DarKoaster

Rounding the corner from the loading dock, the train aligns with a corridor of arches recalling the architecture of DarKastle. They’re lit like brown stone, etched and carved with time. Without stopping to pause, the snowmobiles suddenly accelerate through the arches (“Launch A”) and out into the darkness. At the end of the launch track, a lightning strike illuminates, sending the snowmobiles tearing up to the left and into the darkness.

From that vantage point, you can see the most steady element of the ride – a “projection bridge” that you’ll end up passing under four times. On this first pass, it’s a snowy bridge with dripping icicles. Above it, purple lightning flashes draw your eye toward the purple specter of Ludwig, reaching outward. 

The train sweeps under the bridge and to the left, aligning with “Launch B,” which is right under a set of unusual, puffy “clouds” lit from within. The snowmobiles race up and to the right, swirling around and then passing the ride’s weakest scene. Two spectral “ghouls” illuminate on the right. They’re clearly mannequins in sheets with hands outstretched. As you think you’ve passed them, a strobe light suddenly illuminates a third ahead and to the left, causing the train to dart away to escape. (It could be that these “ghouls” are meant to be retro, but they’re really just hokey and low-grade.)

The train continues through the darkness, passing under the “projection bridge” again (this time with the abstract face of Ludwig’s spirit glaring down from above). Technically, this is where the track reconnects to the station. But DarKoaster’s secret ingredient cleverly doubles the ride’s length when instead, a “switch track” has moved into place, diverting the train down a “bypass”.

(Unlike most unusual, technological elements that tend to be the marketing focus of a roller coaster – like drop track, swing launches, or backwards sections – Busch Gardens hasn’t really acknowledged the bypass track or made the ride’s double-lap set-up part of its messaging. That makes sense, since the whole point is to lengthen the otherwise limited ride, not to call attention to the fact that you’re doing the same thing twice.)

The bypass grazes alongside the single, physical set remaining from DarKastle: the castle’s “exterior wall” (previously seen in the dark ride’s first scene). It’s a lovely set, with multi-color stained glass windows providing one of the most “real” moments in the ride. At the wall’s end, the train is reconnected to Launch A, though this time, lighting has shifted to make the arched corridor appear blue. As before, lightning strikes at the end of the launch, leading to the same ascent to the left. This time, the “projection bridge” has no bridge. Instead, it’s a hazy cloud of purple with Ludwig’s ghostly hand reaching for the train. 

As before, the train realigns with Launch B except that this time, those puffy clouds each emit a lightning bolt as the train accelerates, passing between them. Mercifully, the “ghouls” stay dark on round two, which actually creates a wonderfully strong sense of confusion since the last twists and turns after “Launch B” are tackled in pure darkness, without any sense of landmarks or orientation.

And when you align with the “projection bridge” for a fourth time, it’s now got an image of the ghostly king who opens his mouth and “swallows” the train in a release of fog just as slows on the brakes. During lap 2, the switch track quietly reset to send the slowed train back to the station, and as a distant wall lights up, we see that we have, indeed, survived. 

In short, there are five “interactions” within the showbuilding – that initial lightning strike, the “projection bridge,” the hovering storm clouds, the “ghouls,” and the castle wall that runs parallel to the bypass track. Some of them show up on both laps. Others activate just on the first or just the second. And the “projection bridge” is passed under four times, with a different projected element each time. As you can imagine, each moment is gone in a flash, interspersed between the ride’s weaving layout and its two launches.

Frankly, the most complete way to understand DarKoaster without riding it is probably some combination of our hand-illustrated ride layout above, an off-ride video that helps you keep your bearings, and of course, a classic point-of-view video here:

Our Findings & Thoughts

For just a moment, forget whether or not the ride should be more intense or less intense, or whether it’s a fitting continuation of DarKastle. On its own merits, DarKoaster is a fun ride. And at least measured against the norms and financial affairs of Busch Gardens’ parent company, SeaWorld Parks, it’s a surprisingly extravagant one, making use of serious show control systems, some physical sets, a custom music score, and even projection mapping. 

Of course, there’s no denying that the results are somewhat mixed. The “ghouls” feel particularly weak, and the puffy storm clouds are… unusual. Likewise, while the “projection bridge” is a clever element, it doesn’t feel well-used until the fourth of your four encounters with it, when Ludwig “swallows” the train. Otherwise, it’s too high up to feel like Ludwig’s ghost “chasing” you; it’s like someone liked the idea of Disneyland’s Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy holiday overlay, but didn’t get the green light to have screens close to the trains and throughout the building. (Pre-vis teasers also show the train passing through an enclosed, rocky, icy tunnel, which was apparently cut but would’ve been a much-needed physical scene.)

