coasterverse

I also visited press night this year - will probably make a video on it at some point but just need a place to yap to compose my thoughts so feel like this is a great place to do so. Rebel Ball It's... fine? Very awkward, but fine. Events are really the magnum opus of Launchpad and Fright Nights has definitely given it some much needed purpose. It's nice to have a bit of a central hub for Fright Nights and Launchpad works quite well for it. The stage should be a permanent thing year-round as well imo as it really does transform that space, but that's a whole other conversation. Lucifer's Lair Now this feels very, very awkward this year. Perhaps it would've worked better at Launchpad and kinda had it revolving between the dance shows at certain points of the day? No stage setup, no real prescence - and especially during the press event where Ghost Train was closed, it felt very dark and almost out of place? No fire, no real lighting or anything from what I can remember. It kinda just feels like having roaming actors based around the food vendors rather than a scarezone. I think Thorpe could've done away with this this year to be completely honest. If it's planned to be the same scenario again in 2027, it's better to just can it imo. The Crows I've seen a lot of mixed opinions on this, but think its new space is really nice. It's really well themed, but obviously much smaller than the old site where Tenement is for this year. From a money making standpoint of course it makes sense for The Crows to be downscaled in place of an upcharge attraction - I really can't fault Thorpe for that. The Crows are still as impactful as ever and they've definitely made the most of the space under Inferno - much moreso than Deaths Doors ever did. As disappointing as it is on a whole to have one of the strongest things in recent years at Fright Nights be downscaled like this (I still think The Crows need a proper maze), I'm just glad that they've returned again this year and I really hope they continue to return indefinitely. Purgatory Town Again, this feels pretty awkward. It's nice to have an open scarezone for free interaction with scare actors, but this year compared to last year you can really tell that cuts have been made. Last year there was various bits of theming scattered throughout Big Easy Boulevard... this year, not so much. I get a lot of the theming last year was moreso to do with IT 4D (which obviously hasn't returned for this year's event, so makes sense to no longer have the Derry theming in BEB), but none of the theming has been updated to be in keeping with the new Conjuring 4D experience this year even. Something as simple as low-laying fog on the ground and a few hay bales would transform this area entirely. Trailers Really, really needs to go. I was a fan of Trailers in its first year, but became real stale real quick. No amount of new scenes will fix the real issue with this maze - the size. It's quite a big footprint, but even so, they're trying to pack waaaaaaay too much into it. You can take in the whole room in each scene the second you step into it, therefore you can easily see where the actors will lurk and jump out at you which makes this maze not even remotely scary. I don't think I jumped a single time this year, despite the actors best efforts. The new scenes stick out like a sore thumb too, because all the old scenes look really bloody tired. If you're going to add new scenes into the maze, spruce up the old ones too. A lick of paint here, a few bits of prop rejigging there. By all means keep the scenes the same if you really have to, but at least move things around to keep things interesting for returning guests. The weakest maze at this year's event - and not even just by a little bit either. Stitches Still pretty good, but missing a few elements this year by the looks of things. On my runthrough at least, the curtains were closed where the old bungee actor was - and there was a distinct lack of smoke/haze throughout the attraction. I say it every time, but it's more of an eerie maze for me personally rather than an overly scary one. A good maze, but not one that I would be particularly interested in queuing any significant amount of time for. Survival Games The second year of the linear version of the maze as opposed to the freeflow maze when it first debuted. Last year Survival Games felt super sloppy and disjointed - lots of the freeflow parts of the maze were still strewn around so it was easy to get lost and accidentally skip parts of the linear maze. This year it feels like it's been tightened a hell of a lot. I didn't get lost once, and the actors inside there are still not opposed to getting hands on whenever the opportunity arises. A bit of an unpopular opinion from me I think, but I personally prefer the medical storyline of new-era SG than I did the social media platform. The social media storyline was hideously cringe and a blatant Hunger Games ripoff, whereas the new version is a lot more typically horror maze themed. Granted, swapping out something unique for something generic is usually a bad thing, but I think it works in their favour in this particular case. I do think Survival Games is nearing the end of its life now though - again, it's a massive space that unfortunately is quite underutilised in this version of the maze. As a freeflow maze it was fine, but does a linear maze really need a space this big? Especially when for the most part the theming inside of there is quite sparce. If it wasn't for the actors making this experience much more intense, it would probably be even weaker than Trailers. Plus it's also a shame to have the cages and splitting up of your group being removed - that was the highlight of Survival Games for me when I first experienced it. Deadbeat Ugh. I feel like I'm in the minority here when I say that I just do not like Deadbeat at all. It's a unique concept and the theming and scale of some of the rooms are impressive, but that's about where my compliments end for this one. Most of the rooms feel like copy-paste duplicates of other rooms previous, and the story is super tenuous. I don't know if Fright Nights have some sort of ban on actors using bungee cords this year, but the crawling actor on the ceiling also wasn't there in my runthrough which was disappointing, because again that was one of the best bits of the maze in previous years. Unfortunately as one of the newest mazes at the park I'm sure it'll continue to appear for at least another 3/4 years, but I wouldn't be opposed to it going entirely. Not a fan of this one whatsoever. Tenement Really, really bloody good. Packed with really cool illusions and effects and the usage of the torches and how they flicker and turn off at various points in the experience is really cool as well. Using audio and lighting triggers (very Halloween Horror Nights influenced, I see you Thorpe Park!!) as opposed to actors adlibbing their lines in this maze is really sweet to see as well and is really well done. The actors weren't 100% on the ball with the lines/timing on my runthroughs... but obviously this was at press night and before the event even began, so I'm certain as the event progresses this will no longer be an issue. I'd imagine the actors are kind of learning on the job with this one rather than being able to fully rehearse it in sufficient time. The exterior absolutely suuuuuuucks though, don't get me wrong. An attempt was made to theme the outside with a scrim, but to be honest it looks really tacky and I think I would've just preferred nothing at all rather than a half-assed inbetween thing. Maybe they're working on a better exterior like the one utilised over at Stitches to be implemented later on in the event - but even if not for this year, I hope we see something like that for next year's event when it inevitably returns. If there's still no proper exterior this time next year, it's just blatant laziness. It's a technologically ambitious effort from Thorpe Park and inevitably had its fair share of hiccups on the leadup to the event as a result, so I'd imagine no time was left to construct a better looking exterior (or to put a ceiling inside of the maze - being able to look up and see the roof of the tent is kinda immersion breaking too). But thankfully what it lacks in exterior theming and a lack of ceiling inside, it makes up for with its great effects, illusions and scares. By far the strongest maze at Thorpe Park (and probably my favourite maze I've ever done at the park!) and I think has significantly better staying power than mazes like Trailers where its age has clearly gotten the better of it. I didn't get a chance to experience the new Creature Campus show or Conjuring 4D experience so far this year, but hopefully I find some time to check it out as some point this season. With the new ents company fully taking over Fright Nights this year, you can really tell which areas feel lacking compared to others. Some areas are really high quality and some areas are the total opposite - opposed to previous years at Fright Nights where everything was sort of just 'alright'. A pretty good event on the whole, but certainly a lot of questionable decisions were made this year where the park kinda just threw everything into the pot when in reality some cuts probably should've been made (such as Lucifer's Lair) and reinvested elsewhere. Sometimes less is more, and I would much rather have not as many attractions but have them all be high quality and actually adding something to the event, rather than a few heavy hitters with some totally mediocre things thrown into the mix.

