If you don't like a ride don't ride it, ridership plays a huge factor in the longevity of an attraction. If you really don't like a ride, or moves the park is making in general, don't go. Consumerism speaks to a park. Your lone ticket or season pass may not have that big of an effect in the grand scheme of the parks decisions, but it will still show that you don't support the decisions they make.
Back to Battle for Eire, personally, I think it does it's job well. It's a family friendly sim with a simple storyline and a unique gimmick that pulls in guests. All of my friends love the ride, they think it's equivalent to something you would find at a park like Disney or Universal. I've only been on it a handful of times, mainly because I would never wait more than fifteen minutes for it, but it's always been an enjoyable experience. I do think there are a few changes they could easily make to increase the overall quality of the experience more cohesive without a major overhaul.
Firstly, the queue needs some work. As it stands, this is arguably the best queue in the park, especially because the V-Bolt queue continues to deteriorate year after year at a rapid rate. Those grey cavern walls that line the winding corridor combined with the lanterns create an otherworldly feel, it feels like you're leaving behind Ireland and traveling deep into the earth on some sort of journey. However, the televisions blaring advertisements with obnoxious copyright free pop music absolutely ruin any attempt at immersion. Take out the TV's and work on the lighting and audio. Play the ride theme, maybe create a new peaceful score solely for the queue, just something to make it more memorable. Another easy fix is utilizing the lighting to their advantage. Ever couple of minutes, have a chime sound play down the hallway synced to the lights. As the chime sound goes down the hallway, have lanterns go out one at a time and then rapidly turn back on, signifying that Addie or other mythical creatures are flying around, but can't be seen because they are in the Otherworld. Throw in some other atmospheric sounds, the sound of water dropping, the snores of a sleeping dragon, the pitter patter of creatures running above us. The queue already has a great atmosphere, and it can easily be enhanced with these simple changes that require a very low budget, and makes a rather forgettable experience more memorable before guests even get to the ride.
As for the pre-show, this is easily the strongest segment of the ride. Very cool vibe in there, feels like a high-quality experience, and honestly is the strongest pre-show I've ever seen in that space.* The only change I would like to see is during the Otherworld segment in the first pre-show when we're introduced to our villains is a blast of wind, followed by the fireplace going out, similar to the "It'll be a blast!" scene on DarKastle. A small blast of fog emitting from the fireplace as well would be a very neat effect, but it could prove costly over time. Some strobes could also be a nice addition, but since this attraction is catered to a younger audience, and this is the only indoor attraction, strobes could be too much for some guests and it may also interfere with the blacklight. Besides that, this first pre-show room is extremely solid and doesn't need any work. The second pre-show also does a great job of explaining the safety requirements to ride, while still being mildly entertaining and doesn't really warrant any changes.
*Note: I never rode Questor or King Arthur's Challenge. I did have the chance to ride Corkscrew Hill many times. RIP. I also did have the opportunity to see my boy Miles O'Sky many times during my years of riding Europe in the Air. Neither of these pre-shows came even close to quality of BfE.
As for the actual ride film, there needs to be a lot of work done. As
@Applesauce and other members have stated, there is no point in looking around with VR. There's no action happening to the left or the right, or even behind you, not even any easter eggs as far as I'm concerned. It makes what is a sweet piece of technology, rather dull and pointless. The storyline itself during the ride segment is beyond bland, the motions are tame, and the ride is void of other special effects like smells. Updating the ride film and adding additional effects would probably be a costly update, especially for such a new attraction that has only been open for two seasons, but it would be nice to see some changes to the ride film to boost re-rideability.
Beyond the actual ride experience, the exit is fine. There's not really much that can be done in such a small space for a low cost. Maybe some custom lighting and moss, as seen in the
concept art, but most guests wouldn't notice or appreciate any changes here. At this point they're already checking their phone or map and planning on what ride to hit next. If the park we're going to re-invest in the ride, I would be more than fine with them skimping on the budget here and directing majority of it to the queue, pre-show, and eventually the ride experience. Some custom uniforms for the employees themed to the ride, or at least some thematic vests would be equally as nice. Themed uniforms on rides like DarKastle and Pompeii always added to the experience, and made the rides feel unique and like they were apart of their own world, separate from the park.
Despite it's many flaws, this is still one of the best sims at a regional park in the US. It's unique and fits the theme of the hamlet beautifully. It really hasn't reached it's full potential, notably due to the lackluster queue and bland ride film, but it seems like guests really enjoy the ride. There's almost always a wait, anytime I bring a non-enthusiast friend it's a must ride and one of the highlights of the day, and it sells merchandise. It would be nice to see the park put some money into it for a slight refurb, but with the pandemic, and two new roller coasters still having to debut at some point, it seems doubtful. Maybe if the year round operations prove to be successful then the park will revisit the attraction, but for now it seems like we're stuck with the current experience for the foreseeable future.
