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Still think its kind of stupid that they scrapped the whole viewing area plaza, sure the ride isn't themed but at least it would've made a nice vibe around the area but no

Fearless Valley, everyone

This might be controversial, but I have to say that I really don’t see the point of heavily promoting the “story” for Hyperia. If there was ever a ride where an in-depth backstory was pretty much redundant, I think this is it. The ride has next to no theming, and unlike many Merlin rides, it pretty much doesn’t appear to focus on theming or storytelling at all. If I were Thorpe, I’d be ditching any major focus on the theme or story in marketing and just going all in on the coaster itself. Just hammer home that silhouette of the layout and its giant elements and hammer home the records, with only the very vague “find your fearless” imagery present as an indication of the theme/style. To be fair, I think they’ve done that pretty well up to this point, but the marketing seems to have taken a bit of a weird turn in the last couple of days. Granted, I’m no marketing expert by any means, but the approach of the last couple of days is certainly not how I’d approach marketing Hyperia. The coaster itself is the key strength of this project, so why not play to your strengths? I fear that this sudden focus on the theme and “story” of Hyperia will only invite criticism regarding the very minimalistic nature of the actual ride theming. I’ve never objected to Hyperia being minimally themed. I think it’s par for the course for a coaster of this size; rides of this size speak for themselves, they’re very hard to theme heavily, and even parks known for heavy theming (e.g. Europa Park, PortAventura) have themed their hyper coasters very minimally. However, I think that if Thorpe want Hyperia to be a minimally themed ride that focuses solely on the coaster itself, I think they need to stick to that in the marketing. I think this “backstory” marketing sets people up for a heavily themed ride that doesn’t exist, and I fear that it will draw attention to the ride’s minimal theming and away from the massive coaster itself, the main strength of the project.

The video in all its glory... Video is fine enough, but I agree with the mish-mash of directions. That backstory fits a themed ride area. A mountainous-looking station, being a cave that Hyperia took refuge in, would be a start, for example. Thing is, there seems to be a lot of want online for a backstory and a theme. There seems to be a common opinion these days, especially with younger enthusiasts and more casual fans, that "theming + story = better", and so they are necessary for a good ride. Of course, those things are good, but they need to be done correctly and in a worthwhile manner. Feels like Thorpe saw it as a box to check, and came up with something. We'll see how it all comes together. I'm not against either approach (light on the theme and just make it look nice vs theme and story), but it feels like they've tried to get the best from both and risk not hitting either.

The original video not being in HD wasn't the problem. Come back DBGT animation all is forgiven.

They’ve re-uploaded it now It’s all a bit wtf. Feels like a real “doing your homework on the school bus” situation. Hopefully this disappears soon as honestly it cheapens the whole thing. They’ve made the decision not to theme the ride - I think just go with that. It’s too late to have this AI generated stuff tacked on, it really takes away from what they’ve built I think.

I did, can't believe they've deleted it already. They were getting stick because it was in portrait but evidently that's because it's meant for the queue line screens. Didn't go much on it, and felt it unnecessary to be honest but meh. I'm just gutted I missed AIGate as I was working.

Did anyone else catch the promo video that Thorpe have already deleted? Aside from it being excessively random (Swarm got some complaints for not being particularly focused on the coaster so they do it worse) it really feels like their marketing recently is all over the shop.

The station isn't even a problem, it's the horrendous queue line that is. It looks nasty, like a prison cell.

Shambhala is probably a semi decent example of what parks can do to have a decent level of themeing yet let the ride speak for itself. It's like a budget version of Icon's station here.

I think the lack of theming with Hyperia was always to be expected though, it’s rather difficult to theme something 236ft tall. However, that said, I do agree Thorpe could have done more with the stylising of the coaster, maybe some rock work or stand out theming pieces where the ride swoops close to the ground. We’ve had the debate about it being an old era Merlin project taken over by the new team before, and I think this has definitely had an impact on the theme. So it’s not entirely a complete reflection on the future of the park, but it also doesn’t pain a good impression on visitors; Thorpe’s newest coaster is a gold box with an incoherent theme about flying or something.

It looks so poor compared 😢

Hey does anyone have the Tidal Wave mix/es used to present day? There's one on YouTube but it's very short and I have no idea if it's still used so if anyone can send it over and/or can provide info, I'd be very grateful. Thank you! - Angel

bommmmm, strings! the, the, strings!

Looks like the new flat in Forbidden Valley is set to be a top spin! Buzzing about this. Flat rides are exactly what towers need right now and love a good Topspin. Such crowd pleasers off ride too. Fingers crossed its a Huss

bop bang bang we have done, as much as we can, but with no money, and no plan, we have to eat flan bop bang bang, bop bang bang

All well and good to say…. But it’s still the same people at Thorpe and MMM. I see that as more of an excuse, like the viewpoint lake being cut? Is that current or old Merlin?

The Burger King and toilets have been refurbed. All other Canada Creek buildings were demolished. I agree that there should be a wider, more cohesive, 'area', but everything has been touched.

Yet Thorpe have added that naff bit of LORE for whatever reason. Think if compared to Icon's station building the lack of themeing elements on this is far more noticeable in the wider context of the park. Was a good opportunity to tackle the area as a whole but seems to be mish-mashy as a lot of the old Canada Creek buildings haven't been touched? Unsure if anyone has documented as such.

Yes on the pre-season VIP tour with Russ, he said had the project been planned by “current” Merlin there would have been more theming.

Wasn’t there some mention a while ago that this project came about and was all agreed under “old Merlin”, so the theming etc was left at the time? I suppose a “retheme” is possible at some point later on. Because as has already been said they do seem to value theming everywhere else, and Merlin have even said recently that they are going with immersive attractions going forward. I do agree thigh that Hyperia doesn’t really need a strong theme at the moment. It would have been nice, but it’s ok. I hope going forward though they do stick with theming their rides

I personally think it’s a shame it’s not themed. The main appeal is obviously the size but just think back to when Colossus was built - the appeal then too was the size and the 10 loops, it could easily have been left with a tin shed station, a concrete pit etc a la Sik at Flamingoland. And same again for Stealth, its main selling point was the height and launch. The minimal 1950s American drag race theming elevates it from what could have been just a plonked generic white coaster. Hyperia will be standing for the next 30+ years, I think it’s a wasted opportunity to build something that looks so bland and generic (and possibly even ugly with its cigarette butt supports). Once the hype dies down, we’ll be left with an unthemed coaster into the 2050s in a park that clearly does value theming, as we’ve seen what they’ve added to Colossus and Stealth this year. Even the newly refurbished toilets this year are themed more than Hyperia! I just think it’s the long term vision for the park that has been let down with this project.

Hyperia doesn't need theming, or a story or anything like that. Granted, the station exterior isn't the best looking. And it will take a while for the landscaping to bed in and grow. And things like the queue line fencing (and queue design in general) are bland. But at the end of the day, this is a 236ft tall monster of a coaster. The 'Find your Fearless' tag suits. The atmosphere will be upbeat. That's all it needs. Would theming be nice and add to it? Yes. Does theming not being present take away from it? I don't think so. Do agree with Benin that they need to stick with a direction.

It would help if the park could settle on a themed/unthemed direction for more than a season mind.

Nah, just glad to have a massive ride there TBH. I can live without theming at Thorpe! I'd be perfectly happy if it was an amusement park