silenthillXD
Hyper Poster
Over the past year I’ve somehow managed to visit 7 new parks, with a total of 3 new #1 coasters during that period. A stark contrast to 2021 and 2022 where the best new cred I rode over the space of a year was Turbo at Brighton Pier… Yeah… An intervention was definitely needed. Thankfully, after my first trip abroad to a European park outside of Disneyland (and Gardaland but we don’t talk about that) I fell in love with the sheer magic and quality present within mainland Europe. My first trip covered Parc Asterix, Walibi Belgium and Plopsaland De Panne. My second covered Efteling, Toverland and Walibi Belgium. My third took place at Phantasialand’s Wintertraum. So where next? I’d visited the best theme park in Europe (and quite possibly the world) with Phantasialand, and had ridden some of the best coasters in Europe at both Walibi parks… What could possibly follow such a strong lineup of parks? Well… the European coaster capital alongside an infamously intense coaster renowned for causing people to grey out. That’s right, a trip to Poland was on the cards and Energylandia was up first.
Day 1 - Energylandia - Wednesday 8th May
It’s hard not to be overwhelmed when visiting Energylandia for the first time. Upon arrival you’re greeted with a seemingly endless sea of coaster track sprawling out in front of you. Made only more imposing by the fact the largest ride of the park looms overhead, dominating the skyline of the park’s entrance plaza.
Unfortunately, I didn’t exactly spend any time absorbing the atmosphere of the park as I had one goal. A goal that I was determined to achieve before anything else at the park. To dethrone Untamed and to get a new #1. It took a good 10 minutes to walk from the entrance plaza over to Smoczy Gród. When people say Energylandia is huge, they really aren’t kidding. After spending the best part of two whole days running between Zadra and Hyperion I feel fully ready to participate in a marathon, or at least set a speed record for a 5k run. Energylandia really is an unintentionally gruelling physical endurance test for anyone looking to re-ride some of the best coasters in Europe. And that’s before we take into account the queues.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of theming in the Smoczy Gród area. Whilst not to the standards of other European parks, it certainly obliterated my expectations. Having expected a sparse and bland amusement park, it was nice to be welcomed by an immersive mediaeval town. Whilst I can’t say this level of theming continued through the rides queue and into the station, it was a solid attempt. Now here comes my major gripe with the park. The queues are unreasonably long, especially given that crowds were low. I somehow doubt that even at park capacity Zadra and Hyperion wouldn’t need half of their queue lines, let alone the full 5 minute hike towards the station. I wish 5 minutes was hyperbole. If anything, it’s an underestimation.
Regardless of the length of the queue line, my excitement for Zadra meant I arrived at the station in no time, ready to take my first ride on the back row of this beast. Having only ridden Untamed, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from a larger scale RMC. I knew how relentless and intense Untamed was, but after hearing reports that Zadra was more of a speed demon than an ejector fuelled bucking bronco I wasn't sure which would come out on top. I guess that’s why Zadra made such a strong first impression. Cresting over the first drop was a real ‘OH CRAP’ moment, as the ride attempted to rip my very soul from my body. I didn’t realise RMC specialised in exorcisms as well as coasters. Useful information to know, although hardly surprising given how demonic some of their elements are.
The first drop on Zadra has to be one of the most intense drops I've ever experienced. Your seat just falls away beneath you and there’s an extreme stomach lurch that accompanies it. I’ll be honest, it absolutely terrified me. And the sheer sense of speed it accumulates during that drop is insane. Only accentuated by the nippy speed hill which immediately follows. One element that really surprised me was the first turn around. I had no expectations for the element, given I was rather bitter about the fact it wasn’t an outward banked ejector moment à la Steel Vengeance. Rather impressively this element had a nice swoop to it and maintained a tremendous speed throughout, causing the carriage to thunder down a rather sharp drop off the top of the element. Once again, my stomach stayed at the top of this element as I hurtled downwards. The ejector airtime on this coaster is simply sublime. Then came my most anticipated element. The stall, in all of its hangtime infused glory, absolutely met my expectations and provided a nice sense of relief from the relentless pacing of the rest of the layout. After this momentary reprieve you’re then hauled straight into one of the most aggressive elements of the ride. The sideways wave turn, hurling you out of your seat violently before sending you careening towards a beautiful classically profiled airtime hill packed with intense ejector airtime.
Now I've got to say Zadra has one of the best finales of any coaster I've ever ridden. It starts with a perfectly profiled zero-g roll exiting into a swooping curved drop downwards. I can’t quite place my finger on why, but this single element may just be my favourite inversion ever. It’s got a nice float to it and the ride absolutely rips through it, hurtling you down into the curved drop. As if that wasn’t enough you’re then met with a rather sharp double down giving similar sensations to the relentless back to back ejector pops on Untamed. Before you can regain composure from that element you’re then met with the most aggressive speed hill in the world. A grotesque lateral filled speed hill that shouldn’t work, given just how sharp the transition is, but of course being an RMC it’s smooth and intense. Giving just the right balance of laterals, airtime and whip. I dare say, it’s yet another element on this ride that I’d class as one of my all time favourites. Unfortunately, after that you’re only left with one final zero-g into the breaks, which unsurprisingly delivers a pitch perfect floating sensation. Dear god. The moment we hit the breaks I was left speechless. It wasn’t the relentless airtime monster that Untamed provided, but the pacing, the variety and the strength of the airtime moments were just divine. I seriously question how Zadra could be topped, it’s just perfection. Complete and utter perfection.
