The Return of Nemesis Sub Terra?

[Serena]

I love Nemesis Sub Terra.
I also love rumours (and I don't just mean my favourite album by Fleetwood Mac)

So imagine my joy when I saw murmurings on Twitter that something is going on with Nemesis Sub Terra. (Link to tweet)

First, Alton Towers did an April Fools tweet saying it was going to re-open. Was this tweet merely a Terra-ble joke... or was it literally an Easter Egg? To gauge peoples reactions, and get people talking about Sub Terra again?

Then, the Project 42 scare maze tents were removed from the ride area recently.

Then, the queue board lit up with an intregueing "???"

Signage on the ride building has been repainted, queueline bins have been moved, and...hold onto your hats guys...I've saved the best til last...

Leaves have been swept away from the queueline. Yep. Actual leaves. Swept up.

Spurred by the enticing promise of a leaf-free queue and what this could mean, I did a deep dive and came across loads of great rumours. My favourite being "Alton have purchased Apocalypse from Drayton and are digging 170ft down to put it in the Sub Terra building"

Preposterous theories aside, with all this action happening around the ride site, it seems that something is happening.

So what do you think?! What could the future be for the best dark ride at Alton Towers? What's in the shed, oops I mean, Shipping Container?!

My bet is that Nemesis Sub Terra will return for ScareFest. Reasons: with all the actors, it's an expensive attraction to run, so I don't see it returning for a full season. But if they can open it for ScareFest, this will be an excellent addition to bolster their Halloween line up.

Or could it be the site of another new maze for Scare Fest?

Or am I completely wrong and it's gonna be an Aquatrax?

What do you think is happening? Let's get predicting!

Would you be excited for the return of the world's most dramatic 20ft tall drop tower?

 

[Matt N]

Interesting! If it does end up reopening, could this possibly be the longest an attraction (or at least, an attraction within an operating theme park) has ever been SBNO for before reopening?

By 2022, it will have been 7 years since Sub-Terra last operated; heck, it’s already been over 6 years now! The park has removed all trace of the ride from their website and park map, and there has been no acknowledgement from the park of Sub-Terra’s existence since about 2018; there was that brief period between 2015 & 2018 or so where they said “an unknown entity has been discovered within the facility, meaning that the ride will be shut until further notice” or something along those lines, but then they just stopped acknowledging its existence after a while, so I think the chances of N:ST reopening, at least in its 2012-2015 form, are quite low. Not zero by any means, but quite low. I’m certainly open to surprises, however!

On the flip side, however, I think there’s a much higher chance that the park could use the building/space for some form of new Phalanx/Nemesis-themed dark ride experience; a new form of Sub-Terra, so to speak. Whether that would utilise the ABC drop tower ride system itself is up for debate (I heard rumours that the drop tower itself had been removed, but whether that’s true or not I don’t know), but it would not surprise me in the slightest to see some form of new filler dark ride put into that building.

Or alternatively, it could just be for Scarefest. Certain things lead me to believe that it might not just be Scarefest-related, though; the fact that they’re touching up elements of the building that are very much N:ST-related (such as the P-A1X on the side of the building and the Phalanx bins reappearing), as well as Alton themselves making jibes at the ride reopening even 6 years on from its closure would suggest that Sub-Terra certainly isn’t off the park’s radar, and some form of more permanent Nemesis-themed experience could well be in the pipeline.

Interesting stuff… we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled!

 

[emoo]

I'm mostly excited for the 2 preposterous ideas.

But a seasonal attraction works for me - too dangerous to relive the same tragic events every day anyway. And keeps the layers and depth to the park.

 

[Nitefly]

I only went on Sub Terra once and reading this thread has reminded me that despite all the hype that theme parks generate around their latest ‘terrifying’ attractions, there is absolute nothing in the whole more frightening and anxiety inducing than listening to Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

Oh Daddy is almost unbearable - argh!!

 

[rob666]

They have done all this before in seasons past, it came to nothing.
Sign board with question marks, swept paths, moved bins.
Sounds like a bit of a pre summer peak tidy up to me.
Time will tell, but I expect nothing.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Leaves have been swept away from the queueline. Yep. Actual leaves. Swept up.

