Not sure if it’s been mentioned here yet but do I witness a familiar pair of eyes heading into the second launch?
Project 2026: Verbolten: Forbidden Turn
- Thread starter Le Moose
- Start date
I would have preferred them to do nothing. Even in its broken state, 2025 was still better than this. This is the only ride I can think of where the queue line is more entertaining than the ride itself. They broke more than they fixed. Multiple sound effects, such as the engine noises on the waiting block, and the creaking bridge still don’t work last time I checked.
I don’t agree. Virtually every effect in the building was broken. The show building and drop track were made for a story, and the alternative was watching as more things broke. I wish audio at those spots was working and I wish the story was better, but I think it’s an improvement. Between this and LNM and BBW, it’s really fun to have rides my kids are excited about that build on the scenery and atmosphere I grew up loving.
“Every effect was broken” bruh when I rode the og last year literally everything was working. Just a simple fresh coat of paint for the effects and it would’ve been good to go
It wasn't. This statement just means you didn't know what all around you was broken.
Bro literally the moon was on, audio was working. I even seen people talking about how there was no need for a retheme. I am glad they did one, it just lacks a few things
Remember, BGW could have said to hell with Verbolten and just removed the broken bits and kept it a *dark ride* inside.
I can't understand folks being unpleased by this level of attention in a such a relatively short turnaround time.
Go ride Flight of Fear or Backlot at KD, check out those thematic elements left In-State since 1996 and 2006, and then ride Verbolten, let me know what you think then...
Be realistic, folks. This is a fairly high-level of effort that they absolutely did not have to invest in for a 14 year old ride, but did anyway.
I can't understand folks being unpleased by this level of attention in a such a relatively short turnaround time.
Go ride Flight of Fear or Backlot at KD, check out those thematic elements left In-State since 1996 and 2006, and then ride Verbolten, let me know what you think then...
Be realistic, folks. This is a fairly high-level of effort that they absolutely did not have to invest in for a 14 year old ride, but did anyway.
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Is the high level of effort in the room with us? They gave us a very loose storyline and new effects that sometimes work, some have not worked at all yet. They made the event building completely open to the point where it’s painfully obvious you’re inside a warehouse, and just in case that wasn’t enough, they broke the previous sound effects that were on the waiting block and final drop. They should have brought Brian Morrow back to work on it. At least he would have been knowledgeable and provided us with a compelling story, unlike the new creative director.
Send them an email and see if they are receptive to your criticisms.
I'm not sure how vividly you remember the previous Verbolten we all knew and mostly loved. As someone who was there on opening day in April 2012, and remembers how great it was then, this is much better, though never perfect.
My kind advice? Take this fervor for Verbolten and pitch it to the park for Pantheon's much-needed thematic package so it can be the proper version of itself.
If a Pantheon retheme comes it needs to be in conjunction with a substantial pedestrian area and plaza with a flat and new restaurant (or something similar). There’s an incredible concept for something like that in the concepts thread that I’m too lazy to link.
The reason I bring that up is to say BGW couldn’t get approval for a Pantheon revamp alone, so most of its changes would be purely aesthetic and additive. All that to say we shouldn’t have to worry about forbidden turn missteps for that one.
So far I’d give the Nessie and Bolt revamps an A and a B, respectively. Excited to see what they do next and glad the precedent for these projects is set.
EDIT: Link
The reason I bring that up is to say BGW couldn’t get approval for a Pantheon revamp alone, so most of its changes would be purely aesthetic and additive. All that to say we shouldn’t have to worry about forbidden turn missteps for that one.
So far I’d give the Nessie and Bolt revamps an A and a B, respectively. Excited to see what they do next and glad the precedent for these projects is set.
EDIT: Link
You can see a lot of Verbolten's broken/missing effects if you compare the 2012 version to a more recent POV.
Opening year
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Last year
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
That doesn't include the broken TVs in the queue and station. They were all turned off after COVID and never returned or the one-eyed wolves in the BBW scene. The queue was also looking really rough in spots. Holes in the suitcases, people carving their names in the posters, it was starting to look kinda bad.
Yeah the current version does still feel incomplete. Do I think they could've done more? Yeah but I also think this is the best version of the ride we've had in a long time.
My fixes
I don't mind the story that much. I think its fine.
Opening year
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Last year
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
- The tree arches between the first drop and double helix were removed over time. There's only one working in the recent POV.
- The entire show scene on the midcourse to preview the story in the drop track is completely missing. Only the audio plays.
- You can clearly see light boxes in the drop track. It looks like the themed covers were removed exposing them.
- The removal of the curtain makes it easier to see the rest of the ride inside the building.
