy into the room that quickly spread among all the players.

Not only were the actors tasked with playing over-the-top characters, they had to maintain their personas while facilitating the game and guiding us through a whole new array of rules. It was impressive to see how committed our hosts were to the spirit of the experience, even with the plethora of rules.

After their introductions, Lily Pad and Wheely Dan led our group down a weaving labyrinth, adorned with Monopoly artwork on all sides. The attention to detail is remarkable — I really felt like I was teleported into a new, whimsical world where I was shrunk down to the size of a board game piece!

A look at the gameboard

Complex environment

The main arena was something to behold. Doors were all around us, each one representing an iconic Monopoly property. The light and sound design made me feel like I was smack-dab in the middle of a game show. Our group oohed and aahed at the production values.

The game itself was fairly convoluted. The amount of detail put into the game is awe-inspiring, with many ways in which teams could sabotage each other and earn bonus points.

But all that detail was a bit too dense for a 75-minute timeframe (probably 60 after the tutorial and additional instructions).

I could sense the hosts were rushing to the finish line, even though we ran out of time to execute some of the “special moves” of the game. The game may be better suited for a 90-minute time slot, and I could tell our players were left wanting more.

All in all, the experience was well worth the trip. Any escape-room aficionado will appreciate the challenging puzzles of each property, especially Park Place. Since you won’t land on every property, there is great incentive to come back with your friends and try to conquer all the puzzles Monopoly Lifesized has to offer.

And on a personal note: I finally achieved my lifelong dream of winning a game of Monopoly!

The victorious “Team Battleships”