We headed out for another round of playtime at Play Playground in Las Vegas, but this time, there's honor on the line.
We visited Play Playground a few months ago, and our overall verdict was that it's an awesome all-ages venue for anyone with a competitive streak. The Couch Soup Squad got to check out the space again this Fall, and we're impressed with the upgrades and seasonal specialties.
We're all gamers here at Couch Soup, and I challenged beloved Couch Soup contributor Luis Reza to play for the Couch Soup Crown. We picked three physical challenges at Play Playground in a winner-take-all battle for Couch Soup-remacy (in a loving way, of course).
Place your bets now, we're going for blood.
I loved this game on my last visit. It made me immediately feel like I finally made it onto Legends of the Hidden Temple. Luis may have longer legs, but I am stubborn, which delusionally makes me believe I got this. Players have to navigate across a beam where poker chips are flying at them, trying to knock them down.
Looking at the footage, I do not got this. I fell several times, but thankfully, only my ego was bruised.
Luis did a clean run but was more wobbly than he could have been. Unfortunately, this form was enough for him to claim this round.
Bullseye Bounce is like if your intrusive thoughts were a game you could play at an arcade. The setup is simple: you wear a velcro suit, hop on a trampoline, and launch your body at an inflatable wall made to stick to velcro. The trick here is to jump high, or at least that's what Luis kept yelling while I was desperately trying to just not fall off the trampoline.
My run was better than my last visit to Play Playground, but I am vertically maxed out at a lower level than Luis. I'm five foot four, and that's really only helpful for one thing- lying about being five foot five. I did land on the board with force, but that turned into an issue after I realized the velcro was REALLY stuck. I had to wiggle and kick myself off the board. It was not dignified at all.
And in the blue corner, we have Luis. Luis actually made it onto the scoreboard, and when he did, the attendant rang a bell to alert everyone to his win. It was a fun touch to the experience, even if the sounds of my loss rang through the entire venue. Luis takes this round as well.
For our final round, we went with the latest addition to Play Playground, Duck, Duck Boom! Duck, Duck Boom! is essentially a game from Wipeout, but you're allowed to be drunk before you make an attempt.
The arms start slow, with one arm at near eye level that you need to duck under, and one arm at shin level that you need to jump over. It's deceivingly easy and something completely normal to do.
It starts all giggles. Luis and I actually started drawing a crowd from passersby who were enchanted by our looping laughter. And then, about thirty seconds in, exhaustion kicks in.
Luis and I dodged, ducked, dipped, dove, and dodged through the arms as long as we could, but by the time I looked up to check out the competition, it was already too late.
Pretty soon we gave up. We laid down on the comforting inflatable ground and accepted defeat. It was so much fun it eclipsed the embarrassment of shamefully quitting.
Win or lose, you can guarantee to come up at the Play bar. Now through November 30, 2025, Play Playground is showcasing some of the most perfectly cozy autumnal cocktails on the strip. The Smashin' Pumpkin, for example, comes with an apple chip garnish. They also had Caramel Apple Jell-O Shots and a drink called the Not Your Mama's Blueberry Cobbler that comes with Teddy Grahams. I managed my loss by diving into a mocktail and enjoying one of the chocolate chip cookies from their kitchen. The sugar absolutely helps rebuilding your self-esteem after getting your ass handed to you in jumping games.
Play Playground is one of our favorite adult-sized arcades. You can plan your trip to the Playgrounds in Las Vegas or Nashville on their website. Passes start as low as $37 per person with packages available for longer play, more cocktails, and extended offerings of games.
Would you absolutely destroy us at Bullseye Bounce? Did our Duck, Duck Boom! performance put us to shame? Yell at us in the comments, but especially at Luis.
