I'd say that it is a good thing that we have such a valuable prototype for VR rides of such nature that this type of ride is still quite better than the worse roller coaster VR conversions that are, IMO, mostly garbage.
Now speaking for myself, who is a big fan of animation writing for families, I think this new ride's story is a bit more interesting and has stakes in comparison to Corkscrew Hill which is just an "adventure with a moral" sort of tale which I don't think it pulled it off as well as they think they did because of the nature of the ride and how involves us in it's world and it's characters. In Corkscrew Hill's pre-show and ride, McTavish sees us and offers us an adventure through old Ireland by shrinking us and going back in time which I still wonder how he has these kind of powers (is he a fairy or something?). Then as we enter the ride we are at the hands of Paddy, our main character, who wants to sell us for money and then we go from the Pub and then suddenly to the woods (jarring transition IMO) where we see our magical creature who actually does have a character and lines in comparison to Ollie the Dragon who only roars, snorts and has a quiet guardian personality which isn't much to work off of. Although personally, Dragons are much cooler looking creatures in comparison to horses but other than that. After much riding (avoiding the banshees and trolls) we get to the climax where we are almost cooked by the witch which then Paddy has a sudden, out of nowhere change of heart ("hey wait a minute I didn't know you were going to eat em') and saves us. Then the griffin comes, picks us up and drops us where we get the "interaction moment" of the ride by using our powers to charm the horse and give it wings, whereas Battle for Eire pulls this off much better thanks to the VR and the ride's pre-show context (or rather hidden subtext) that the Emerald Masks do give us powers that can stop Balor from getting what he wants. Then at the end, Paddy gives us back to the Pub keeper Duncan who suddenly reveals himself to be McTavish and uses his powers to bring us back to the real world.
Okay first off, due to how limited Corkscrew Hill's technology was, it doesn't have the ability to be gorgeous with it's art direction; in fact I'm surprised for how dark and bleak it all looks (yes I know the ride was set in nighttime but still) in comparison to Battle for Eire's more colorful, brighter and detailed creativity with the setting and character designs. Second, I think Battle for Eire's greatest strength compared to it's predecessor is being smart for how intentionally silly and simple the "light vs darkness" story is; because Corkscrew Hill throws us so suddenly in this different world that feels sudden and gives a feeling of "huh?" than awe; with Battle for Eire the buildup and excitement feels more natural and organic (we do start the ride in the castle). Plus, I don't care that much for Paddy as a main character who tries to be a developed character, being excited by us tiny people that he intends to sells us for cash, then suddenly whiplashes into a sudden "wait a minute" moment and has his change of heart bit that I think the ride forgot that we don't have the time (the ride was over just 5 minutes) to give it the proper treatment the character needs. Thanks to Battle for Eire's pre-show and the ride, Addie knows who she is and understands her limitations as being the last fairy guardian and begging us to help her protect/save the Heart of Eire from falling into the dark lord Balor's hands for he will cause Ireland to wither in blight and darkness; there's stakes in that and she "inspires" us with the love we share of Ireland and not seeing it fall so badly that we feel connected and involved in the story and world. Addie doesn't suffer the same problem Paddy does because she doesn't have the sudden rushed character development that felt forced into the latter. Plus Balor is a darkness loving ham and cheese villain who says the most ridiculously silly lines that it's delightful to watch, especially when he grabs us and we get a good look at him and being surrounded by his swarm of Sluagh, a nice improvement compared to the old witch who just likes cooking "fairies" and has a griffin servant for some odd reason. The ending here feels accomplished, rewarding and feels like we saved everything and everyone, in comparison to the Corkscrew Hill ending which the twist feels out of nowhere and asks more questions than answers than I think the ride intended to.
Look don't get me wrong, Corkscrew Hill was a fun ride when I was young, I liked the adventure aspect and how crazy the motion was. But as I get older have been practicing writing, the flaws start to become quite obvious to me that perhaps Corkscrew Hill's concept and story works better as an animated film than a theme park ride, sure I can say that Battle for Eire would've worked in another land in Ireland to transport us to that can help the pacing a bit, but with ride lines being as they are I'm very glad the kept it short and sweet. If there is something Corkscrew Hill did leave behind as a legacy, that it was a nice but quite flawed tryout for future Irish themed adventure rides for families that can improve upon the old and I personally believe Battle for Eire did that. It has better graphics, technology, art direction, main character, villain and a nice simple story with a sense of stakes to it that can actually be updated thanks to the new technology we have. Sure, it isn't revolutionary, but it created what I think is an incredibly fun, solid ride that actually could've been so much worse if it was made with wrong, incompetent hands. Look at what happened with Europe in the Air, I don't think I can quite forgive the park just yet for that eyesore abomination.
Also I don't think it's entirely fair to compare it to DarKastle. But I do wish it stayed opened for at least this season because the two rides made an interesting analogy in the way the two are set up; Battle for Eire is the adventurous light, while Curse of DarKastle is the bleak darkness. Pretty cool right?
