Hex

[Mega-Lite]

Hex appreciation time!

 

From my glorious trip through this fantastic attraction 2 days ago, I believe some subtle tweaks have taken place during the closed season.

 

The interior queue is no longer as bright as it was just after the refurb, it's now much darker and holy crap does it give me the chills.

 

The audio in the cinema portion is no longer distorted and sounds fantastic.

 

Audio in the octagon is the loudest I've ever heard it and the volume of the lightning strikes made me jump, beautiful stuff.

 

Hex is just so damn good and it never fails to put a smile on my face.

[JoshuaA]

I do have to say it was top form on my last visit- overall my second favorite dark ride in the UK behind Vahalla.

[that.girl.soph]

Just a quick question... Recently I came to Towers for the 4th time and had my 3rd ride on hex. I understand how the ride works, the storyline doesn’t scare me and I just find the whole experience hilarious (not sure why - I’m strange). The thing I don’t understand however is that every time I’ve been on it, I’ve cried. Granted, the first time was probably frightening as I was only 11 but I’m now older and it doesn’t scare me in the slightest. I’m just confused as to how it sets off tears... Does anyone have any answers? 

[Han30]

You were a tree in a past life ?

[that.girl.soph]

Just now, Han30 said:

You were a tree in a past life ?

Nah, a pigeon that was killed by a tree - get it right??

[pluk]

Because it is a thing of such joyous beauty it just sets you off? It's a problem I have too.

 

[Coaster]

Going on quite a few madhouses recently and then back on Hex yesterday reminded me how amazing this ride is.  It's the best of its type by a country mile; the atmosphere, story and soundtrack really make it.

 

They seem to have solved the audio issues in the vault, it sounded amazing and at the perfect volume.  All other effects seemed to be working minus the mist.

 

People's reactions on the ride yesterday was a magical moment, everyone seemed so amazed; it really is themed entertainment at its best.  It's perfect in that it has such a broad appeal and proves that fantastic and unique ideas are what lasts.

 

Absolutely the best dark ride in the UK currently and the last remaining part of "the magic" at Alton.  Incredible.

 

[Mark9]

49 minutes ago, Coaster said:

Going on quite a few madhouses recently and then back on Hex yesterday reminded me how amazing this ride is.  It's the best of its type by a country mile; the atmosphere, story and soundtrack really make it.

 

They seem to have solved the audio issues in the vault, it sounded amazing and at the perfect volume.  All other effects seemed to be working minus the mist.

 

People's reactions on the ride yesterday was a magical moment, everyone seemed so amazed; it really is themed entertainment at its best.  It's perfect in that it has such a broad appeal and proves that fantastic and unique ideas are what lasts.

 

Absolutely the best dark ride in the UK currently and the last remaining part of "the magic" at Alton.  Incredible.

 

 

Agreed, it is a lightening in a bottle ride and is just utterly theatrical and fantastic from start to finish.

[JoshuaA]

Yeah I think if Valhalla is still in the mess it was last year then Hex easily is the best dark ride in the UK.

I think Alton struck gold with Hex, using the parks history and location to build tension for a Vekoma Madhouse just works so well.

The ride to this day still makes me shiver due to its eerie atmosphere (especially in the pre-shows)

 

Alton is by far my favorite Merlin Park at the moment, I feel like Alton is very clearly the crown jewel in Merlin's UK lineup.

But to be fair when its competition is.. Its not saying much (bar the dungeons, stuff them)

 

[MattyMoo]

Always make sure I ride Hex... Love it. Even though I think I understand how it works, it still confuses me and disorientates me so much when I ride. Cracking dark ride, and love the flow of the pre shows too. 

[yeah]

I dont really have much to add, other than the fact I just did Hex for the first time and... oh my god. Its incredible. The theming in there is unlike anything Ive ever seen, I dont know where to start.

 

We even went on a second time, in which the whole group on our side walked straight through the vault and didnt experience the madhouse itself. One of the funniest things Ive ever seen at a theme park.

[SteveJ]

1 hour ago, ChessingtonSam said:

We even went on a second time, in which the whole group on our side walked straight through the vault and didnt experience the madhouse itself. One of the funniest things Ive ever seen at a theme park.

Wot. The doors on the other side are meant to be shut. That's very funny, how could you not realise you were meant to sit down haha

[Mark9]

2 hours ago, ChessingtonSam said:

I dont really have much to add, other than the fact I just did Hex for the first time and... oh my god. Its incredible. The theming in there is unlike anything Ive ever seen, I dont know where to start.

 

We even went on a second time, in which the whole group on our side walked straight through the vault and didnt experience the madhouse itself. One of the funniest things Ive ever seen at a theme park.