After a couple of re-rides, we moved onto Aqualantis, given we were in the area. This area is a really interesting one. There’s some great theming, but there’s a real blocky and unauthentic feel to it all. Nothing feels natural and the whole thing looks like it’s been designed in Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. It was quite jarring if I’m being honest, which feels wrong to say given a huge effort was clearly made to theme this land. There’s just a real sense that the area remains unfinished, with the final details leaving whole walls devoid of personality or grounding in the aquatic theme.
Obviously, our ride of choice in Aqualantis was Abyssus. By now, I'd seen many vlogs proclaiming that whilst a fun ride, Abyssus didn’t particularly blow anyone away. Having now ridden Abyssus I must say I agree entirely. It just kind of exists? Now I will say I seemingly had quite a different experience to many others as I really enjoyed the first section after the initial launch. I got some nice strong pops of flojector airtime that really hyped me up for the proceedings. Sadly, both launches lacked any form of punch, but given I felt similar about F.LY.’s launches I can’t say I was surprised. However, what did surprise me was just how severely the trims killed the twisted top hat element that follows the second launch. I really don’t understand the logic of using them. They zap the speed from the ride and limit any potential airtime off the back of the top hat. To be honest the rest of the layout was a bit of a blur. There’s a nice ejector airtime moment after the loop as you bounce up over a hill only to promptly dive underneath the station. Sadly, that’s pretty much the only moment that stood out. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the layout was perfectly fine, hell there were some great moments of floater. However, when comparing Abyssus to other multi-launch coasters from the likes of Mack Rides and Intmain, it just doesn’t hold up very well. It lacks personality. It just doesn’t have the intensity or whip to really bring any form of excitement to the coaster. It just flows nicely until it hits the breaks. Overall a perfectly enjoyable coaster, but not one I felt a drive to revisit.
As we were in the area we headed onto Light Explorers, a surprisingly powerful and nippy Vekoma family boomerang. Not much to say about this one, other than once again Vekoma have demonstrated that they’re amongst the best family coaster manufacturers in the market. Shame the same can’t be said about their latest coaster on park, Choco Chip Creek. Oh dear god this ride is an absolute mess. The delay in opening this coaster has caused some of the theming to fade and age DRAMATICALLY. We’re talking sun bleached theming and paint peeling off buildings. It’s shocking, especially for a ride that at the time had only been open a week. The worst thing is that’s ignoring the broken preshow and the clearly unfinished theming elements throughout the course of the ride. That is assuming the metal frame the ride interacts with was meant to be a cookie themed mountain and not an abstract artwork that would be better suited in the Tate Modern.
It’s a shame as the indoors queue line is honestly rather magical. It’s atmospheric and immersive (that is until you notice the screens in the preshow don’t move in correlation with the supposedly descending lift). Unfortunately, the ride itself is just bland. It drags on, covering three separate lift hills. All three sections feeling almost identical and rushing past concrete slabs on the ground that were clearly intended to hold theming structures that just weren’t there. I don’t really see what purpose Choco Chip Creek holds. Ride Freda three times and you’ve basically ridden Choco Chip Creek. Being a family coaster doesn’t limit your ability to be interesting and fun. Having literally just experienced Colorado Adventure and Calamity Mine over the past year, Choco Chip Creek left A LOT to be desired. It’s certainly not a coaster I would ever dream of riding again. Although, I will give credit where credit is due. The smoke effect that puffs out of the lead carriage is adorable and did make me consider giving it the #1 momentarily. Apparently I'm basic and easily amused.
Up next was Formula, a ride I didn’t really have much enthusiasm for given Abyssus let me down with its rather bland layout. I have to say thank god I did Abyssus before Formula, because let me tell you Formula completely disarmed me. I was expecting something tame, bland and over before it started. How wrong was I? Whilst the launch was once again rather forgettable, you get a nice strong burst of positive g’s entering the immelmann, with significant floater up top. A nice start, but I was sceptical if it would continue at this pace. Thankfully this ride is rather speedy, so it didn’t take long for me to be hurled into another crushingly strong positive G turn before experiencing the first of two extreme ejector airtime hills. Wow, I thought. How on earth could Formula and Abyssus come from the same manufacturer. One is tame, graceful and rather formulaic (ironically not Formula) and the other is intense, whippy and utterly surprising in its relentlessness. Formula doesn’t stop till it hits the breaks. It hurls you through floaty inversions, strong ejector hills and some nice sustained moments of positive G’s. It’s just a beautiful dance of forces that combines for a fantastic ride experience. Sadly it is extremely short. To a point where another lap would only just bring it up to an acceptable length. However, I'd rather a short and punchy coaster like Formula than a long and forgettable one like Abyssus. Why the heck hasn’t this been cloned all over?! Drayton? Paultons? Why isn’t this in the UK yet?