I went on the behind the scenes tour a couple years back and allegedly Thorpe never wanted the fake shop in the retheme because the illusion was already done in the previous iteration, but the guys in charge of the refurb wanted to keep it - so that's what ended up happening. Kept the ending to appease the creatives for the first year (or two I can't remember how long it lasted for) before being removed once it was out of the limelight as the park's newest attraction. I've seen videos of them testing it in the morning, mind you... so never say never. Personally I'd like them to add a new ending to the attraction - because as much as the 'say it, see it, sorted' ending is brilliant - I feel as though it does need one final scare. I thought one final jumpscare after a bit of comedic relief was brilliant because the guests guards were totally let down at that point, but I would be very very surprised if we saw any additions or changes to this attraction before it goes forever. I was pretty certain we wouldn't see Ghost Train come back again this year (tbf I say that every year... unfortunately I do think its on borrowed time at this point), but with Rumba closing and no replacement attraction in the pipeline for the foreseeable future by the looks of things, I think it's pretty safe for now. Once the Rumba replacement is open though, I definitely do think Ghost Train will be the plot of land Thorpe will be eyeing up next. Thorpe - just don't build a coaster there please. I know it's daunting, but give a dark ride another crack when the time comes - I beg. Learn from your mistakes and go for something more traditional this time.