 

Hex is the best themed attraction in the UK, maybe even Europe. It's high praise I suppose, I just don't think many rides give the chills and immersion that Hex provides.

[yeah]

We went on a third time, and, well. It was definitely the most bizzare experience I've ever had at a theme park. The gondola began to tilt forward during the announcements, before correcting itself abruptly with a bump right as the show started. We then sat still for a bit while the show continued, meaning by the end the ride was so out of sync the finale happened under our feet, and we swang about complete darkness for a while. Everyone who had been on before was confused, everyone who hadn't even more so.

 

Staff didn't even acknowledge it. "Whoops... if we pretend it didn't happen nobody will notice"

[SteveJ]

Hex is a great attraction, I love it. It's a brilliant exhibition of the ruins, it gets it just right and leaves a great impression. But it's really very basic, some props in the Towers ruins with a tried-and-tested ride type as a finale. I'm not wanting to downplay Hex, it's perfect, but I find it a bit overblown whenever fans say it's one of the best themed attractions in the continent.

Definitely the best themed madhouse. I think its atmosphere is the best thing about it (because of the Towers). But there are way more detailed, creative, well crafted, entertaining (whichever way you want to cut it) dark rides out there on their own merits. Not necessarily bigger or more flash.

I think enthusiasts put it on such a high pedestal because most great dark rides in Europe are for families. Hex has a more serious tone because of its incredible real life setting and enthusiasts like this. I first did Hex when I was young and I thought it was great, it was much better when it was newer too (some of the subtleties lost in recent years). But that's mostly owed to the incredible Towers I feel. It's a shame to overlook the incredible craft and creativity that's gone into better dark rides out there at parks like Efteling for example.

By the way, dont let me rain on your parade @ChessingtonSam , since you've just done it first time. It really is great. I'm more talking about the pedestal it gets put on by many enthusiasts in the UK.

[JoshuaA]

I wouldn't say Hex is the best dark ride ever built but I think its the perfect antithesis to something like Derren Brown.

When broken down Hex is a very simple attraction, though it is highly effective and highly immersive (more so than the Ghost Train could ever be)..

Hex is so eerie I sometimes find the attraction scarier than some mazes, its crazy how the right location matched with simple effects and theming can create such a tense atmosphere..

[Mark9]

9 hours ago, Wumbamillio said:

Hex is a great attraction, I love it. It's a brilliant exhibition of the ruins, it gets it just right and leaves a great impression. But it's really very basic, some props in the Towers ruins with a tried-and-tested ride type as a finale. I'm not wanting to downplay Hex, it's perfect, but I find it a bit overblown whenever fans say it's one of the best themed attractions in the continent.

Definitely the best themed madhouse. I think its atmosphere is the best thing about it (because of the Towers). But there are way more detailed, creative, well crafted, entertaining (whichever way you want to cut it) dark rides out there on their own merits. Not necessarily bigger or more flash.

I think enthusiasts put it on such a high pedestal because most great dark rides in Europe are for families. Hex has a more serious tone because of its incredible real life setting and enthusiasts like this. I first did Hex when I was young and I thought it was great, it was much better when it was newer too (some of the subtleties lost in recent years). But that's mostly owed to the incredible Towers I feel. It's a shame to overlook the incredible craft and creativity that's gone into better dark rides out there at parks like Efteling for example.

By the way, dont let me rain on your parade @ChessingtonSam , since you've just done it first time. It really is great. I'm more talking about the pedestal it gets put on by many enthusiasts in the UK.

 

I put it on a high pedestal because I think its an awesomely themed attraction and find it incredibly enjoyable. Nothing to do with the incredible craftsmanship of a ride like Dreamflight or Huntik, it's just because I think Hex is a seamless, immersive attraction and one of the few rides in the UK to hit its brief with a bullseye.

[Matt 236]

I think Hex is honestly a masterpiece and easily my favourite madhouse attraction.

 

From The eerie entrance and atmosphere in the queue, authentic towers buildings, the narrative, the soundtrack, effects and everything between. It may not be the most complex of attractions but it is the simplicity packaged so perfectly together that what makes it for me. 

 

Whilst I wouldn’t say it is the most re-rideable attraction out there, it’s definitely an enjoyable one.

 

I still remember my first go on the attraction in 2012. The attraction made me feel mesmerised by everything.

[Marhelorpe]

There have been some whispers lately that apparently Hex has received actors inside the show rooms this summer and I can now confirm this is indeed the case after trying the ride today. But rather than enhance the experience, in my view, this change has bastardised the ride instead.