As it was starting to heat up we decided to do back to back water rides. First up was Speed, the imposing Intamin water coaster towering above the park. Speed is an interesting beast. Despite being tall, the drop isn’t the most intense. It’s enjoyable, but as with most water coasters, the coaster section is pretty pointless and doesn’t actually add much to the overall experience. I personally prefer a good traditional log flume over any of the unnecessary faffing around before the final big splash on these water coasters. However, I will say it was a super enjoyable experience, with the lift hill genuinely causing me great distress due to the fact it tilts the track your boat rests on as the lift follows the curvature of the structure. An odd highlight for me to praise, but still one of the most memorable elements of the ride. Up next was Jungle Adventure, a rather sparsely themed rapids, that you’d be hard pressed to identify as a jungle themed experience. Whilst the route was noticeably choppy and we did encounter some good waves, it just didn’t stand out at all. The park could do so much better.
We then stumbled upon the entrance to RMF Dragon, a ride which I was oddly excited for. You see, I have a real fondness for Flight of the Pterosaur and the ‘Orkanen’ layout has always intrigued me. I went into the ride expecting something fun, but not massively forceful. Taking my first ride in the back row, I received quite the shock once we descended down the drop. Or should I say once we were torn down the drop. There was a real whip to the initial drop sitting in the back row, and a stomach lurch that wouldn’t be out of place on a proper thrill ride. This layout was a real surprise. It featured some very thrilling moments which push the boundaries of what family coasters can be. I mean that overbank felt very close to a full inversion and the rest of the layout had some rather enjoyable moments of positive G’s. I must say RMF Dragon was a fantastic little coaster. It’s thrilling, but fun. A perfect family invert and may have even topped Fight of the Pterosaur.
So from one good invert to an absolutely abysmal one. Before riding Mayan, I had somewhat high hopes for the coaster. You see, I love the SLC layout, it’s a genuinely brilliant combination of intensity, inversions and a decent enough drop. However, the roughness on SLC’s is just unbearable. Having heard Mayan was the last SLC to be built and was one of the smoother ones I expected to somewhat enjoy this coaster. How wrong I was. Whilst the vest restraints alleviate any head banging. The trains jackhammer in the most unpleasant way possible. They just don’t navigate the track well at all, creating an extremely jolty experience. It shocks me that this was built only a year prior to the start of the Vekoma renaissance with Formula. The gap in quality is just.. gargantuan.
And just like that, Mayan was relegated to the lowest depths of my cred count, alongside such notable bedfellows as Loup-Garou, El Condor, G-Force and Odyssey. Thankfully, given the layout of the park, we’d somehow managed to avoid a rather major coaster up until now. So we didn’t finish our day on a massive downer. Oh no… we still had Hyperion waiting for us.
Now I’ve got to admit, I have a minor gripe with Hyperion. A real bone to pick with it. Since planning this trip, i’d long envisioned Hyperion being my first ride at Energylandia, having been preceded in my cred count by Hyperia at Thorpe. I wanted the Hyperia, Hyperion combo to take up consecutive spots on my count. You know, for the added element of confusion. Sadly, Thorpe Park had other ideas and denied me of this right. So now, with no other option left I had to begrudgingly ride Hyperion, knowing I would have to settle for the creds at Legendia stealing Hyperia’s rightful place on my cred count. Uttering curses to the Mack family under my breath, I entered the queue line for Hyperion. Little did I know what I was in for…
You know something is wrong when the thought of entering a queue line fills you with sheer and utter dread. Not due to the ride that you’re about to go on, but rather the immense and pointless trek you’re about to endure. I know I complained about Zadra’s queue, but Hyperions is just the biggest faff I’ve ever encountered. I get that it saves space by making you walk up and down infinite ramps, but Jesus… This ride does not need anywhere near that much queue space! It’s quite possibly the worst queue experience ever.
Now, given how much I adored Kondaa, I was eager to see how Hyperion would compare. Whilst they’re both Intmain Megas, Kondaa appeared to have more of the insane back to back thigh-bruising ejector airtime I love so much. Hyperion on the other hand appeared to be more drawn out, with some standout elements that would easily top the best of Kondaa. It was very much a case of preferring quantity or quality… Or at least so I thought.
Embarking up the 252.6 ft lift hill installed a sense of dread within me. It seemingly never ends and by the time you’ve reached the top it feels like you’ve made a grave mistake, looking down at the tunnel you’re about to hurtle towards. Interestingly, I didn’t find this tunnel to provide much in the way of a head chopper, however that was likely due to the fact I was too preoccupied with being overwhelmed by the sheer impact of Hyperions drop. I simply couldn’t believe how intense this drop was. It’s incredibly steep and hurls you out of your seat, providing some stellar airtime. As if that wasn’t enough, the drop just goes on… and on… and on… I hate to admit it, but there was genuinely a point halfway down the drop where I questioned if it was ‘Too much’. Of course, the answer was no, but the fact a coaster managed to install that much fear and adrenaline into me from just one drop really made a strong impression. It’s a first drop that I genuinely think will be hard to top. It’s simply everything I want from a drop.