As tends to be the case most years as theme park enthusiasts always tend to don their detective caps in closed-season boredom, there's rumba-lings that Rumba Rapids may be on its way out this year. As I said, this rumour always tends to circle back around every year but to be fair it doesn't look like much has happened over there this closed season, with the boats allegedly still sitting deconstructed along the Monks Walk access road. Although the ride itself is pretty dire nowadays and I wouldn't batter an eyelid at seeing it removed, it will be bittersweet in a way that water rides in this country seem to be a dying breed now. I used to love water rides and especially rapids rides as a kid, and now to see parks getting rid of their water rides mostly due to the influx of red tape to keep them operating and as a result the running costs being higher than they've ever been, I can totally understand why the parks are putting them on the chopping block - especially with the looming threat of Universal opening in a mere 5 years time, I'm sure the parks will be looking at investing at breakneck speed to ensure they can compete. The question, however, remains as to what to do with that land - and I really hope that if the rumours are true (they're probably not, let's be real), that the park already has some idea as to what they want to do with it to get the plans in motion to get started with as soon as the closure is announced. I hate nothing more than seeing rides SBNO and left to rot - and I hate it even moreso at a smaller park like Thorpe. I know a lot of people would probably say they would prefer a new coaster where Rumba is - and another new coaster behind Swarm Island in a few years time - but personally I'd love for them to utilise both at the same time. Not to open two coasters at the same time, but to finally push the boat out and have one long, drawn out coaster spanning across the two areas. Understandably cashflow issues are probably the biggest hinderance here, but again with Universal now only just round the corner really - taking the plunge into a big coaster would probably be a good shout. I'm pretty vocal about how I think an RMC is the best fit for the park (and I stand by that), but let's be real - it's very unlikely. New attractions at Thorpe haven't exactly been the biggest success in recent years (DBGT being a large commercial failure, Black Mirror being a low-budget maze that nobody really cared about, Hyperia's extended downtime from day 2 and its plethora of valleys), and taking the plunge with another manufacturer who the people in ties at Merlin corporate may consider to be inexperienced would be a massive gamble and in their eyes yet another potential commercial failure if things go wrong. An RMC would be great for the general public and enthusiasts alike, but would mostly just be seen as fan service for all the enthusiasts asking for one over the years. What's more likely I think is an Intamin multilaunch. A fast, drawn out Taron-style coaster would also be bloody brilliant for Thorpe. Yes, they've already got their launch coaster with Stealth, but let's be real (as much as I hate to admit it) hydraulic launch coasters aren't going to be around for much longer and as a result the park needs to start preparing for what to do when that time comes. I'm not saying this coaster should be Stealth's immediate replacement - because I think it still has the legs to be around for a fair whack longer at the moment - but if the park don't already have a launched coaster replacement for when the time comes, Stealth's lack of presence at the park will be felt massively. I also really wouldn't mind if Rumba got scrapped and a coaster didn't replace it at all - I've always said that I found it insane that the best water ride in the country is in the arse end of Blackpool. A 9+ hour roundtrip for me - so is therefore one that costs me a fortune in fuel and a hotel stay (in a town that in all honesty I would rather get away from as quickly as possible and not have to stay overnight in). If we could get an indoor water ride to the kind of level of insanity as Valhalla down south, I would forever be in debt to the Thorpe overlords. That would then keep the plot of land used to previously occupy a water ride... occupying a water ride... and could then therefore keep the island behind The Swarm free for a new coaster as has been rumoured for like 13 years at this point. I'm getting a little carried away here, but the bottom line is that whether or not Rumba returns this year - its time is well and truly up. Other than using it as a place to rest my legs on a warm summers day at the park, getting sent around multiple times without getting off because there's no queue... it's just a big, slow, boring, expensive waste of space. They could spend money trying to do it up to make it more interesting, but that would only be polishing a turd at this point. I truly do hope that Rumba is next on the chopping block.

Wouldn't even remotely be surprised if this was the outcome (even as potentially one of Ghost Train's very few genuine fans) - I think its days were numbered when they stopped running the fakeout finale and just chucked ride staff in front of it to guide guests in the other direction instead of bringing it back or at the very least redecorating the fakeout finale room to be something different so that the original exit route is retained even if the fakeout was cut. I said at the start of the season that I reckon Ghost Train had maybe 2 seasons left in it at most. I will genuinely be sad to see it go - but even more so if it goes without a plan for its future. It may be a bad attraction on paper, but I'd rather take something rather than nothing any day of the week. I just hope that whatever comes next isn't a demolishment of the building and another coaster built there. Thorpe are crying out for a good dark ride - I love the Ghost Train building and is definitely sizeable enough to fit something else in there - the only issue would be getting the motion platform out and the new ride system in. There's many more much more appropriate locations for a new coaster when the time comes. For the love of Christ keep it as a dark ride, but do it more traditionally this time. I'd love to have seen how DBGT could've gone if it weren't for the VR gimmick and Derren had been given full creative control...

