Mention ‘Liverpool’ and ‘zombie chase game’ and you’d probably imagine playing dodge-the-idiot across Concert Square at 1am on a Saturday morning. But this is something very different, and a whole lot more exciting.

2.8 Hours Later is the brainchild of Bristol game designers SlingShot, and has caused quite a ruckus as it’s visited cities right across the UK. But what is it? Essentially a video game come to life: set across a city centre, with multiple secret locations populated by a cast of survivors and zombies. Your aim: to orienteer, outrun and outwit the hundreds of pesky zombies by hunting for clues to Resistance HQ - the only safe place left in the city.

“Liverpool is an incredibly evocative place” says SlingShot director Simon Evans. “It’s a grand city and I think its Victorian heritage and old warehouses will be ideal for creating the kind of spine-tingling, scary atmosphere that we need for the game.”

Evans enjoys the broad appeal of the adrenalised fun: “That’s the great thing about the genre. You get chartered accountants playing with crane drivers, it brings together black and white, old and young in way that has really surprised us.”

If you don’t fancy playing the game yourself and would rather try your best acting skills as one of the gangs of volunteer zombies, you can also sign up for a ‘zombie school’, where you’ll learn all the tricks of the trade.

It all sounds rather exciting, and we’ve heard fantastic reports about their previous exploits in London, Glasgow and Manchester. But be warned: its hardcore fanbase means this one, played out over consecutive nights in May, will sell out fast.

2.8 Hours Later
Liverpool city centre
15 - 19 May
Tickets on sale soon - keep an eye on their official site and Facebook page for more information.