Black Mirror Labyrinth

[Stuntman707]

Just seen a picture that hints about what's inside;

Spoiler

Its a picture of a mirror maze with that girl from Matty's post (like a standard one at the Dungeons) You could say, a Black Mirror maze? 😂 

 

[Glitch]

1 hour ago, Coaster said:

I don't particularly like Alton Towers having every ride using ITHOTMK, I know it's an iconic theme associated with the park but it's not very creative.  It gives the rides/areas no identity and everything just blends into one IMO.  Alton don't even own that music!

 

It is in Colossus and Nemesis Inferno's IMAScore themes, and was played in the queues when I last visited (2019) from what I remember.

I Disagree.... long rain HOTMK

 

 

 

Side note, it's a shame that Alton Towers can't play this mix at 9:30 AM every morning before gates opening to get everyone to dance along too and hype everyone up for a day full of adventures.

 

It also works as excellent marketing, in the UK at least if you hear HOTMK what is the first thing you think of?

[JoshC.]

2 hours ago, Coaster said:

I don't particularly like Alton Towers having every ride using ITHOTMK, I know it's an iconic theme associated with the park but it's not very creative.  It gives the rides/areas no identity and everything just blends into one IMO.  Alton don't even own that music!

 

You see, I think it's the opposite - it's quite creative to be able to take a short snippet of audio, and blend it into different loops with different vibes. I'm not musician so don't know the ins and outs and it might be something incredibly boring and simple, but for me, it just works.

 

Of course, it has to be done rightly, and it does run the risk of becoming boring / repetitive, or just not really working. But I'm fine with it for now.

 

ITHOTMK is a weird one. Yes, Towers don't own it, but when people in the UK hear it, I'm sure lots of people associate it with Towers. 

 

2 hours ago, Coaster said:

 

It is in Colossus and Nemesis Inferno's IMAScore themes, and was played in the queues when I last visited (2019) from what I remember.

 

I honestly can't remember. But I guess, for me, that kind of solidifies the effectiveness of using that loop. I could mimic the 'island theme' in my head, and I could imagine what Colossus / Inferno variants of that would sound like. But I can't say with certainty if they actually occur. That's a good level of subtlety for me.

 

[JoshC.]

I feel like I'm just spamming at this point, but oh well:

 

https://www.facebook.com/thorpepark/posts/10159147696830867

 

She watches you when you're queueing

She knows when you're irate

She knows if you've booked a time slot

So book a slot for goodness sake!

[Mark9]

13 hours ago, Coaster said:

I don't particularly like Alton Towers having every ride using ITHOTMK, I know it's an iconic theme associated with the park but it's not very creative.  It gives the rides/areas no identity and everything just blends into one IMO.  Alton don't even own that music!

 

It is in Colossus and Nemesis Inferno's IMAScore themes, and was played in the queues when I last visited (2019) from what I remember.

 

I get the viewpoint, I just disagree with it completely. There's no way the Smiler and the Wicker Man soundtracks for example blend into one just because they use ITHOTMK briefly. I don't think there's an argument you could use to make me believe those two rides are bland with no identity. 

 

 I just quite like the use of the park theme in the attraction soundtracks. The island like no other theme is actually really nice to listen to in general and I weirdly prefer it in that Black Mirror snippet then the entrance one.

[Coaster]

16 hours ago, Mark9 said:

 

I get the viewpoint, I just disagree with it completely. There's no way the Smiler and the Wicker Man soundtracks for example blend into one just because they use ITHOTMK briefly. I don't think there's an argument you could use to make me believe those two rides are bland with no identity. 

 

 I just quite like the use of the park theme in the attraction soundtracks. The island like no other theme is actually really nice to listen to in general and I weirdly prefer it in that Black Mirror snippet then the entrance one.

I like the Smiler and Wicker Man soundtracks, and I didn't mind ITHOTMK being used on The Smiler - it's just that when it's on too many rides, in my opinion it becomes same-y.  Wicker Man's soundtrack would work better without it (and its own theme in its place), IMO.  That is of course subjective though as you've said.

