Forget window shopping, you can now battle dragons and fire energy blasts at Highcross Leicester
If you’ve ever wanted to live out your anime protagonist dreams while picking up a new pair of trainers, your time has finally come.
Highcross Leicester has become the first shopping centre in the UK to host HADO, a futuristic augmented reality sport that lets players launch virtual energy balls, raise shields and battle monsters in real life.
The free pop-up has landed in the former North Face unit on the upper mall, transforming a normal shopping trip into something that feels a bit more like stepping into a sci-fi video game.
Originally created in Japan in 2014, HADO combines physical sport with esports technology. Players wear AR headsets and wrist sensors before heading onto a real-world court, where digital elements are overlaid onto their surroundings. Unlike virtual reality, you’re not standing still waving your arms around. You’ll actually be running, dodging and competing against other players.
And yes, it looks exactly as chaotic as it sounds.
Visitors can choose between two game modes. The first is Player Versus Player (PVP), where teams of up to three players go head-to-head in 80-second matches, launching virtual attacks and defending themselves with digital shields to rack up points.
If fighting your mates isn’t your thing, there’s also Monster Battle, which lets players team up to take on virtual dragons, monsters and bosses. Think Pokémon meets laser tag meets a gym class you might actually enjoy attending.
Best of all, it’s completely free.
The experience is running from 11am to 6pm Wednesday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays, with no booking required. You can simply turn up, grab a headset and start pretending you’re saving the world.
Michelle Menezes, Centre Director at Highcross Leicester, said the centre was excited to bring a “completely new experience” to the city and give visitors the chance to try something different, whether they’re hardcore gamers or complete beginners.
The event follows a series of unusual attractions at Highcross, including a Scalextric racing competition and community dance showcases, as the centre continues looking for new ways to bring people through its doors.
