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Thorpe Park | Hyperia | Mack Hyper Coaster | 2024

So if I don't write my review tonight, I probably won't at all.

Equally, I am very tired and have an early start tomorrow, so forgive me if this is patchy or brief.

I'll preface this with my usual press night statement: I know some people will say "oh, you're opinions are biased, you have a vested interest to be positive" or "you're a Thorpe goon, of course you'll only say positive things. My review will be as honest and truthful as positive, based on my experiences. I've been at pretty much every Thorpe press event since Swarm's back in 2012. In the past, I've told managers to their faces when I think something is rubbish. I've congratulated people for successes. I've said when something has disappointed me, surprised me or just 'not been my cup of tea'.

I was able to get 3 rides during the course of this evening. All of them were back row, and one of them was a night ride. I wanted to mix it up a bit - especially to get a front row experience - but it's just the way it worked.

I will say I found the evening a bit frustrating, with the initial opening being a bit chaotic, although I appreciated the effort for an opening ceremony. I'm sure tomorrow will be smoother, as the set up and organisation is a bit different, but tonight was a bit clunky.

So anyways, the ride.
  • The lift hill is quick, especially in comparison to Big One. But it still feels like an eternity going up. And seeing the park beside you and how you tower over it, is really something. And when you're stood very close to it, you realise: this is tall.
  • The drop. My god the drop. It feels like you're being thrown out to the ground at the top. You stay out of your seat during the twist, which adds to the feeling you're just going to die frankly.
  • The non-inverting Immelmann is fab, giving a nice pop of airtime.
  • The outerbank dive is fab. You are genuinely out of your seat the whole time, as you slowly twist upside down. Such a weird sensation, but so very cool.
  • Quickly going into the stall, you're again left hanging (literally).
  • The water splash effect does have trims which does notably slow you down, but it doesn't slow you down so that you feel like you're going significantly slower. Think of it as a "gentle press on a car's brake" type of trim, rather than a "harsh car brake" trim. Towards the back, if you stick your hands out, you get a bit wet.
  • The outer banked airtime afterwards offers some surprising ejector. After my first ride, this was actually a highlight, for how surprising it was. After multiple rides, it's not the highlight, but still definitely a highlight.
  • The airtime into the brakes is fine. Maybe not the strongest ended, but still a nice pop
  • The brakes roll the train into the station very slowly
For me, this is my favourite UK coaster I think. I still need time to digest, and I'd like to ride it in other rows too. I also hear the front row is a completely different beast (a lot "floatier" rather than "intense / aggressive"). But yeah, this is a fantastic ride. It doesn't feel too short, as it packs a lot in, and hitting the brakes is that sort of "omg" moment, as you process it all. Could it have had another element after the water splash, perhaps to negate the need for a trim altogether? Possibly, but it doesn't harm the ride.

I didn't notice a "Mack rattle" during my rides. However, I do think it has the potential to do so, and could end up riding rough in the future. This is something that the legendary Ian from CoasterForce first said this evening, and I have to agree. That will come down to how this type of Mack ages, and what Thorpe do to look after it.

There is a neat little dispatch sequence as the train leaves the station:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1793709598886822387

Other bits:
  • Mack employees are naturally very happy with the result, and generally and genuinely all love it
  • The ride warms up a lot during the day. During testing phases, it could be take 42 seconds to complete the circuit in the morning, and then drop down to 31 seconds by the afternoon / evening
  • Operations are good on two trains. They removed one to help alleviate pressure on engineering for tomorrow. There were a few shutdowns this evening, partially due to some issues with gates, and also due to someone flying a drone around the ride. Operation on one train is slow.
  • The plaza looks quite nice. It needs some polishing off, but it's good.
  • The ride area, however, is definitely unfinished. It needs tidying up, planting to go in, etc. But in any case, it was always going to be a couple of years before this really looked nice.
  • There will be an opening ceremony / shows for the first few days as a minimum. It's a nice little thing
  • There's some boards around the ride area telling the story of Hyperia, sort of. They're nice, but the backs of them are plain and easy to see around the area, and stick out like a sore thumb
https://twitter.com/x/status/1793701505725530465

Overall, Hyperia is a fantastic addition for Thorpe Park, and for the UK. It's exactly what the park needed. I really enjoyed it, and it's a "Top 10%" coaster for me.