 

In relation to ITHOTMK - I agree it has a unique feel about it as the park's overall theme but I'm just not a fan of themes being over-used.  Imagine if theme parks like Phantasialand (for example) used the same motif on every ride, it wouldn't have the same appeal where every ride/area has its own identity.

[JoshC.]

 

 

Is 'she' a Pokemon?

[Glitch]

Can't wait for all the positive reviews tomorrow glowing for the glorified mirror maze at the worry for getting pushed off the press event for the 2025 RMC press event. 

[Stuntman707]

It’s looking like a mirror maze but maybe with footage of you unwittingly picking your nose in the queue? 😅

[Mark9]

8 hours ago, Glitch said:

Can't wait for all the positive reviews tomorrow glowing for the glorified mirror maze at the worry for getting pushed off the press event for the 2025 RMC press event. 

 

I too hate it when people enjoy things.

[JoshC.]

Oooooh, I think I get the honour of writing the first full Black Mirror Labyrinth review online. What an exclusive!

 

I should start by giving a disclaimer: Yes, I attended a preview event which invites celebrities and influencers, and the intention of these events is for such people to share positive thoughts about the experience. If you want to see that stuff, check out TPM's social pages, and a review will be live on our website later.

What follows is a balanced reflection of my genuine thoughts of the experience. As always, whenever I attend these events, I try to give my feedback to staff/managers/creators too, good, bad, or ugly...

 

Slight spoilers follow.

 

---

 

"It's...interesting"

That was my immediate reaction. It doesn't sound very positive, but it's also not very negative either.

 

I guess a good way of describing it is a grown up Hocus Pocus Hall. And that's not a bad thing. It's a multi-route experience, with dead ends and multiple special effects. There is a mirror maze in there, yes, but that is just one part of the experience. Your name and face is used at a couple of points too.

 

The story is that the Labyrinth is an AI creation which has become self aware. It's stolen all its information about you, and now wants to 'delete' you. So the premise is original, but slightly Black Mirror in tone.

 

It's a fun experience with some quirky moments. We got lost a few times. We became disoriented. There were some moments which were a bit of a surprise. There's nothing special, but it all works and flows pretty nicely.

 

After having done the experience twice, though, I'm not clambering to do it again any time soon. That's just the nature of this experience - there's not enough multiple routes to keep it completely fresh each time, and it is kind of 'one and done'. That's not a bad thing really, as it is an enjoyable enough experience in its own right, but I don't think it's what Thorpe need right now.

 

Some assorted Q&As:

-Is it scary? No. And I wonder if that will lead to complaints with people expecting a FN like maze...

-What is batching like? You're batched in your household group exclusively. And it seems like it will be a group every 90 seconds.

-What would batching be like without Covid? It seems like there's space for 12 people per group normally. That would give a throughput of 480pph in theory. Bog standard for a Merlin maze really.

-What are Covid rules like? This is a weird one. You have to remove your mask whilst your photo is taken (this is for a special effect). And inside you naturally end up touching things as you find your way round, and you may come into close contact with people due to the non-linear route. I expect this may make some people feel uncomfortable. 

 

Some fun facts:

-Figment Productions have been involved with parts of the experience

-The experience was rethought and had extra money put into it last year, since they had extra time

-Though nowhere near as much was invested as in a new ride, a lot more was invested in this compared to a Fright Nights maze (about 7-10 times the budget of a maze I believe)

-There's a couple of little Easter eggs about (and some I probably missed)

 

There's a couple of photos on TPM's Facebook, I won't post them here because effort.

 

So all in all, the premise of the experience is interesting. As I say, it's not something I'm itching to get back to doing again, but it's a fun experience. It's another indoor experience for the park, which is needed, but ultimately it is very much a 'one..possibly two... and done' type thing, which is perhaps not what the park needed.

 

I'm very much worried about how this will cope with the crowds. It seems like an operational headache. However, given it's going to be Timed Tickets for a while, and it should be pretty reliable, hopefully it means physical wait times are minimal for now, if done right. So definitely worth giving it a crack when you're next on park.

