Review: The Timewalk Exhibition (Immerse LDN)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Over the last year, I have enjoyed the rise of experiences offering a snapshot of history combining exhibitions and education with a sense of fun. I have been on the Titanic, to Pompeii and stepped back in time to see Cleopatra - they are all great for experiencing a moment in history, but there is always a sense of wanting more. The latest offering, Timewalk attempts something none of the others have managed, covering 12,000 years in a singular experience. Its intriguing premise of being able to take a walk through history was too good to turn down, but would I have the time of my life, or was this one experience that should have been left to the history books?

Located at Immerse LDN at London’s ExCel centre, a new destination for various immersive experiences, Timewalk is a different beast to the others that have come before it. Whereas those offer a variety of differences in each room from a metaverse, interactive elements and artefacts, Timewalk keeps it very simple, offering a series of rooms to walk through and experience various stages in ancient history. Throughout the course of the experience, you are transported to five different rooms, each covering a different civilisation, from Babylon to ancient Egypt, the Maya, Rapa Nui and Göbeklitepe.

The level of immersion is always sensational, offering an experience that stimulates multiple senses. The problem is, it is all a bit samey. There is no denying how impressive the cutting-edge technology used to tell this story is - standing in one of the rooms as all 360 degrees transforms into different worlds, catapulting you into the stars and the sea never fails to take my breath away. The issue is once you have done that once, it becomes a bit repetitive. Previous experiences kept this in one room as you took a seat and enjoyed a 20+ minute sequence. Here, you have much shorter sequences in each room before you are moved to the next. Still a lot of fun to do, but I was itching for something different in the next room rather than being greeted by more of the same.

There is also the sense the whole experience is unfinished. After another video room, you are moved without warning to quite literally exit via the gift shop. I couldn’t help leaving feeling far from satisfied as if there was much more I wanted to explore and experience. The experience is also drastically shorter than the others - while they usually come in between 60 and 90 minutes, this one lasted approximately 40 which doesn’t feel as good when it comes to value for money. You can make this last longer if you spend more time in the first room where you are encouraged to explore 21 pillars with your audio guide, but the excitement of this lost its appeal after the first few so I imagine the vast majority of people will spend far less time in there than had been planned.

What is great about these experiences is the total immersion and sense of escapism on offer. This seems to have been overlooked this time, with an employee making no attempt to capture the essence of the experience, instead shouting at everyone to follow her to the next room. Necessary maybe, but surely there is a better way of doing it? The experience felt rushed, unfinished and far smaller in scale than the others I have been to.

That isn’t to say it isn’t an enjoyable experience - there is just far less to do and see this time around as opposed to their others. This feels especially disappointing given the promise that comes with the grand scale of the Timewalk - the fact this walk through time took less time than an episode of Doctor Who was a huge anticlimax. Timewalk is still worth a visit due to the impressive visuals, but I left here longing for more and feeling as if the surface had barely been scratched. Given the calibre associated with the producers behind these experiences, this is hardly one of their finest - that said, even their worst show is still better than most other experiences out there. A trip here may still result in a decent time, but don’t be surprised if you walk out wanting more.

Timewalk is booking at Immerse LDN this summer. Tickets at https://timewalkexhibition.com/london/