I'll leave you with my first ORP (me on the left):
1716502463733.png
 
The longer layout of Sheikra makes the experience way better than Oblivion?
Click to expand...
Yes for sure!

Xcelerator may not be the best example since the two turns it has are pretty bland, but certainly there are other coasters with big tophats with extended layouts that are much better than Stealth :)
 
JoshC. said:
So if I don't write my review tonight, I probably won't at all.

Equally, I am very tired and have an early start tomorrow, so forgive me if this is patchy or brief.
Click to expand...

Excellent review Josh. Thank you for taking the time to say all of this, some very informative takeaway points here.

It’ll be interesting to see how tomorrow goes. Advertisement has been ramping up significantly across london, this evening alone I saw Hyperia on 3 different banners across the city.

Every single review I’ve read so far has been at least a ‘hey, that’s pretty good!’ Which is obviously excellent. Curious to see how the general consensus looks by the end of the weekend.
 
We'll start to see some more balanced reviews once the hype dies down. No pun intended.

This 'best in the UK' thing is quite laughable.

The 'most weightless coaster' claim is also really cloying because the way it's written doesn't make any sense, unless that steel is actually extremely low density carbon fibre and it will last less time than Odyssey in a stiff breeze.

I kind of wish I was there, if I'm entirely honest, but the park is vile even when it's not got a crowd that it has no idea what to do with. I'm going to Portsmouth in July, so I can stop in for an hour on my way back.

[/seriouspartofpost]

As a proud Nemesis jacket wearer, I've also decided that the people in over-Hyped-eria jackets are now my sworn enemies.
 
spicy said:
Do the extra couple turns on Xcelerator make the ride experience much better than Stealth?
Click to expand...
Yes, they do. But also the lapbars on Xcelerator made it a much better coaster
spicy said:
The longer layout of Sheikra makes the experience way better than Oblivion?

I’d argue no and personally I enjoy the shorter layouts just as much as the longer ones..
Click to expand...
No but only compared to Oblivion.
Because the drop into that deep dark hole still is very impressive.
But compared to the smaller dive coasters like Baron 1878, Sheikra is a lot better
spicy said:
Do I wish Hyperia was a bit longer? Of course.

Am I going to enjoy Hyperia just as much as a longer hyper? Definitely.
Click to expand...
 
To be clear: This is an opinion of someone who hasn't ridden Hyperia yet.

But my main issue with its lenght is that it is neither a full fledged layout, nor a one trick pony. It's a bit in an identity crisis. It has a total of 4 elements after the drop (turnaround, outward banked, that "finnish" Dive-Loop and a Wave-turn). That's all it is. A one-trick pony usually has 1 or 2 elements, maybe a couple of filler elements afterwards. A "complete" rollercoaster usually gets closer to 10 elements.

So yes, here lies my issue: It is too long to be considered a one-trick pony, which would make up for its length to a certain degree. But it is also too short to feel like a complete experience, with half of its ride time coming from drawn out layouts and 2 sets of trimm brakes.

It doesn't even tick the Rita/Desert-Race box for me, which would require it to be a short but very intense experience. The drawn out elements and especially those trimms prior to the wave-turn kill those vibes for me.

I might change my mind after riding it, but for now Hyperia is a Schrödinger's one-trick pony.
 
ZeroG said:
at the risk of sounding like a massive twat:

The discussion about length is not interesting.

People are coming to this thread for up-to-date info not a debate that could have been had years ago by people who haven't ridden it.
Click to expand...
Couldn’t agree more, I don’t know why people who haven’t been on it are saying claims of it being the best in the uk are “laughable”.

We’ve had a year or so to voice concerns over the layout, please stop regurgitating negativity in here for no good reason people.
 
My review:

It's short. It's got a rattle. The station is a bit drab and shed like, and the surrounding area is underwhelming (which I hope will improve when the landscaping is finished and has matured). The colours of the supports irked me - it would look better if they blended it, like on Stealth. They sort of reminded me of the game Ker Plunk. I would not enjoy spending several hours in that cattle pen queue. It had technical issues with a train. Some twat kept flying a drone nearby which meant shutdowns.

Now the elephants in the room have been addressed, lets actually talk about the magnificent beast she is (and don't get all arsey on me for calling an object female - Hyperia is named after the daughter of a Greek goodess after all).

