A bit mixed thoughts on this. The theming and engineering behind it is obviously incredible. But the restraint in conjunction with the layout just mad...
A bit mixed thoughts on this. The theming and engineering behind it is obviously incredible. But the restraint in conjunction with the layout just made it feel very uncomfortable.
I was given the back row (not by choice). I am quite small so the restraint didn't lock down that far so I didn't feel very snug (and it doesn't go further down during the ride like other coasters). I just felt like I was falling out for the whole ride (and not in a good way) and then the layout is so positive G heavy on your chest that it made it really not very comfortable and not very re-rideable. The trains are so ridiculously long that I imagine it must give very different forces depending on where you sit but I didn't get a ride nearer the front.
I rode it 3 times over two days. I would say that Europa Park have knocked it out of the park with this coaster. They now have the 'extreme' coaster t...
I rode it 3 times over two days. I would say that Europa Park have knocked it out of the park with this coaster. They now have the 'extreme' coaster that was slightly missing from their coaster line up.
The coaster is quite overwhelming from a sensory perspective right from when you enter the main room. The extended queue and the courtyard queue is a bit of a cattle pen in places but they have done well to make it a bit more of a maze with enough interesting props to keep it interesting. The queue does move pretty quickly although moves in waves due the way that they batch people through to the area with the lockers.
As for the ride, the layout and pacing is just relentless and includes every possible force - airtime (floater and ejector, straight, twisty, sideways), crazy hangtime, punchy launches including the vertical one which is a really cool sensation, some cheeky wild mouse laterals in the hop up to the tower brake run and strong positives especially at the end. My favourite parts were the hangtime moments during the first launch/inversion and the stall. The stall is quite different to the one on Zadra, it goes up and down quite sharply and really does stall which makes you feel like you are going to fall out (whereas the one on Zadra you carry loads of speed and don't really notice that you are upside down). The turnaround section felt needed in my opinion to give you a break but didn't detract from the flow of the ride in my opinion.
My one criticism of the layout is that maybe it is a bit too 'much' in places. Particularly the first half with the two immelmans and dive loop (I can understand why they used those elements though given the shape of the plot of land) and also some of the speed hops/double ups and roll/drops instead of normal curved drops. Parts of it do feel quite influenced by The Smiler (although it does have much more variety of forces overall). If it was me I would probably have taken out and smoothed one or two of the elements slightly just to give a slight break from the relentlessness.
Which brings me on to saying that I see intensity as both a positive and a negative thing for this time. The ride had very tight transitions which is great for potential installations because it can fit in a small footprint but also means that a lot of the transitions are quite aggressive just by design. I had a slight headache after each of my rides which was mainly due to the intensity and length of the ride. I had no urge to run round and re-ride it immediately. I wonder if re-rideability will be a factor for the ride's popularity over the longer term. They again, most guests probably only ride it once in a day so maybe not so much of an issue.
As for the 'rattle', It's not quite as smooth as Blue Fire but I definitely didn't experience that I would describe as an excessive rattle (all rides were on right wing seat, rows 2 and 3). If I had not been keeping updated on the ride I probably wouldn't have even thought about mentioning a 'rattle' in my review. It is just intense because of the nature of the short train design and tight elements.
So overall, it is quite an intense experience that combines the best bits of The Smiler and Toutatis and then adds to it. Still probably doesn't beat Zadra for me just because of the re-rideability and fact that it doesn't have a proper drop. But it isn't a million miles off.
This ride is way overhated and is nowhere near as rough as people make out. I think it has become one of those coasters that has become 'cool' to hate...
This ride is way overhated and is nowhere near as rough as people make out. I think it has become one of those coasters that has become 'cool' to hate.
For a ride from 1989 it was way ahead of its time. The main positives for me were:
- The layout is amazing. The first 5 inversions flow brilliantly into each other and the positive Gs are really strong but in a fun way. The corkscrews are also a bit different to typical Vekoma/Arrow corkscrews, there is a bit of pump and surge through them which can give some cool hangtime depending on where you are sat in the train.
- For the most part the train ran smoothly over the rails. Yes there are a couple of slightly janky transitions but they are not that bad and are very brief moments. There were a few spots retracked several years ago I believe. Tbh I am not sure that retracking the whole thing would make that much difference, new trains would probably be a more significant upgrade.
- The trains have padded headrests which are comfortable. Just rest your head against the headrest and you should experience zero headbanging.
Only negatives I would say are:
- The trains are a bit cramped if you are tall (especially the front of the front car which curves in in the footwell).
- No negative Gs at all and the shallowness of the first drop feels a bit of a wasted opportunity given the height. But then again, back in the 80s there were not that many coasters with steep drops.
If you want to experience a truly rough ride, go and ride Tonnerre 2 Zeus just next door to it, that ride gives the full jackhammer experience..