Some have claimed that you can’t really tell that you repeat the ride’s layout twice. Meh. I find that hard to believe. Whether or not you recognize the physical track layout, on both go-rounds, Launch A is in the arched corridor and Launch B is among the puffy storm clouds. It would seem to me that most riders would understand what happened if you asked them, even if they didn’t consciously think about it until you asked. And that’s okay! Sure, we might’ve liked two entirely distinct laps that really could hide the repeat layout, but it still works and feels different enough each time that most guests probably wouldn’t bother to think about it.

It’s okay, too, that DarKoaster doesn’t really have a “story” or a “plot,” but some simple environmental tweaks could’ve helped big time. For example, it would be very cool if the ride’s interior were filled with fog and – in a few key spots – had snow-capped pine trees lit by “moonlight” filtering through the fog. That would reinforce the notion that guests are “outside” (something the current ride doesn’t communicate at all), and why we’re on snowmobiles. On the first lap, some programmed purple spotlights moving through the foggy, chilly air could give the sense of Ludwig’s spirit “chasing” riders as they dodge through trees. 

Then, on round two, a simple lighting trick (think of Space Mountain’s “stars”) could see several disco balls around the room used to create a chaotic “snow storm,” with disorienting lights in the darkness and fog. Combine that with the ride’s existing “projection bridge” and the castle wall set and you’ve got a very strong family ride with very simple – but very effective – environmental storytelling. 

Lastly, we have to acknowledge that Busch Gardens was right to be cagey in how they avoided explicitly calling the ride a “sequel” to DarKastle. It isn’t. The Ludwig in this ride hasn’t got anything to do with the one we met on the dark ride. He never speaks, he doesn’t look quite the same, he isn’t a werewolf, and certainly has no great puns. (“It’s time to heat things up!” as he pulls you into a fireplace.) Other than the re-stylized, silent version of Ludwig himself, the “lore,” characters, and music of DarKastle don’t make any appearances. 

Speaking of which, the only other “issue” we have with DarKoaster as it currently exists is the ride’s score. (It doesn’t have on-board audio, but it does have custom music played in the showbuilding that’s timed to the ride.) Despite hinting that DarKastle’s (very good) music would shape DarKoaster’s, I don’t pick up on that at all. That’s a shame, because the music that DarKoaster does use (which you can hear pretty well in the off-ride video above) actually sounds more like a tense, eerie background loop that should play in the queue, not an action-packed, exciting score to be played on the ride. 

As you pass through Ludwig’s mouth and onto the brakes, it sort of resolves and quietly fades away, which is a shame. One need only ride the Modern Marvel: Revenge of the Mummy to know how a triumphant musical finale can send guests back to the station cheering. Again, we presume that Falcon’s Creative retains the music from DarKastle, but that’s a shame…

Der Verdict

DarKoaster is in a unique position at the park. By the numbers, it fills a gap in the park’s lineup, offering thrills firmly between Grover’s Alpine Express and the park’s former entry-level thrill ride fare: Invadr and Verbolten. (Of course, though it fills that niche on paper, it’s also quite scary with its spooky queue, darkness, and pop-out props.) Luckily, the ride’s spirit is very appropriate for Busch Gardens, where rides tend to draw on myths, legends, and sometimes-scary fables from “The Old Country” (like Verbolten, Corkscrew Hill, Curse of DarKastle, and more). 

The issue for now is that most guests turning up for DarKoaster are likely seeking either an intense and dynamic roller coaster, or a sequel to Curse of DarKastle. Frankly, DarKoaster is neither. And when those expectations collide with multi-hour waits, continuous downtime, and irritating operations and communication blackouts, it’s bound to create a whole lot of upset.

In three years, we expect that DarKoaster will settle perfectly into the park’s lineup, maintaining 15 – 20 minute waits throughout the day. When that happens, it’ll probably be a whole lot more appreciated and adored. We certainly wish for some “plusses” or “tweaks” to DarKoaster in the coming years, but given SeaWorld’s track record, that seems unlikely. (Verbolten, for example, had an entire physical set removed and never replaced.) 

In other words, the DarKoaster we have now is probably the best version of the ride we’ll see. And that’s not a bad thing! But until its terrifying teething issues are sorted, just be sure you know what you’re getting: an uneven family coaster that doesn’t quite fill the shoes left vacant by the masterful dark ride of old…