I was actually thinking just the other day if Hyperia had a different post-breakdown ritual, becuase come to think of it I don't think I've ever (or if I have, it's probably literally only been one train) seen empty trains go round the track after a breakdown. The question of how Thorpe could fix the reliability issue is one that really interests me - LSMs where the trim brackets are is the most obvious answer to me, but I'm not sure how possible that would be to retrofit LSMs into a bracket not intended for LSMs and that's not even taking into consideration the fact that the trains probably aren't capable of utilising LSMs, which would mean yet ANOTHER retrofit which would likely cause a whole other stream of problems. Realistically, shortening the height of the outerbank inversion thing is probably easiest and would have the least amount of moving parts... but also can't really see the park opting for this either. I just reckon it will continue to be operated the way it is at the minute pretty much indefinitely - it's a pain in the arse, but at least it somewhat gets the job done without costing the park any extra money.

I wonder if we'll see a return of the gift shop this season... I'm not holding out hope.

I was at a Ghost Train behind the scenes tour last Tuesday with the initial presentation taking place in the hospitality tent thing - Fright Nights rehearsals were taking place next door and they were definitely rehearsing to the Big Top theme which I believe is used in the Big Top room in Trailers, so that seems to suggest it'll return this year. Hoping that the scenes that remain inside Trailers are modified in some way too - Trailers was really showing signs of aging last year and was looking really, really exhausted.

Best part of Oktoberfest at Thorpe for me has always been the ride audio overlays and the Oktoberfest Thorpe theme (which we have now lost). A real shame because one of my first ever Thorpe trips (I'm a newbie in comparison to lots of others here) was during Oktoberfest and I bloody loved it and would even go as far as saying it was my favourite event. Little to no crowds, catchy soundtrack, beer... what's not to love?! I'm going to the park tomorrow to experience it, but judging by here and social media it is a shame to see that they have lost their touch with Oktoberfest this year. I wouldn't be opposed to bringing back the old Oktoberfest theme... we all know how much Thorpe love a 'nod to the past'!

this project has turned out to be one questionable decision after the other to be honest - don't get me wrong - I absolutely cannot wait to ride - but everything from the station building, planned landscaping, lack of a viewing platform, queueline etc has been pretty disapponting thus far. I also personally find thorpe's generous (putting that lightly) overuse of the gold colour super tacky. if it was used as a highlight colour against a black station, it would look so much more elegant. also a little confused by the black and gold colourscheme of the station, queue etc but the actual coaster itself is white and gold? wouldn't a white and gold station have fit the aesthetic better than a black and gold one..?

Yeah that's definitely a stylistic choice, I personally don't mind it... well, as much as somebody who still doesn't really like the new logo can 'not mind' something. The new logo has definitely grown on me though, my opinion of it now is 'it's okay'. I still think the old one suited the tone of the park better and they'd have been better off keeping the infinity rings but just changing the comic sans logo, but alas the new Dafont logo is seemingly here to stay!

Would be a different scenario if they were designed to get riders wet, but we know in all likelihood the water won't as much as graze the riders. Can't help but feel like Thorpe have made a lot of questionable decisions throughout this build process - but ultimately, as long as it rides nicely I'm happy enough.

Don't suppose anybody knows if Rocky Express is coming back, do they?

Really, REALLY silly decision in my opinion. Likely been cut because of time (and possibly budget, considering they weren't originally planning on rebuilding the shop from the ground up - so that must've been a bit of a spanner in the works), but it really would've made the area something special. People were vocal about a lack of supporting ride in the area, but I always dismissed it as I thought the viewing area would've compensated for it nicely - something extra to do, and something nice for those that aren't wanting to ride but wanting to keep an eye out for their friends/family etc. The area isn't going to look bare with a massive 236ft rollercoaster in it by any means, but it certainly isn't going to be the majestic, elegant land that was initially proposed in the plans now. Bitterly disappointed by this decision, I'm not gonna lie.

I was just about to point this out - the park have said they're no longer doing themed lands... yet in the same breath announced angry birds land is changing to big easy boulevard?! breaking away from themed lands is pointless in my opinion anyway, especially if you're going to continue grouping rides together that used to be in said themed lands! why does big easy boulevard get the privillege of being the only official themed land?!

I dunno, providing that the trackwork is able to be completed by the end of this month as planned, two months of testing & training is entirely doable. The unforeseen weather delays are absolutely still a factor though - so although they mentioned that it's PLANNED for opening, that doesn't necessarily mean it will. I personally can't see it being ready for opening, but I very much feel like the park want it to be ready for opening and are doing everything they can in their power to ensure it stays on track. (It also says everything we are about to reveal is currently planned for March 2024 😉)