That doesn't include the broken TVs in the queue and station. They were all turned off after COVID and never returned or the one-eyed wolves in the BBW scene. The queue was also looking really rough in spots. Holes in the suitcases, people carving their names in the posters, it was starting to look kinda bad.
Yeah the current version does still feel incomplete. Do I think they could've done more? Yeah but I also think this is the best version of the ride we've had in a long time.
My fixes
- Move the Beetle to the double helix. That should make it easier to see and give people something to look at apart from nothing.
- If that proves to be too difficult, bring back the moon box effect. That effect was pretty nice if you knew where to look.
- Bring a few tree arches between the first drop and double helix back. I don't care if they're cutouts. Just make it look like you're traveling through the forest.
- Sync the audio in the drop track better. It often did that under the old programming if they were running 4 trains where the ride would drop prematurely before the audio finished.
- Finish the bridge and bring back the creaking/wind audio. Simple fixes like that go a long way. Even just finishing the roof is good enough for me.
- Bring back the damn racing stripes on the cars.
I don't mind the story that much. I think its fine.
I like these suggestions and I agree. Some things I would tweak are:
Cut the odd rock music. Creepy sound effects like the original are good enough.
Bring back the bridge audio. I miss the audio and hope it’ll come back.
Make Frau Hexel say something that isn’t an Uber joke. I like these suggestions idea of Frau Hexel being bad. I did from the start.
Add a blackout curtain to block out the light.
Bring back the stripes. Decals could probably do the trick.
Other than that the ride is not bad. Would love to send these suggestions to the park. I mean simple ones that don’t affect the ride too much. Y’all know who’s the best person to send it out to?
Cut the odd rock music. Creepy sound effects like the original are good enough.
Bring back the bridge audio. I miss the audio and hope it’ll come back.
Make Frau Hexel say something that isn’t an Uber joke. I like these suggestions idea of Frau Hexel being bad. I did from the start.
Add a blackout curtain to block out the light.
Bring back the stripes. Decals could probably do the trick.
Other than that the ride is not bad. Would love to send these suggestions to the park. I mean simple ones that don’t affect the ride too much. Y’all know who’s the best person to send it out to?
The plans for the reno very clearly showed that there were supposed to be tree limbs over part of the helix. No idea why they would have been cut vs so many of the other, far less impactful elements that we saw actually installed.
Am I missing something but how is the 5-stars comment specifically about Uber? The concept of rating something on a scale of 1-5 stars to me is not inherently tied to Uber, and has existed for a while. if anything I more-so associate it with either Google-reviews or just its usage in common day-to-day modern language to arbitrarily rate stuff.
I think their point is it generally takes people out of the “old country” style they’re going for, as it’s a general internet term. I agree with you though, I think it’s harmless to use a modern phrase and isn’t as egregious as like Ludwig referencing TikTok would be. I’ll say if it sticks out enough for some to take issue, then it probably wasn’t the best choice for the moment either way
I fully agree that it sticks out from the Old Country theme, but I don't think it's all that bad since it's a phrase used outside of internet spaces. It is for sure modern and not in-line with the time period, but I think it's fine since it connects well with the younger audience they are going for with this revamp. Not everything needs to be 100% historically or temporally accurate at a theme park lol. Overall though, I am definitely not a huge fan of the more family-friendly theme. I just personally find the rock music going into the animatronic show scene to be way more disruptive and obnoxious, but to each their own.
Does it really though? I think that it likely reads as pretty cheap and cringy regardless of age demo. The kids aren't going to get the joke, the teens aren't going to care, and the adults are going to be baffled by its inclusion if I had to guess.
When I think back to the things I really remember from parks as a kid, it's never the childish, wacky stuff, it's the dark, spooky immersion of The Wolf's village at night—it's the queue video at Alpie relaying the dark lore of the Ghost of the Alps—it's meeting the witch on Corkscrew Hill—it's the ghostly preshow at DarKastle. Maybe I was just a fucked up kid, but I loved that stuff growing up and that's the stuff that has stuck in my brain for many years now.
Maybe I'll eat my words one day, but I don't think the 5 Stars joke at the emotional climax of Forbidden Turn is likely to stick with today's 9 year-olds come 2040 on the same way Vbolt's original climax of suddenly being surrounded by glowing wolf eyes is remembered by the kids of the early 2010s.
She's asking for a good review of her business because she's saving you even though you didn't listen to her. Nothing to do with Uber
The five-star rating has been common place for many many decades and has always been used for a rating of quality, at least I’m sure, in all of our lifetimes. A quick Google search shows that the Michelin tire company in 1926 used the three star system and a travel guide book in the 1950s expanded that to a five star rating.