Without pause you’re suddenly sent skywards, cresting over an exceptionally forceful ejector airtime hill. There’s something so satisfying about these classic Intamin ejector hills. They’re simple, but relentlessly intense. I dare say, this humongous element is probably one of the strongest airtime moments I've done. Up there with the best of RMC. Now from one classic element to something which was rather odd and unexpected. Now, I’d always thought the dive loop on Hyperion looked like a missed opportunity. Being a diehard classicist, I scoffed at the thought of an inversion on an Intamin Mega. Oh dear… How wrong I was. This dive loop ended up being an absolute highlight! You see, it doesn’t ride like a traditional dive loop. It starts off, almost like an airtime hill and only inverts at the apex of the hill, meaning you get a nice strong pop of floater going into the dive. Interestingly, this means you get a nice whip upside down whilst you’re still floating out of your seat from the airtime. It’s odd. I can’t say I’ve experienced anything quite like it. However, that’s why it stands out as such a memorable element.
Unfortunately, the following three elements can vary depending on time of the day. The wave turn, speed hill and airtime hill can provide some great airtime, however it seemed very hit or miss. They’re still a lot of fun given the sheer speed you go through them, but if any section of the ride could be improved, I’d say it was this trio. Thankfully, as you enter the twister second half of the ride things pick up significantly.
The overbank is graceful, but packs one hell of an impact. It feels very close to an inversion and the train just rips through the turn, hurtling towards the final low to the ground section of the ride. Now, this finale really feels quite overwhelming. The airtime on some of these elements feels relentless. The ejector speed hill/stengel dive combination is absolutely insane. It’s whippy and provides some immensely satisfying ejector. After some nice choppy turns, you enter the bunny hill finale, tearing you out of your seat over and over. It’s an incredible ending to yet another Intamin masterpiece.
Wow. What an utterly ridiculous top 2. It genuinely took some time working out whether Zadra or Hyperion would take home the crown for my new no 1. After multiple re-rides on both, I soon settled on Zadra. However, this might be the closest call in all of my top 10. And with that my first day on park drew to a close.
Day 2 - Energylandia - Thursday 9th May
As per our first day on park, we dashed straight for Zadra to make the most use of the lifesaving post ride re-ride gate. After climbing the stairs to the batching turnstiles we noticed that the front-row queue was somewhat manageable so decided to give it a punt. The wait wasn’t too bad, and oh boy was it worth it. Whilst the first drop and turnaround were weaker at the front, the sense of speed was insane. You could literally feel your cheeks being pulled backwards by the wind rushing past you. There were also certain moments in the second half that offered even stronger airtime than in the back. Whilst I’d still say a back row ride is preferable, the front definitely offers a thrilling experience that was well worth waiting for.
We then headed over to Abyssus, stopping at Freda on the way. Freda was an inoffensive +1, however I really do feel the family coaster lineup at the park is lacking. Whilst Dragon and Formula are great, I think they really need something like a Gerstlauer Bobsled or an Intamin Family MultiLaunch to round out their lineup. I just don’t see the need for Energus, Freda, Honey Harbour and Choco Chip Creek to exist in the same park when they all offer pretty similar experiences.
After a noticeably more enjoyable ride on Abyssus, which dramatically increased my ranking of the coaster, we headed onto Wonder Wheel. Little did I realise Wonder Wheel is unintentionally the most terrifying ride at the park. It’s humongous, and really aggravated my fear of heights whilst stopped at the top. Never again. Put me on a massive drop tower and I'm fine, but a Ferris Wheel? Nope.
At this point, there was only one cred left which I felt the need to ride. It was a ride I had heard many things about and was honestly extremely excited to ride. I mean, afterall, who wouldn’t be hyped to experience a spinning wild mouse with over the shoulder restraints? Viking was a ride experience to remember. I’m not even joking when I say it has to be one of the best experiences i’ve ever had on a ride. Everything about this coaster is just plain awful. It’s janky, has square wheels and jolts aggressively throughout the entire layout… even before it goes up the lifthill. The thing is, it was just so awful, and so utterly incompetent, that I couldn’t help but laugh. I was just laughing hysterically throughout the whole duration of the ride. It was painful, sure, but I found it immensely entertaining. It’s simply one of the worst coasters I've ever ridden, but for that I absolutely loved it. It’s the Tommy Wiseau of the coaster world, so bad it’s good.
After an incredible front row ride on Hyperion I started hunting for some refreshment as the day had turned out to be a scorcher. Speed was up first and was as fun as the day before, but infuriated me by leaving me bone dry whilst a tidal wave splashed down on the empty seat next to me. In a move that I thought would guarantee me a soaking, I headed over to Anaconda, the parks shoot the shoots. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise this ride has one of the worst restraint systems i’ve ever seen. A thick metal bar is lowered down, which is guaranteed to staple you when you head up the two lift hills on this ride. As a result, the following drops were massively uncomfortable as I had to brace myself to stop me from getting winded as we hit the water at the bottom. To add insult to injury (quite literally in this case) the water sprayed away from the boat, leaving me once again bone dry. Mission failed. After this spectacular failure, I thought it best to spend the rest of the day re-riding my favourites, hopping between Zadra and Hyperion, occasionally stopping at Formula on the way.