 

Now, I realise in the past this ride has had actors in the show buildings so this is not a new concept, but the way the actor interacted with the guests was honestly shameful to what the intention and design of this attraction was intended for. Here’s how it went:

 

The cinema room remains the same and everything up until that point was as it typically is, but as soon as the doors opened into the Octagon room, there was an actor with a torch in his hands shining at us telling us to “move along and follow me” obnoxiously loudly. We did so and once we gathered in the room near the TV screens, he started babbling lines about welcoming us to this historic site and that we should be observing all the artefacts around us before the screens started. He even injected some humour into the mix trying not to confuse his co-worker Boris for the PM... (*golf clap*)

 

But anyway, once the video finished and the equipment was malfunctioning, he proceeded to begin shouting “Stay calm ladies and gents! Remain where you are! It’s only a temporary glitch...”. From this point where the strobe lights occurred, he just aimlessly started flashing his torch in our faces, pointing the light randomly with an OTT reaction coupled with screams in sync to the effects used, almost as if this scene is meant to be funny, like a Dungeon scene.

 

Once it all ended, he shouted again at us to proceed up the stairs flashing his light all across the room. At this point I thought ‘okay, now that’s over, we won’t see him again. Right?’

 

Errrrm no...

 

As we walked up to the vault doors, he then followed us and started talking loudly again saying “You enjoying the tour so far?” with more humorous lines added in such as “We don’t have vault manuals” when there was a delay boarding.

 

Finally, we took our seats and this was the cream of the crop for me. He once again started shouting loudly at everyone telling them to take our seats (talking over the pre-recorded message inside the vault) and once the bars lowered, he stood near the entrance doors shining the torch in his face, and then gave us all a menacing look saying “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the vault, enjoy!” and then walked out with an evil laugh just before the ride began, with the whole room laughing too... and then the rest follows through until the end of the experience. I was just sitting there thinking “the heck?!” the whole time.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am perfectly fine with actors having a bit of fun with guests and injecting humour into the mix, as in a lot of cases, it works pretty well - The Dungeons being a good example. But Hex is not meant to be humorous, loud or obnoxious one bit and this change has completely devalued the ride experience in my view.

 

Gone is the quiet, eerie atmosphere inside; gone is the feeling of isolation as you explore the ruins; gone is the feeling of tension; gone (for now) is the ride I love. Instead, we now have a spare actor left behind from Sub Terra/Ghost Train who has learnt how to combine his shouting skills with the accent of an Alton Towers Dungeon performer, who then proceeds to overlay that in three different scenes, eliminating any atmosphere the ride used to have.

 

Nothing against the actor personally, I just feel this is a very bad move by the park and hope the change is gone as soon as possible.

[Ringo]

I wonder if the added actor is to delay your arrival to vault? Are they having issues with the ride again which is causing a delay and instead of having guests waiting at the doors they are playing on it so you don’t realise there is an issue?

[SteveJ]

Sounds absolutely horrendous and worse than I heard before.

This kind of thing often happens whenever new rides managers come in and think they're being creative geniuses and following the footsteps of Walt Disney by adding in rubbish like this where it doesnt need to be.

If it started because of people not following into the vault quick enough then that never used to be a problem in the past. If I remember the spotlight on the vault curtain stopped working and then presumably removed during the Hex TLC thing.
 

2 hours ago, Marhelorpe said:

Now, I realise in the past this ride has had actors in the show buildings so this is not a new concept

Hex has never had actors before, there were some rumours that it used to when it opened but this was people mis remembering. Only operational staff dressed in restoration gear.

[Coaster]

That is absolutely disgraceful and it's ridiculous that the park don't even seem to understand their own ride.

[Marhelorpe]

1 hour ago, Wumbamillio said:

Hex has never had actors before, there were some rumours that it used to when it opened but this was people mis remembering. Only operational staff dressed in restoration gear.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there one time they had some in the scenes during one of their ScareFest events one year? That’s what I remember reading.

[Martin Doyle]

51 minutes ago, Marhelorpe said:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there one time they had some in the scenes during one of their ScareFest events one year? That’s what I remember reading.

 

Hex live was around at 2009’s Scarefest event. Albeit only on 3 dates. Duel also had a run with scare actors during Scarefest at one point.

[SteveJ]

4 hours ago, Marhelorpe said:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there one time they had some in the scenes during one of their ScareFest events one year? That’s what I remember reading.

Oh yes, I forgot, but that was just a temporary unadvertised staff idea for Scarefest (basically enthusiastic staff dressing up) one year. A bit of fun for Halloween I suppose, but not a big change really.

 

Duel Live was better, was advertised and had the different music, guns turned off, etc. The actors were alright, didn't add a huge amount, just banged things really. But it was turning the guns off and putting music in that made it feel so much better!