^ Rode for the first time yesterday (got three goes), and the above review pretty much sums up my feelings perfectly.
The area aesthetic is “fine”. It’s very Six Flags / Cedar Fair in terms of presentation, in the sense that there’s no theme or immersivity to speak of. There's boxy buildings/facilities/station, a gold 'overlay' (rather than theme), and virtually no interaction between the ride layout and the surrounding guest areas, including queue-line. It's all fine, but it's just a bit of a missed opportunity, particularly the interactivity point. Something like the cut splashdown viewing area would really elevate things.
As for the ride - Hyperia's 30-40 seconds of ridetime are the best 30-40 seconds of roller coaster you can find in the UK without question, and perhaps some of the best 30-40 seconds of roller coaster you can find worldwide. Its elements are spectacular and insane; particularly the outerbank/dive element. I got lucky and got a front seat ride, and this was just beautifully mad all the way through the element. So much fun. As you exit the fourth big element (the stall), Hyperia has been truly special.
But the problem is... that's the end of the ride.
Not to get too philosophical about the experience of roller coasters, and the 'narrative' journey you get taken on, but at the point you hit the splashdown brakes, the ride just doesn't feel 'complete' - and yet you're one turn from the end. It feels like you’re halfway through this epic movie/TV series/concert/[insert medium of choice], which unexpectedly and suddenly just stops. Having been pulled up a 236ft high summit, for the journey to be forcibly stopped after 30-40s when the train still has so much energy, it's actually quite jarring and unsatisfying, despite the prior highs. The splashdown brakes so strong that it's obvious as you're riding that things are being forced to an unexpected close; you actually feel a bit miffed and disapppointed, before the ride's even ended.
When the plans were released, on paper it looked like a disappointingly short layout for a hypercoaster - but this directly translates to how it actually *feels* when riding it too. I'm ok with a short ride - I love the likes of Stealth or Oblivion - but their brevity and singularity are kinda the point of the experience they're trying to deliver. As a result, the experience, despite being shorter, feels 'full' - the narrative journey you're on feels like it progresses and ends as it should. Likewise, even on a ‘longer’ coaster like Nemesis, the ending feels like it comes about at the right time. Hyperia just feels like it's missing a huge portion of ride experience between the stall and the finale - like it's missing its second half.
Perhaps I'm unfairly judging this against expectations set by other coasters, particularly hyper coasters (Shambhala, Hyperion), that tend to have a much longer layout that makes full use of the greater potential energy the train possesses. Whereas I don’t think I’ve ever been on a Merlin coaster that I’d describe as long, the feeling of the ride time being too short is exacerbated because of Hyperia's unique selling point: its extreme height. When you're taken up to and dropped from 236ft, you feel like you're on a journey - so when it is brought to an end after only 30-40s when the train is still flying, it feels unnatural and like your journey's been cut short.
I guess there was no budget for a longer layout (in which case, not quite sure a 236ft tall hyper is the best choice of ride)? But given they did go this direction, yes, the splashdown braking section unfortunately becomes essential to slow the train - but I think there are ways it could have been implemented differently to make it feel less jarring to riders. Had this appeared as per the plans, with the braking being part of a 'true' splashdown section with a guest viewing area (again, think Shambhala), then this brake run I think would at least feel more like another big feature or ‘element’ of the ride. But instead, it’s exposed without defence as the killjoy it is: a disappointing and clunky plot device that’s needed to scrub off speed and bring the ride to its enforced early conclusion.
(I should note that the splashdown fountains weren't working at all when I rode - so perhaps I didn't see it on its best day. (Equally, the fact the fountains weren’t working after just a few weeks of operation perhaps illustrates another issue!)) In the interest of fairness, I should also note that I'm not sure I've ever seen operations better on a coaster - the ops team there are doing a fantastic job of batching full trains and dispatching super quickly.)
So all in all, Hyperia is a weird one to review. I don't mean for this review to sound overly negative, because it's not meant to be - its 30-40 seconds of ridetime are undeniably some of the best you'll find worldwide. I came off the ride buzzing, wanting to go straight back round for another go - and I can't wait to get future rides in. Yet, at the same time, it also seems like a massive missed opportunity on a number of fronts. This applies to the overall ride package (including the station, environment, splashdown, theme etc.) but most importantly to the ride itself, where it feels like only half the intended or 'expected' ride experience was actually delivered. That feeling of "this could be so much more" is not just some wishful roller coaster enthusiast's 'want' - it actually *feels* like that when you're riding it, despite how good the preceding ride experience has been.