Energylandia is such an interesting park. Whilst it has some beautiful theming, it can feel rather sparse and lifeless in places. It inhabits this weird, uncanny place somewhere between an amusement park and a theme park. Thankfully, the sheer quality of the coasters makes up for the somewhat lacking atmosphere. Zadra and Hyperion are easily two of the top contenders for best coaster in Europe. Having those two coasters in the same park really provides a nice 1-2 punch. It’s just a shame they’re miles away from each other, making re-rides an absolute slog to get through. I feel that now Energylandia have such a strong coaster offering, they really need to hold back and focus on quality, rejuvenating the central section of the park and improving their flat ride/water ride offering, whilst also making more of an effort with the theming. Energylandia is such an incredible park, which could ascend to an even higher level of greatness with just a little more care and attention to some of the smaller details.
Day 1 - Energylandia - Wednesday 8th May
It’s hard not to be overwhelmed when visiting Energylandia for the first time. Upon arrival you’re greeted with a seemingly endless sea of coaster track sprawling out in front of you. Made only more imposing by the fact the largest ride of the park looms overhead, dominating the skyline of the park’s entrance plaza.
Unfortunately, I didn’t exactly spend any time absorbing the atmosphere of the park as I had one goal. A goal that I was determined to achieve before anything else at the park. To dethrone Untamed and to get a new #1. It took a good 10 minutes to walk from the entrance plaza over to Smoczy Gród. When people say Energylandia is huge, they really aren’t kidding. After spending the best part of two whole days running between Zadra and Hyperion I feel fully ready to participate in a marathon, or at least set a speed record for a 5k run. Energylandia really is an unintentionally gruelling physical endurance test for anyone looking to re-ride some of the best coasters in Europe. And that’s before we take into account the queues.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of theming in the Smoczy Gród area. Whilst not to the standards of other European parks, it certainly obliterated my expectations. Having expected a sparse and bland amusement park, it was nice to be welcomed by an immersive mediaeval town. Whilst I can’t say this level of theming continued through the rides queue and into the station, it was a solid attempt. Now here comes my major gripe with the park. The queues are unreasonably long, especially given that crowds were low. I somehow doubt that even at park capacity Zadra and Hyperion wouldn’t need half of their queue lines, let alone the full 5 minute hike towards the station. I wish 5 minutes was hyperbole. If anything, it’s an underestimation.
Regardless of the length of the queue line, my excitement for Zadra meant I arrived at the station in no time, ready to take my first ride on the back row of this beast. Having only ridden Untamed, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from a larger scale RMC. I knew how relentless and intense Untamed was, but after hearing reports that Zadra was more of a speed demon than an ejector fuelled bucking bronco I wasn't sure which would come out on top. I guess that’s why Zadra made such a strong first impression. Cresting over the first drop was a real ‘OH CRAP’ moment, as the ride attempted to rip my very soul from my body. I didn’t realise RMC specialised in exorcisms as well as coasters. Useful information to know, although hardly surprising given how demonic some of their elements are.
Now I've got to say Zadra has one of the best finales of any coaster I've ever ridden. It starts with a perfectly profiled zero-g roll exiting into a swooping curved drop downwards. I can’t quite place my finger on why, but this single element may just be my favourite inversion ever. It’s got a nice float to it and the ride absolutely rips through it, hurtling you down into the curved drop. As if that wasn’t enough you’re then met with a rather sharp double down giving similar sensations to the relentless back to back ejector pops on Untamed. Before you can regain composure from that element you’re then met with the most aggressive speed hill in the world. A grotesque lateral filled speed hill that shouldn’t work, given just how sharp the transition is, but of course being an RMC it’s smooth and intense. Giving just the right balance of laterals, airtime and whip. I dare say, it’s yet another element on this ride that I’d class as one of my all time favourites. Unfortunately, after that you’re only left with one final zero-g into the breaks, which unsurprisingly delivers a pitch perfect floating sensation. Dear god. The moment we hit the breaks I was left speechless. It wasn’t the relentless airtime monster that Untamed provided, but the pacing, the variety and the strength of the airtime moments were just divine. I seriously question how Zadra could be topped, it’s just perfection. Complete and utter perfection.
After a couple of re-rides, we moved onto Aqualantis, given we were in the area. This area is a really interesting one. There’s some great theming, but there’s a real blocky and unauthentic feel to it all. Nothing feels natural and the whole thing looks like it’s been designed in Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. It was quite jarring if I’m being honest, which feels wrong to say given a huge effort was clearly made to theme this land. There’s just a real sense that the area remains unfinished, with the final details leaving whole walls devoid of personality or grounding in the aquatic theme.
