CARIBOU, Maine — In a courtyard filled with multiple stairwells, nooks and crannies, you circle to get your bearings. Suddenly there’s a “zap” and blue fire streaks overhead from behind a barricade. You teleport to another spot, find your blue-costumed attacker and aim.
No, you’re not in danger. It’s a virtual-reality game called “Sand Storm.” Star Trek: The Next Generation fans will be reminded of the Holodeck, where characters went for some fantasy-fueled respite from life on board the Enterprise.
But this virtual-reality playground is called the Megaverse, and you’ll find it at Caribou’s BEE VR Theme Park on Sweden Street. It’s Aroostook County’s newest gaming spot and the first Megaverse in Maine. Visitors have been blown away, owner Travis Bernaiche said.
“[People] have said it looks like it should be in California or in a big city. They can’t believe that we brought something like this to Caribou,” he said. “It’s out of this world. It puts you in a fantasy that can trick your mind into thinking it’s real.”
Headquartered in Atlanta, Megaverse lists 11 other locations elsewhere in New England, the southern U.S. and Hawaii.
BEE VR stands for Bernaiche Enterprise Entertainment Virtual Reality. The logo, of the letters and a stylized black-and-yellow bee, appears on many of the game units, some of which Bernaiche helped design.
The theme park is located at 284 Sweden St. in the former home of Dave’s Auto. The Bernaiche family, who owns several other businesses including property maintenance and equipment sales, bought the structure about 10 years ago and used it for storage.
Bernaiche wanted to bring something new to the area since local entertainment options are limited, he said. And with workers in short supply, a venture that would need minimal staffing was ideal. After experiencing Megaverse himself, he knew he’d found his next venture.
But he’s not stopping there. He’s also expanding BEE VR to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
“I wanted to put something together for my hometown, but then I also wanted to put something where the population’s high,” he said. “I was able to get a spot right in Foxwoods, which has millions of visitors a year.”
He aims to open in Connecticut by the end of the year, with a larger version of the Caribou space. He estimates he’s invested more than $2 million in both locations.
His favorite game is “Vertical Limit,” in which players climb up the side of a skyscraper at night. If they reach the top, fireworks go off and they’re treated to a panoramic nighttime city view.
That’s the game that convinced him to buy Megaverse’s product, he said. It’s so realistic that even after playing three times, he didn’t want to leave.
The room has games for all ages and more will be added each year, he said. Children can observe dinosaurs or underwater scenes, and those seeking more intense play can choose shooting games, escape rooms and even a Tetris-like game where players “see” blocks fall around them and try to fit them into place.
The Caribou theme park also includes simulator rides and arcade games. The largest, a starship simulator, offers players a virtual landscape but also moves with the action. The seat rocks and turns, and onboard fans provide appropriate whooshes of air to simulate speed.
Smaller simulators offer experiences for younger children and tamer virtual-reality games, Bernaiche said.
Throughout the newly renovated building, complete with twinkling lights, soft rubber floors and fabric-covered walls, are more typical arcade stations with plush, cushioned chairs. There are home system-type options, several crane games with prizes and even the older standby, “Pong.”
A small cafe area offers tables and vending machines, and will soon get an upgrade, Bernaiche said. He has ordered a machine that will keep frozen snacks and fry them to order.
Technology encompasses not just the games, but the entire operation, Bernaiche said.
Players pay at each station via credit card, and the building has digital locks that can be programmed to lock and unlock at certain times.
He aims to minimize operational costs while providing a good experience for customers.
“Our ultimate goal here is we’re trying to make it operatorless,” he said. “But with the rubber floor and soft-covered walls, we want it to be just a comfortable, homey space to hang out.”
The business is open on weekends only right now as it’s in a soft-opening period while he and manager Jon Clark work out any glitches, he said.
Hours are 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
