HeartlineCoaster
Theme Park Superhero
So this is my life now, waiting for new things to appear in Europe that give me an excuse to revisit somewhere.
Walibi have been busy and were winners of the construction race this year. Here we go.
Day 1 - Walibi Belgium
Was last here the year of the Kondaa (and the floods) and what a transformation it had had in just a few short years. From dirty European cred run with the Vekoma double delight, to major continental contender.
This year was no different, a pleasant and polished park experience that resulted in a great day out. I'm so used to expecting and preparing for the worst these days, that 5-15 minute queues for every attraction, on a weekend, was a lovely surprise.
Mecalodon
I hadn't paid too much attention to the development of this ride to be honest, to the point that it took me standing in the exit shop to realise what the name was about. Ah, Meca, like robots, got it.
Anyway it looks great already, love the entrance plaza area with the dock, lighthouse, some framing of the coaster etc. The first third of the queue is a bit of an adventure up and down stairs and through some sheds with more great views out over the area and beyond.
The second third is out and in amongst the layout so gives some good entertainment and views of what's to come. There's some great coaster sightlines in this park now, looking out past this to Tiki Waka and then Kondaa beyond. Last part is alongside the indoor launch track for some spoilers and noise, followed by a bit of light theming into the station, which is a pleasant building.
The trains are super open, which makes the fact that bags go on with riders even more of a surprise. There's very little in the way of sides where your feet go, and some of the whippy side to side action in the layout made me wonder if the policy will stand the test of time.
Open is good though, and they're nice and comfy. You head round the corner and stop on the launch section while someone on TV talks about sharks with a fake countdown. The launch hits way before 0 with that weird awkward tap on almost all these LSMs these days as it overcomes the initial inertia.
Launch ends with the big airtime hill looking thing, which is no big deal. It's not meant to be a thigh-bruiser.
The fun actually starts soon after, with the dynamic slithering section of very potent laterals. Love this on a family coaster.
Then there's one of those launches over a hump - Gerst are the next to join that trend it seems. Doesn't add a whole lot, but looks cool I guess. A big overbank and some low speed hills define this middle section before a second humpy launch directly alongside the last, which is a fun little design feature.
This is my favourite part, as there's a noticeable ramp up in intensity, lending to a great sense of a multi-act coaster. There's a surprising lurch out of the top of the hill into the double down bit and then another great hill straight into the signature tight turn you see from the plaza. Couple more twisty bits and you're done, a great build to a great climax.
All in all it's exactly what you want in a family coaster. As fun to look at as it is to ride. Gives you a little something to think about in terms of forces. Very lengthy and well balanced experience - a good payoff for your queue time. Not 30 minutes for an SBF spinner.
Gerstlauer have been very good at this light thrill coaster game for a good while now, I've often thought they should do more. It's great to see them really step it up a gear, can't think of a finer example for them right now.
What else is on park?
Challenge of Shootankhamon
I haven't done a dark ride in like 10 months, which is pretty criminal. Great way to get back in the game with this one, a true classic.
The tronics are top notch, the interactive element is engaging and I love the fact that some of the things you're firing at actually approach you enough to feel like a threat. It's such an underdone thing in a world of mostly passive shooting dark rides.
Our car managed to pull the full sequence out of the bag - got to see the boss, beat him and earn that sweet, sweet treasure.
10/10
Popcorn Revenge
On the other end of the scale, you've got the highly imaginative and replayable screen-based shenanigans of this other classic. Maybe I just was feeling good because I consistently destroyed everyone, maybe its the fact that I always got to be lemon, maybe it's that use of trackless technology that actually means something when you're dancing around a central hub or heading into a theatre with a sense of magic.
It was giving great vibes.
10/10
Palais du Genie
<imagine a palace with a genie in it>
Gave the old madhouse a spin to show it some love. Preshow gets funnier every time with the way the old man actor interacts with the camera.
Hardware was feeling a little tired, the sound of the mechanism creaking was drowning out the onboard audio sequence from where I was sitting. Always appreciate the spectacle though. The Walibi B dark ride game is strong.
Tiki Taka
Tiki Waka threw a bit of a fit in the morning and then suffered the most with queues later in the day, but the power of the single rider queues here is not to be understated if you just can't be arsed to wait, like I often can't these days.
I remember very little of this ride previously. Rode it in heavy rain, with a mask, looking at the floor the whole time if I recall, so didn't notice the theming touches like that they're little race cars and there's trophies in the station and such.
Felt a little wobbly for only being a few years old. It's a decent bobsled, but not amongst the best of its kind in terms of pure hardware. At the point of last riding this one I had done them all. Think there's a new one again now, out there, spiting me.
Kondaaaa
Ahhhh. I haven't ridden anything good since Hyperia, 9 months ago, which is pretty criminal.
Kondaa was kicking all of the ass. I thought I had sussed it out on my 22 laps of waterboarding, but it was being a whole new beast again in the sunshine.
Epic airtime, violent sideways ejection, strong positives, absolutely wild ending, it delivers on almost every level. Found myself appreciating the non-inverting cobra more than before, but there's still a couple glimmers of 'nothing happens here' in that middle section holding it back from pure perfection.
Saddens me that it snuck out of the top 25 not too long ago, competition is so tight, maybe I'll take another look at the list at some point but I don't get to revisit it enough these days so it becomes a struggle.