"Merlin presents: new attraction for 2021, 2022, 2023 and beyond: The Swept Footpath. Experience the scariest pad of lightly brushed concrete in the Midlands. Visitors are urged to prepare for the thrill by consulting one of the park's "scare preparedness coaches", signing away their rights to sue over excessive scares, and are required to post certain keywords on social media after the experience.

Merlin: we finally found something even cheaper than old shipping containers"

 

[JoshC.]

As others have said, we've been here before with various things happening outside which have either led to nothing (or a scare maze, which from the reviews I read, was close to nothing). So it's worth keeping expectations in check.

However, it certainly makes sense. Towers have obviously introduced fairground rides this year, and it's expected they're just a one year thing. They're clearly popular and have added much needed capacity to the resort. If they do indeed leave at the end of the year, the park still need to fill that gap.
Sorting out and reopening Sub Terra certainly helps with that. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a solution, and not a bad one. If they can create an experience which reduces the number of staff it needed, whilst keeping it enjoyable, that would be great. And it's probably cheaper to sort out than bringing in a whole new ride.

I really enjoyed Sub Terra, but it did have its problems. Staff heavy, overly dark/scary theme for a simple attraction, etc. But even with those problems, it would certainly have a place in the park's line up.

I guess it could come back as a Scarefest attraction, though it would seem an odd choice to have a ride as a seasonal attraction, despite all the issues. Who knows though.

To add some fuel to the fire, I have had rumours on the grapevine that engineers from the ride manufacturer, abc, have visited Towers recently. Just a sort of Chinese whispers thing really, and it's hard to know how realistic something like that is given the travel restrictions and the like. But feel free to take that information and do with it what you please.

 

[Coaster Chall YouTube]

To add some fuel to the fire, I have had rumours on the grapevine that engineers from the ride manufacturer, abc, have visited Towers recently. Just a sort of Chinese whispers thing really, and it's hard to know how realistic something like that is given the travel restrictions and the like. But feel free to take that information and do with it what you please.

I'm gonna take this with a pinch of salt, but if it is true, then that's definitely positive signs for the ride's return, but that's only IF this is true. But I am a fan of this potential return.

 

[CrashCoaster]

To add some fuel to the fire, I have had rumours on the grapevine that engineers from the ride manufacturer, abc, have visited Towers recently. Just a sort of Chinese whispers thing really, and it's hard to know how realistic something like that is given the travel restrictions and the like. But feel free to take that information and do with it what you please.

I've heard that the drop towers have actually been removed but I'm not sure how that could've been done without anyone seeming to notice. That being said, the drop towers and theme was great. It would be great if they could bring back the ride with a new immersive storyline, that requires a lot less staff to run. It gives Towers the drop towers they need (even if they are tiny, unconventional and about the same size as 13's drop track).

 

[Dar]

I think sub-terra's main hurdle was, as usual with Merlin, its advertising. It's an ok filler ride, fun enough to have a laugh and soak up some queues. But Merlin marketed it as the year's big new attraction that you should totally visit Alton towers to ride. It could never live up to that kind of hype and it kinda died on its arse before it could really get going.

It'd be cool if they were bringing it back, but it would need some tweaks to make it worthwhile and cost-effective. Maybe rejig the story so you're on a tour with the friendly scientists who are explaining their findings until one is attacked by the egg, drop, back up and the area has been secured by the phalanx who escort you out until they get attacked after the lift and you escape through the scare maze. Could cut down on actors and hosts while leaving a decent ride that doesn't cost a bomb to run?

 

[JoshC.]

I've heard that the drop towers have actually been removed but I'm not sure how that could've been done without anyone seeming to notice.

There's that (though they could have done it during closed season I guess tbf), but also I don't see why they would remove them. Merlin have a reputation for not removing stuff until they replace it (less so at Towers tbf, but still).

The building and area was custom designed for the drop towers, and I can't think of much else that would fit there. They've shown they can build a maze around the towers being in place too. So unless they were doing a larger piece of work, I'd be surprised if they have been removed.