It's brilliant. The pace is fab. Lap bars give a sense of freedom and space. It's full of big moments from start to finish. No dead track. No repetition of elements, such as ever decreasing airtime hills. Just big moments. As it climbs the lift hill and surpasses Saw in height, the view of the area broadens. I forgot about the drop...until it happened! It's a rush and a half as it turns and drops towards the ground, feeling a lot faster than it looks. Lovely bit of disorientating direction changing takes place before the turn. The turn is beautiful. On each of my three rides, I changed where I looked. First ride (back row) I kept my eyes on the horizon and my brain was magically confused by the direction my body was going and the angle of the horizon. What a visual spectacular! Second go (front row), I fixated on the track and it felt like the ride was showing off. Third ride (back again), I closed my eyes and went limp - pure sensational escapism. I dislike upside down hangtime, but the upside-downy bit was slick enough not to bother me. On one go at night, I kept my eyes on Stealth and smiled with manic joy as I saw it flip upside down and appear "small" in the distance. The water splash was a bit meh and there is a brief noticeable kill in the pace, but all is soon forgiven by the cheeky slap of airtime before it does the dip turn before the final airtime hill and brake run.

<start Grand Designs ending style summary>
Is it the best coaster in the UK? Possibly. Most certainly "one of". Forget the length, ignore that rattle, and enjoy those big moments. I think that my nostalgic feelings about Swarm, Nemesis and the like get in the way of me outright declaring it number one, but Hyperia is big in all literal meanings. And perhaps that's the point. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a big occasion coaster. It's going to be the new number one for many people, and maybe it will get casual riders discussing and discovering coasters. I don't hide that I've been off the boil for a few years, but Hyperia has certainly reinvigorated my love for coasters. If it encourages a new generation of goons and makes me feel excited again, then it has to be a good thing!

Job well done, Thorpe. Job very well done indeed.
<cue Grand Designs music, camera drone pans out, I walk into distance>
 
Seeing posts of the queue time board - currently showing at 240 minutes (4 hours) long.
I'll be quite surprised if this is actually accurate, as Nemesis Reborn's queue reached 275 minutes on opening day and I swear this coaster is meant to have a lower throughput 🤨
 
I managed 3 rides last night. Two in the back, one in the front. Easily best ride in the UK for me, the airtime, huge elements, first drop and lapbars just offer something we've not really had over here before. Its a bit short, and it doesnt really feel like a hyper coaster, but all the elements it does have are pretty perfect. It kinda feels like if Steel Vengeance or Konda just ended after their MCBR's, its got the big show stopping elements but it doesnt faff around afterwards. Some will like that, some won't.
 
I am looking forward to riding it next week. It sounds like Mack has hit another goldmine. I do doubt it be being better than Voltron though. Mostly due to Voltron being double the length. That first drop looks unreal though.
 
ScottLann said:
Seeing posts of the queue time board - currently showing at 240 minutes (4 hours) long.
I'll be quite surprised if this is actually accurate, as Nemesis Reborn's queue reached 275 minutes on opening day and I swear this coaster is meant to have a lower throughput 🤨
Click to expand...
I would presume that tomorrow, a Saturday of a bank holiday weekend at the start of half term, will be when the queue setup is truly tested. Getting such a high queue on a workday is already quite a feat.
 
From riding it last night, I will say its a Solid Coaster. one very memorable moment is the twisted drop into the stall Loop. It's a front train ride, You experience the elements more rather than the back where you get yeeted through the elements and not enough time to enjoy them rode it twice once in the back once in row 4. Sadly the trims hit quite hard after the stall Loop it is also missing one thing though, On board audio! like Ride to Happiness or Blue Fire. Overall I'd say Solid 7/10. Really helps the coaster line up a great 1 2 3 punch. Hyperia,Inferno then ending your day with Stealth.
 
I don't have plans to ride in the imminent future (and content to wait until my time off work coincides with friends who can visit with me/the queue times and initial rushes have died down just slightly), but reading people's reviews on here and seeing ridercam/POV videos dropping is making me SO excited for eventually getting on this, it actually looks insane by UK park standards. Feeling weirdly proud of Thorpe getting a bit of a redemption arc of sorts as well - I've moved away from the south east but it was my closest major park growing up and I've always had a soft spot for it and felt slightly wounded by the amount of flack it gets from enthusiasts (often for completely understandable reasons). Hoping this is a sign of better seasons ahead after several lacklustre ones.
 
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