Obviously, our ride of choice in Aqualantis was Abyssus. By now, I'd seen many vlogs proclaiming that whilst a fun ride, Abyssus didn’t particularly blow anyone away. Having now ridden Abyssus I must say I agree entirely. It just kind of exists? Now I will say I seemingly had quite a different experience to many others as I really enjoyed the first section after the initial launch. I got some nice strong pops of flojector airtime that really hyped me up for the proceedings. Sadly, both launches lacked any form of punch, but given I felt similar about F.LY.’s launches I can’t say I was surprised. However, what did surprise me was just how severely the trims killed the twisted top hat element that follows the second launch. I really don’t understand the logic of using them. They zap the speed from the ride and limit any potential airtime off the back of the top hat. To be honest the rest of the layout was a bit of a blur. There’s a nice ejector airtime moment after the loop as you bounce up over a hill only to promptly dive underneath the station. Sadly, that’s pretty much the only moment that stood out. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the layout was perfectly fine, hell there were some great moments of floater. However, when comparing Abyssus to other multi-launch coasters from the likes of Mack Rides and Intmain, it just doesn’t hold up very well. It lacks personality. It just doesn’t have the intensity or whip to really bring any form of excitement to the coaster. It just flows nicely until it hits the breaks. Overall a perfectly enjoyable coaster, but not one I felt a drive to revisit.
As we were in the area we headed onto Light Explorers, a surprisingly powerful and nippy Vekoma family boomerang. Not much to say about this one, other than once again Vekoma have demonstrated that they’re amongst the best family coaster manufacturers in the market. Shame the same can’t be said about their latest coaster on park, Choco Chip Creek. Oh dear god this ride is an absolute mess. The delay in opening this coaster has caused some of the theming to fade and age DRAMATICALLY. We’re talking sun bleached theming and paint peeling off buildings. It’s shocking, especially for a ride that at the time had only been open a week. The worst thing is that’s ignoring the broken preshow and the clearly unfinished theming elements throughout the course of the ride. That is assuming the metal frame the ride interacts with was meant to be a cookie themed mountain and not an abstract artwork that would be better suited in the Tate Modern.
It’s a shame as the indoors queue line is honestly rather magical. It’s atmospheric and immersive (that is until you notice the screens in the preshow don’t move in correlation with the supposedly descending lift). Unfortunately, the ride itself is just bland. It drags on, covering three separate lift hills. All three sections feeling almost identical and rushing past concrete slabs on the ground that were clearly intended to hold theming structures that just weren’t there. I don’t really see what purpose Choco Chip Creek holds. Ride Freda three times and you’ve basically ridden Choco Chip Creek. Being a family coaster doesn’t limit your ability to be interesting and fun. Having literally just experienced Colorado Adventure and Calamity Mine over the past year, Choco Chip Creek left A LOT to be desired. It’s certainly not a coaster I would ever dream of riding again. Although, I will give credit where credit is due. The smoke effect that puffs out of the lead carriage is adorable and did make me consider giving it the #1 momentarily. Apparently I'm basic and easily amused.
Up next was Formula, a ride I didn’t really have much enthusiasm for given Abyssus let me down with its rather bland layout. I have to say thank god I did Abyssus before Formula, because let me tell you Formula completely disarmed me. I was expecting something tame, bland and over before it started. How wrong was I? Whilst the launch was once again rather forgettable, you get a nice strong burst of positive g’s entering the immelmann, with significant floater up top. A nice start, but I was sceptical if it would continue at this pace. Thankfully this ride is rather speedy, so it didn’t take long for me to be hurled into another crushingly strong positive G turn before experiencing the first of two extreme ejector airtime hills. Wow, I thought. How on earth could Formula and Abyssus come from the same manufacturer. One is tame, graceful and rather formulaic (ironically not Formula) and the other is intense, whippy and utterly surprising in its relentlessness. Formula doesn’t stop till it hits the breaks. It hurls you through floaty inversions, strong ejector hills and some nice sustained moments of positive G’s. It’s just a beautiful dance of forces that combines for a fantastic ride experience. Sadly it is extremely short. To a point where another lap would only just bring it up to an acceptable length. However, I'd rather a short and punchy coaster like Formula than a long and forgettable one like Abyssus. Why the heck hasn’t this been cloned all over?! Drayton? Paultons? Why isn’t this in the UK yet?
As it was starting to heat up we decided to do back to back water rides. First up was Speed, the imposing Intamin water coaster towering above the park. Speed is an interesting beast. Despite being tall, the drop isn’t the most intense. It’s enjoyable, but as with most water coasters, the coaster section is pretty pointless and doesn’t actually add much to the overall experience. I personally prefer a good traditional log flume over any of the unnecessary faffing around before the final big splash on these water coasters. However, I will say it was a super enjoyable experience, with the lift hill genuinely causing me great distress due to the fact it tilts the track your boat rests on as the lift follows the curvature of the structure. An odd highlight for me to praise, but still one of the most memorable elements of the ride. Up next was Jungle Adventure, a rather sparsely themed rapids, that you’d be hard pressed to identify as a jungle themed experience. Whilst the route was noticeably choppy and we did encounter some good waves, it just didn’t stand out at all. The park could do so much better.