The area aesthetic is “fine”. It’s very Six Flags / Cedar Fair in terms of presentation, in the sense that there’s no theme or immersivity to speak of. There's boxy buildings/facilities/station, a gold 'overlay' (rather than theme), and virtually no interaction between the ride layout and the surrounding guest areas, including queue-line. It's all fine, but it's just a bit of a missed opportunity, particularly the interactivity point. Something like the cut splashdown viewing area would really elevate things.
As for the ride - Hyperia's 30-40 seconds of ridetime are the best 30-40 seconds of roller coaster you can find in the UK without question, and perhaps some of the best 30-40 seconds of roller coaster you can find worldwide. Its elements are spectacular and insane; particularly the outerbank/dive element. I got lucky and got a front seat ride, and this was just beautifully mad all the way through the element. So much fun. As you exit the fourth big element (the stall), Hyperia has been truly special.
But the problem is... that's the end of the ride.
Not to get too philosophical about the experience of roller coasters, and the 'narrative' journey you get taken on, but at the point you hit the splashdown brakes, the ride just doesn't feel 'complete' - and yet you're one turn from the end. It feels like you’re halfway through this epic movie/TV series/concert/[insert medium of choice], which unexpectedly and suddenly just stops. Having been pulled up a 236ft high summit, for the journey to be forcibly stopped after 30-40s when the train still has so much energy, it's actually quite jarring and unsatisfying, despite the prior highs. The splashdown brakes so strong that it's obvious as you're riding that things are being forced to an unexpected close; you actually feel a bit miffed and disapppointed, before the ride's even ended.
When the plans were released, on paper it looked like a disappointingly short layout for a hypercoaster - but this directly translates to how it actually *feels* when riding it too. I'm ok with a short ride - I love the likes of Stealth or Oblivion - but their brevity and singularity are kinda the point of the experience they're trying to deliver. As a result, the experience, despite being shorter, feels 'full' - the narrative journey you're on feels like it progresses and ends as it should. Likewise, even on a ‘longer’ coaster like Nemesis, the ending feels like it comes about at the right time. Hyperia just feels like it's missing a huge portion of ride experience between the stall and the finale - like it's missing its second half.
Perhaps I'm unfairly judging this against expectations set by other coasters, particularly hyper coasters (Shambhala, Hyperion), that tend to have a much longer layout that makes full use of the greater potential energy the train possesses. Whereas I don’t think I’ve ever been on a Merlin coaster that I’d describe as long, the feeling of the ride time being too short is exacerbated because of Hyperia's unique selling point: its extreme height. When you're taken up to and dropped from 236ft, you feel like you're on a journey - so when it is brought to an end after only 30-40s when the train is still flying, it feels unnatural and like your journey's been cut short.
I guess there was no budget for a longer layout (in which case, not quite sure a 236ft tall hyper is the best choice of ride)? But given they did go this direction, yes, the splashdown braking section unfortunately becomes essential to slow the train - but I think there are ways it could have been implemented differently to make it feel less jarring to riders. Had this appeared as per the plans, with the braking being part of a 'true' splashdown section with a guest viewing area (again, think Shambhala), then this brake run I think would at least feel more like another big feature or ‘element’ of the ride. But instead, it’s exposed without defence as the killjoy it is: a disappointing and clunky plot device that’s needed to scrub off speed and bring the ride to its enforced early conclusion.
(I should note that the splashdown fountains weren't working at all when I rode - so perhaps I didn't see it on its best day. (Equally, the fact the fountains weren’t working after just a few weeks of operation perhaps illustrates another issue!)) In the interest of fairness, I should also note that I'm not sure I've ever seen operations better on a coaster - the ops team there are doing a fantastic job of batching full trains and dispatching super quickly.)
So all in all, Hyperia is a weird one to review. I don't mean for this review to sound overly negative, because it's not meant to be - its 30-40 seconds of ridetime are undeniably some of the best you'll find worldwide. I came off the ride buzzing, wanting to go straight back round for another go - and I can't wait to get future rides in. Yet, at the same time, it also seems like a massive missed opportunity on a number of fronts. This applies to the overall ride package (including the station, environment, splashdown, theme etc.) but most importantly to the ride itself, where it feels like only half the intended or 'expected' ride experience was actually delivered. That feeling of "this could be so much more" is not just some wishful roller coaster enthusiast's 'want' - it actually *feels* like that when you're riding it, despite how good the preceding ride experience has been.