Up next - Walibi
Walibi have been busy and were winners of the construction race this year. Here we go.
Day 1 - Walibi Belgium
Was last here the year of the Kondaa (and the floods) and what a transformation it had had in just a few short years. From dirty European cred run with the Vekoma double delight, to major continental contender.
This year was no different, a pleasant and polished park experience that resulted in a great day out. I'm so used to expecting and preparing for the worst these days, that 5-15 minute queues for every attraction, on a weekend, was a lovely surprise.
Mecalodon
I hadn't paid too much attention to the development of this ride to be honest, to the point that it took me standing in the exit shop to realise what the name was about. Ah, Meca, like robots, got it.
Anyway it looks great already, love the entrance plaza area with the dock, lighthouse, some framing of the coaster etc. The first third of the queue is a bit of an adventure up and down stairs and through some sheds with more great views out over the area and beyond.
The second third is out and in amongst the layout so gives some good entertainment and views of what's to come. There's some great coaster sightlines in this park now, looking out past this to Tiki Waka and then Kondaa beyond. Last part is alongside the indoor launch track for some spoilers and noise, followed by a bit of light theming into the station, which is a pleasant building.
The trains are super open, which makes the fact that bags go on with riders even more of a surprise. There's very little in the way of sides where your feet go, and some of the whippy side to side action in the layout made me wonder if the policy will stand the test of time.
Open is good though, and they're nice and comfy. You head round the corner and stop on the launch section while someone on TV talks about sharks with a fake countdown. The launch hits way before 0 with that weird awkward tap on almost all these LSMs these days as it overcomes the initial inertia.
Launch ends with the big airtime hill looking thing, which is no big deal. It's not meant to be a thigh-bruiser.
The fun actually starts soon after, with the dynamic slithering section of very potent laterals. Love this on a family coaster.
Then there's one of those launches over a hump - Gerst are the next to join that trend it seems. Doesn't add a whole lot, but looks cool I guess. A big overbank and some low speed hills define this middle section before a second humpy launch directly alongside the last, which is a fun little design feature.
This is my favourite part, as there's a noticeable ramp up in intensity, lending to a great sense of a multi-act coaster. There's a surprising lurch out of the top of the hill into the double down bit and then another great hill straight into the signature tight turn you see from the plaza. Couple more twisty bits and you're done, a great build to a great climax.
All in all it's exactly what you want in a family coaster. As fun to look at as it is to ride. Gives you a little something to think about in terms of forces. Very lengthy and well balanced experience - a good payoff for your queue time. Not 30 minutes for an SBF spinner.
Gerstlauer have been very good at this light thrill coaster game for a good while now, I've often thought they should do more. It's great to see them really step it up a gear, can't think of a finer example for them right now.
What else is on park?
Challenge of Shootankhamon
I haven't done a dark ride in like 10 months, which is pretty criminal. Great way to get back in the game with this one, a true classic.
The tronics are top notch, the interactive element is engaging and I love the fact that some of the things you're firing at actually approach you enough to feel like a threat. It's such an underdone thing in a world of mostly passive shooting dark rides.
Our car managed to pull the full sequence out of the bag - got to see the boss, beat him and earn that sweet, sweet treasure.
10/10
Popcorn Revenge
On the other end of the scale, you've got the highly imaginative and replayable screen-based shenanigans of this other classic. Maybe I just was feeling good because I consistently destroyed everyone, maybe its the fact that I always got to be lemon, maybe it's that use of trackless technology that actually means something when you're dancing around a central hub or heading into a theatre with a sense of magic.
It was giving great vibes.
10/10
Palais du Genie
<imagine a palace with a genie in it>
Gave the old madhouse a spin to show it some love. Preshow gets funnier every time with the way the old man actor interacts with the camera.
Hardware was feeling a little tired, the sound of the mechanism creaking was drowning out the onboard audio sequence from where I was sitting. Always appreciate the spectacle though. The Walibi B dark ride game is strong.
Tiki Taka
Tiki Waka threw a bit of a fit in the morning and then suffered the most with queues later in the day, but the power of the single rider queues here is not to be understated if you just can't be arsed to wait, like I often can't these days.
I remember very little of this ride previously. Rode it in heavy rain, with a mask, looking at the floor the whole time if I recall, so didn't notice the theming touches like that they're little race cars and there's trophies in the station and such.
Felt a little wobbly for only being a few years old. It's a decent bobsled, but not amongst the best of its kind in terms of pure hardware. At the point of last riding this one I had done them all. Think there's a new one again now, out there, spiting me.
Kondaaaa
Ahhhh. I haven't ridden anything good since Hyperia, 9 months ago, which is pretty criminal.
Kondaa was kicking all of the ass. I thought I had sussed it out on my 22 laps of waterboarding, but it was being a whole new beast again in the sunshine.
Epic airtime, violent sideways ejection, strong positives, absolutely wild ending, it delivers on almost every level. Found myself appreciating the non-inverting cobra more than before, but there's still a couple glimmers of 'nothing happens here' in that middle section holding it back from pure perfection.
Saddens me that it snuck out of the top 25 not too long ago, competition is so tight, maybe I'll take another look at the list at some point but I don't get to revisit it enough these days so it becomes a struggle.
Up next - Walibi
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