We then stumbled upon the entrance to RMF Dragon, a ride which I was oddly excited for. You see, I have a real fondness for Flight of the Pterosaur and the ‘Orkanen’ layout has always intrigued me. I went into the ride expecting something fun, but not massively forceful. Taking my first ride in the back row, I received quite the shock once we descended down the drop. Or should I say once we were torn down the drop. There was a real whip to the initial drop sitting in the back row, and a stomach lurch that wouldn’t be out of place on a proper thrill ride. This layout was a real surprise. It featured some very thrilling moments which push the boundaries of what family coasters can be. I mean that overbank felt very close to a full inversion and the rest of the layout had some rather enjoyable moments of positive G’s. I must say RMF Dragon was a fantastic little coaster. It’s thrilling, but fun. A perfect family invert and may have even topped Fight of the Pterosaur.
So from one good invert to an absolutely abysmal one. Before riding Mayan, I had somewhat high hopes for the coaster. You see, I love the SLC layout, it’s a genuinely brilliant combination of intensity, inversions and a decent enough drop. However, the roughness on SLC’s is just unbearable. Having heard Mayan was the last SLC to be built and was one of the smoother ones I expected to somewhat enjoy this coaster. How wrong I was. Whilst the vest restraints alleviate any head banging. The trains jackhammer in the most unpleasant way possible. They just don’t navigate the track well at all, creating an extremely jolty experience. It shocks me that this was built only a year prior to the start of the Vekoma renaissance with Formula. The gap in quality is just.. gargantuan.
Now I’ve got to admit, I have a minor gripe with Hyperion. A real bone to pick with it. Since planning this trip, i’d long envisioned Hyperion being my first ride at Energylandia, having been preceded in my cred count by Hyperia at Thorpe. I wanted the Hyperia, Hyperion combo to take up consecutive spots on my count. You know, for the added element of confusion. Sadly, Thorpe Park had other ideas and denied me of this right. So now, with no other option left I had to begrudgingly ride Hyperion, knowing I would have to settle for the creds at Legendia stealing Hyperia’s rightful place on my cred count. Uttering curses to the Mack family under my breath, I entered the queue line for Hyperion. Little did I know what I was in for…
You know something is wrong when the thought of entering a queue line fills you with sheer and utter dread. Not due to the ride that you’re about to go on, but rather the immense and pointless trek you’re about to endure. I know I complained about Zadra’s queue, but Hyperions is just the biggest faff I’ve ever encountered. I get that it saves space by making you walk up and down infinite ramps, but Jesus… This ride does not need anywhere near that much queue space! It’s quite possibly the worst queue experience ever.
Now, given how much I adored Kondaa, I was eager to see how Hyperion would compare. Whilst they’re both Intmain Megas, Kondaa appeared to have more of the insane back to back thigh-bruising ejector airtime I love so much. Hyperion on the other hand appeared to be more drawn out, with some standout elements that would easily top the best of Kondaa. It was very much a case of preferring quantity or quality… Or at least so I thought.
Embarking up the 252.6 ft lift hill installed a sense of dread within me. It seemingly never ends and by the time you’ve reached the top it feels like you’ve made a grave mistake, looking down at the tunnel you’re about to hurtle towards. Interestingly, I didn’t find this tunnel to provide much in the way of a head chopper, however that was likely due to the fact I was too preoccupied with being overwhelmed by the sheer impact of Hyperions drop. I simply couldn’t believe how intense this drop was. It’s incredibly steep and hurls you out of your seat, providing some stellar airtime. As if that wasn’t enough, the drop just goes on… and on… and on… I hate to admit it, but there was genuinely a point halfway down the drop where I questioned if it was ‘Too much’. Of course, the answer was no, but the fact a coaster managed to install that much fear and adrenaline into me from just one drop really made a strong impression. It’s a first drop that I genuinely think will be hard to top. It’s simply everything I want from a drop.
Without pause you’re suddenly sent skywards, cresting over an exceptionally forceful ejector airtime hill. There’s something so satisfying about these classic Intamin ejector hills. They’re simple, but relentlessly intense. I dare say, this humongous element is probably one of the strongest airtime moments I've done. Up there with the best of RMC. Now from one classic element to something which was rather odd and unexpected. Now, I’d always thought the dive loop on Hyperion looked like a missed opportunity. Being a diehard classicist, I scoffed at the thought of an inversion on an Intamin Mega. Oh dear… How wrong I was. This dive loop ended up being an absolute highlight! You see, it doesn’t ride like a traditional dive loop. It starts off, almost like an airtime hill and only inverts at the apex of the hill, meaning you get a nice strong pop of floater going into the dive. Interestingly, this means you get a nice whip upside down whilst you’re still floating out of your seat from the airtime. It’s odd. I can’t say I’ve experienced anything quite like it. However, that’s why it stands out as such a memorable element.
Unfortunately, the following three elements can vary depending on time of the day. The wave turn, speed hill and airtime hill can provide some great airtime, however it seemed very hit or miss. They’re still a lot of fun given the sheer speed you go through them, but if any section of the ride could be improved, I’d say it was this trio. Thankfully, as you enter the twister second half of the ride things pick up significantly.
The overbank is graceful, but packs one hell of an impact. It feels very close to an inversion and the train just rips through the turn, hurtling towards the final low to the ground section of the ride. Now, this finale really feels quite overwhelming. The airtime on some of these elements feels relentless. The ejector speed hill/stengel dive combination is absolutely insane. It’s whippy and provides some immensely satisfying ejector. After some nice choppy turns, you enter the bunny hill finale, tearing you out of your seat over and over. It’s an incredible ending to yet another Intamin masterpiece.
