Curse's End

Curse of DarKastle may have been a cutting-edge dark ride... but that alone can be a double-edged sword.

Think about it. DarKastle – like Spider-Man! – relied on a highly sophisticated ride system (albeit, using pneumatic pads for motion simulation versus Universal's more advanced and expensive hydraulics), an army of projectors and film media & screens, and complex physical effects like moving sets, fog machines, theatrical lighting, and audio. That would be a tall order for any park to install, much less to keep up. While such ongoing investment might sound reasonable when a ride is new, once crowds have moved on and a ride has settled into a fine supporting role in a park's lineup, suddenly when an effect goes caput, no one seems too energized about paying to get it fixed. 

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (backed by the billion dollar power of Universal Orlando) received a multi-million-dollar refresh in 2011 when the ride's film elements were completely reanimated from scratch, projectors were upgraded to 4KHD digital, and the ride itself was reprogrammed with a slightly-adjusted ride profile. Curse of DarKastle... did not. Instead, over the years, flickered out effects were common. The ride's motion was severely reduced allegedly to limit wear and tear. And despite being one of the few indoor attractions at the park, DarKastle began to close during the chilly Halloween and Christmas seasons... 

Especially with the SeaWorld Parks family enduring years of financial devastation after the 2013 film Blackfish soured many Americans on the brand, it seemed likely that DarKastle was doomed. And indeed, in January 2018, park representatives announced that DarKastle had operated for the last time. 13 years after it opened, the jaw-dropping dark ride was officially retired. The icy fortress was renamed "NewKastle", with the elaborate queue and hollowed out showbuilding used for Halloween haunted houses and Christmas meet-and-greets. It seemed a tragic waste of a wonderful asset... Until...

Project: DarKoaster

In mid-2021, rumors began to circulate that Busch Gardens' five year plan – rewritten from scratch after the COVID-19 pandemic – had gained an interesting addendum... a new ride to inhabit the abandoned DarKastle building... Our friends at BGWFans.com first broke the story, chronicling the quiet development of a ride they affectionately called "DarKoaster." 

The promise of an all-indoor, multi-launch, family roller coaster was enough to warrant excitement among fans. Even better, though, was the implication that this ride would be developed by Intamin – renowned coaster manufacturers whose long streak of experimental (and often temperamental) rides has reached new heights thanks to their latest batch of multi-launch coasters with memorably weird elements... like VelociCoaster and Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure (at Universal Orlando) and Busch Gardens Williamsburg's own Pantheon – a personality-filled, custom, terrain-following epic coaster that we think represents the next era of the Coaster Wars.

Obviously, a coaster squeezed into a former dark ride's showbuilding won't be breaking records for height or speed... But the plans unearthed by BGWFans did uncover something incredibly unique about the ride that would replace Curse of DarKastle. Though just over 1,200 feet of track would squeezed into the soundstage (with two launches along the way), the train will pass through the course twice, creating a 2,454 foot length with an awesome four launches in all. The way that'll work is through a unique transfer track running parallel to (but hidden from) the loading area, where switch tracks will divert trains at the circuit's end back to the first launch for another go-'round. 

Escape the Storm

Not only did BGWFans get the specifics spot-on... they even got the name. DarKoaster was officially announced September 6, 2022. And for fans, the best thing is that this ride isn't just a re-activation of the Curse of DarKastle building... it's a sort of semi-sequel to the ride.

Whereas DarKastle was a hauntingly eerie attraction with "Haunted Mansion" style flickering lanterns and ghostly gardens, DarKoaster will position us as something of urban explorers. Now, it'll be as if you and I are visitors to a modern day Oktoberfest in full swing. Just as we might choose to step into Gerta & Gunter's Tours and Rentals (the cover for the family launched coaster Verbolten), we might also decide that the allure of that old, abandoned, supposedly-haunted castle on the edge of town is just too great to ignore. Sneaking in through the yellow tape, we'll find ourselves in the shut-off ruins like modern day ghost-hunters.

There's just one problem. Supposedly, as we tour the remnants of this legendary haunted castle, we'll find ourselves trapped in a blizzard. The question is, is the freak snowstorm threatening to seal us away in DarKastle a natural phenomenon... or something supernatural?

We don't yet know if Ludwig himself will be the named villain of this experience (though concept art of him from the DarKastle days does adorn mood boards for the ride's development seen in a "preview center" Busch Gardens established). But it's clear from the concept art that the Mad King will indeed play a role in the story... even if less overt than the former dark ride. For example, we may not hear Ludwig speak, but we'll surely see his face somewhere along the ride's course as we take to snow mobiles (clever adaptations of Intamin's waterski vehicles already in use at several SeaWorld parks) and head out into the storm to escape DarKastle again.

Busch Gardens' Suzy Cheely, Director of Design and Engineering, told fans and media gathered for a preview, “You’ll definitely notice [the Easter eggs,] and we are kind of nodding back to King Ludwig and seeing what the next chapter of DarKastle is going to be for him. I think it’s just been fun to bring DarKastle back to life. We’ve been using the building for some other things the last few years, but to bring it back to life as a ride has been a dream, if you will. You know I was involved with the first project [Curse of DarKastle] back in 2005, so the fact that we’re going to build and have another ride here is pretty special.”

(It's likely – though unconfirmed – that various show elements like lighting, projection, and more will shift between circuits 1 and 2. Imagine, for example, if your first trip around the course is in darkness, while the second includes whipping snow, ghostly phantoms, and more.) 

To be sure, DarKastle will join Verbolten as the park's solid family coasters, each with a clever dark ride-style twist. But even with a max speed of just 36 miles per hour (which is sure to feel a lot faster when enclosed), this ride will surely stun guests with its four(!) launches, its switch track element, and what we hope and expect will be substantial special effects including projection, fog, and lighting effects that will elevate this experience to dark ride caliber. And hey, escaping Ludwig's wrath a second time? For Busch Gardens fans, it'll be a victory well earned.

Are you excited for DarKoaster? Do you think this follow-up to Curse of DarKastle will become a classic in Busch Gardens' lineup of "legendary" coasters that celebrate European stories and locations? Or will this family coaster fail to impress when thrill-seekers turn up to find it a dark ride / family coaster hybrid that lacks the intensity they've come to expect post-Pantheon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!