[2542464]

Full walkthrough of the attraction below:

 

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZnipjEJ0XU

 

[pluk]

My first thoughts (from POV, I'm no VIP) is that if this sort of set up was used as the entrance and exit of X, with effects of comparable quality during the ride, that would make one complete, excellent attraction rather than two slightly lacking ones we now have.

[Glitch]

49 minutes ago, pluk said:

My first thoughts (from POV, I'm no VIP) is that if this sort of set up was used as the entrance and exit of X, with effects of comparable quality during the ride, that would make one complete, excellent attraction rather than two slightly lacking ones we now have.

That's a really good way of thinking, perhaps X themed to Black mirror would of been an excellent attraction.

Although I do hate X due to the size of the cards and 2 per train rules.

[RobF]

Bot of an own goal with the restraint changes to reduce the height restriction.... wait a second they did it to reduce the height restriction and .....

[Coaster]

I agree that if Thorpe really have to go down the IP route, a Black Mirror retheme to X would have worked much better, suited the ride more than Walking Dead and still kept it accessible to families (which, you know, is always a good idea for a family coaster!).

 

X with the lighting effects etc. would have worked well, IMO.

[Stuntman707]

Going to go try it out tomorrow. Trying not to watch too many spoilers but I don't have high expectations either. Agree X would have been great for a Black Mirror re-theme.

[Owen]

Been awhile since I posted here, It’s good to be back!

 

Just a quick one, I don’t know if anyone heading to Thorpe tomorrow would be able to get a nice clear photo of the Black Mirror QR code?

 

Bit concerned I’ll miss out on this due to having a 2PM MAP ticket, so this would be a huge help! 🙂

[MarkC]

Well. That was literally a Snapchat filter that lasts 10 minutes.

 

 

[Stuntman707]

Actually quite enjoyed Black Mirror today. Reminds me a lot like a modern funhouse. The layout changes which makes it very disorientating and the effects make it a great experience. I think it’s going to be a popular attraction even if it is a low budget addition. 

 

 

[Owen]

On 5/21/2021 at 10:33 AM, MarkC said:

Well. That was literally a Snapchat filter that lasts 10 minutes.

 

 

Thanks for this!

[coaster38]

On 5/21/2021 at 10:33 AM, MarkC said:

Well. That was literally a Snapchat filter that lasts 10 minutes.

 

 

Anyone have the Ghost Train one of these?

[Ali G]

Went through this today. My thoughts below.

 

had 2pm tickets and arrived on time, but didnt actually get in until 3pm. I loved the IMAscore soundtrack at first but it did get a bit repetitive after an hour.  It seems some fast track people were holding us up as they were batching a couple of people from the time ticket queue and letting walkups wander straight in. I'm assuming they were MAP holders.

Moaning done!

 

outside we were kind of given a very funny pre-show by one of the humanoids which made us all giggle - the actors outside are fantastic. 
 

Inside is done very well and its very different. I really liked the story and how it was told throughout the maze. It was confusing as hell as in the mirror section some walls move and some mirrors are just glass. We ran into several other groups so if you're a bit nervy around strangers you might not like it.  The special effects are pretty decent, the ending was fun, but my favourite part was the strobe hall. Completely blind in there - very disorientating and you are on edge waiting for something to jump at you.
 

I kind of agree this is a one maybe two run attraction but its certainly unique and worth a visit. I can see people having panic attacks in there as it messes with your sense of space and distance quite well. And its loud as hell inside. 
 

I’ll have another go in a couple of weeks and maybe leave it there!

 

 

[JoshC.]

On 5/26/2021 at 6:38 PM, Ali G said:

in the mirror section some walls move and some mirrors are just glass

 

It's interesting, I've seen this said a lot. However, I'm pretty certain that none of the walls move at all!

I could be mistaken, but I am very much under the impression that everything (aside from doors, obviously) are fixed. But since so many people are saying walls move, it shows how disorientating and well done the actual 'labyrinth' sections are.

[Ali G]

Had a second run through of this yesterday.

 

half the effects weren't working and they bailed on the finale as they door wouldn't close.

this meant more groups were just walking into the final room just to wait for the doors to open.