Wow. What an utterly ridiculous top 2. It genuinely took some time working out whether Zadra or Hyperion would take home the crown for my new no 1. After multiple re-rides on both, I soon settled on Zadra. However, this might be the closest call in all of my top 10. And with that my first day on park drew to a close.
Day 2 - Energylandia - Thursday 9th May
As per our first day on park, we dashed straight for Zadra to make the most use of the lifesaving post ride re-ride gate. After climbing the stairs to the batching turnstiles we noticed that the front-row queue was somewhat manageable so decided to give it a punt. The wait wasn’t too bad, and oh boy was it worth it. Whilst the first drop and turnaround were weaker at the front, the sense of speed was insane. You could literally feel your cheeks being pulled backwards by the wind rushing past you. There were also certain moments in the second half that offered even stronger airtime than in the back. Whilst I’d still say a back row ride is preferable, the front definitely offers a thrilling experience that was well worth waiting for.
We then headed over to Abyssus, stopping at Freda on the way. Freda was an inoffensive +1, however I really do feel the family coaster lineup at the park is lacking. Whilst Dragon and Formula are great, I think they really need something like a Gerstlauer Bobsled or an Intamin Family MultiLaunch to round out their lineup. I just don’t see the need for Energus, Freda, Honey Harbour and Choco Chip Creek to exist in the same park when they all offer pretty similar experiences.
After a noticeably more enjoyable ride on Abyssus, which dramatically increased my ranking of the coaster, we headed onto Wonder Wheel. Little did I realise Wonder Wheel is unintentionally the most terrifying ride at the park. It’s humongous, and really aggravated my fear of heights whilst stopped at the top. Never again. Put me on a massive drop tower and I'm fine, but a Ferris Wheel? Nope.
At this point, there was only one cred left which I felt the need to ride. It was a ride I had heard many things about and was honestly extremely excited to ride. I mean, afterall, who wouldn’t be hyped to experience a spinning wild mouse with over the shoulder restraints? Viking was a ride experience to remember. I’m not even joking when I say it has to be one of the best experiences i’ve ever had on a ride. Everything about this coaster is just plain awful. It’s janky, has square wheels and jolts aggressively throughout the entire layout… even before it goes up the lifthill. The thing is, it was just so awful, and so utterly incompetent, that I couldn’t help but laugh. I was just laughing hysterically throughout the whole duration of the ride. It was painful, sure, but I found it immensely entertaining. It’s simply one of the worst coasters I've ever ridden, but for that I absolutely loved it. It’s the Tommy Wiseau of the coaster world, so bad it’s good.
After an incredible front row ride on Hyperion I started hunting for some refreshment as the day had turned out to be a scorcher. Speed was up first and was as fun as the day before, but infuriated me by leaving me bone dry whilst a tidal wave splashed down on the empty seat next to me. In a move that I thought would guarantee me a soaking, I headed over to Anaconda, the parks shoot the shoots. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise this ride has one of the worst restraint systems i’ve ever seen. A thick metal bar is lowered down, which is guaranteed to staple you when you head up the two lift hills on this ride. As a result, the following drops were massively uncomfortable as I had to brace myself to stop me from getting winded as we hit the water at the bottom. To add insult to injury (quite literally in this case) the water sprayed away from the boat, leaving me once again bone dry. Mission failed. After this spectacular failure, I thought it best to spend the rest of the day re-riding my favourites, hopping between Zadra and Hyperion, occasionally stopping at Formula on the way.
Energylandia is such an interesting park. Whilst it has some beautiful theming, it can feel rather sparse and lifeless in places. It inhabits this weird, uncanny place somewhere between an amusement park and a theme park. Thankfully, the sheer quality of the coasters makes up for the somewhat lacking atmosphere. Zadra and Hyperion are easily two of the top contenders for best coaster in Europe. Having those two coasters in the same park really provides a nice 1-2 punch. It’s just a shame they’re miles away from each other, making re-rides an absolute slog to get through. I feel that now Energylandia have such a strong coaster offering, they really need to hold back and focus on quality, rejuvenating the central section of the park and improving their flat ride/water ride offering, whilst also making more of an effort with the theming. Energylandia is such an incredible park, which could ascend to an even higher level of greatness with just a little more care and attention to some of the smaller details.
Final Ride Count
Zadra x13
Abyssus x2
Light Explorers x1
Choco Chip Creek x1
Formula x4
Speed x2
Jungle Rapids x1
RMF Dragon x1
Rollercoaster Mayan x1
Hyperion x7
Freda x1
Wonder Wheel x1
Viking x1
Anaconda x1
Zadra x13
Abyssus x2
Light Explorers x1
Choco Chip Creek x1
Formula x4
Speed x2
Jungle Rapids x1
RMF Dragon x1
Rollercoaster Mayan x1
Hyperion x7
Freda x1
Wonder Wheel x1
Viking x1
Anaconda x1