 

[CrashCoaster]

There's that (though they could have done it during closed season I guess tbf), but also I don't see why they would remove them. Merlin have a reputation for not removing stuff until they replace it (less so at Towers tbf, but still).

The building and area was custom designed for the drop towers, and I can't think of much else that would fit there. They've shown they can build a maze around the towers being in place too. So unless they were doing a larger piece of work, I'd be surprised if they have been removed.

Did the scare maze go through the room with the drop towers or not? Or in other words, were the towers still there during the last scarefest?

 

[Thekingin64]

Did the scare maze go through the room with the drop towers or not? Or in other words, were the towers still there during the last scarefest?

Yes, it did. Went I last went in 2019, the drop towers and most of the ride theming were still in place. Can't confirm if they are now though.

As others have already mentioned, it was a great filler attraction and helped to fill the hole of Towers minimal flat ride line up. Would like to see it return but equally not fussed if it's gone for good, as long as its replaced by another flat.

 

[Joelpagett]

I did Project 42 back in Scarefest 2019, and pretty much looked like everything was intact back then. You went through the Nemesis egg room and although it was pretty chaotic, you could see everything was still there. But that was 2/3 seasons ago now, so it could have been snuck out during a closed season without anyone knowing, as it was hardly a massive structure! Probably could have fit the drop tower element in the back of my Corsa...

In my opinion (for what it's worth) actually quite enjoyed Nemesis Sub-Terra, I like the panic it induced with all the alarms and flashing sirens then the sudden drop. Albeit a short one, it was still enough to get the blood pumping.

I do think that with a story re-work, even just a minimal one, it could vastly cut down the number of staff it uses, and then make a nice little filler attraction for another few years. I am sure some of the props used in Project 42 + some compressed air would be enough to startle guests in the final exit 'scaremaze' without the need for actors.

I personally have my fingers crossed, as I would genuinely like to do it again!

 

[NeoXIII]

Honestly if I were to reopen just for Scarefest I'd probably do it, just to say I've done it. I just need someone to go with me please </3

 

[furie]

I actually went on opening day with minimal expectation, which it failed to meet.

However, as the year went on, the ride went from sub-par to sub-terrible.

It really was a trashy mess on opening.

The biggest issue is that the ride doesn't have any real kind of finale. I know they tried with the staff in costumes at the end, but it was all just a slow fizzle. It's a shame, because the ride built really well. I thought the lift scene after the main ride continued to build tension and then... wet fart.

I could never understand why it was closed though. Remove the staff from the end, and it can't be that expensive to maintain and run? Unless maybe they went on the cheap on the manufacturer and got trash? Save £10K on purchase, spend £20K each year replacing servos.

I would love to see it back open though, even with a wet fart ending - just because there's such a lack of filler rides at Alton these days.

 

[toofpikk]

I could never understand why it was closed though. Remove the staff from the end, and it can't be that expensive to maintain and run? Unless maybe they went on the cheap on the manufacturer and got trash?

I seem to remember a rumour; was that the ride system (being the same as the ones in the dungeons attractions) had a serious manufacturer fault with the restraints where riders were easily able to (and actually did) climb out. If my memory serves me correctly all these attractions closed for a short while whilst they made amendments to the rides in other attractions but sub-terra just never reopened.

 

[Jared]

Sub-Terra was closed following the Smiler accident to help cut costs at the Towers. Aka, damage limitations to the parks profit levels. With less people visiting following the incident, less staff were needed and less rides were operated.

 

[Matt N]

Sorry to bump the thread, but I have an update for you all; Scarefest began today, and actors are now roaming the park dressed in Sub-Terra uniform, for what it’s worth.

Could this just be something inconsequential, or could it be a tease towards something happening with the ride/area in 2022?

 

[Pokemaniac]

Sorry to bump the thread, but I have an update for you all; Scarefest began today, and actors are now roaming the park dressed in Sub-Terra uniform, for what it’s worth.

Could this just be something inconsequential, or could it be a tease towards something happening with the ride/area in 2022?

I'm going to guess it's something much more mundane: That the uniforms were packed away in some storage room after Sub-Terra closed, and somebody found them there when looking for Scarefest costumes to use this year.