So it's been a bit of a busy day, but here is my take on it:
Absolutely huge fan of the reveal. I've been on the edge since the very first time track was revealed. The "it's rising" Easter egg around season open, the small teases, all of it.
I'm hoping I'll be in the condition to ride it. The over the shoulder lap bars look like they may at least potentially accommodate a bigger rider, which raises my chances.
From a technical standpoint, I'm blown away. The mix of floorless and spinning and I can barely imagine what the upside down launch while in the middle of airtime/hangtime would feel like. Same goes for a near inverted outerbank while tilted from the spinning.
In comparison to Ka, I think this is a fine replacement/spiritual successor. I've said before Ka never really impressed me, but even for being just another launch coaster, it feels like it actually does something. It fits the "extreme launched coaster" niche perfectly, and I feel it's sized fine in a post-Coaster Wars world.
Capacity doesn't matter to me all that much because I've always cared more about the ride experience than the operations.
As far as the theming, I'm excited to see what will be done. I'm fairly confident that with what's already being upgraded in the park and with Shoreline Pier, there's enough precedent to at least put some faith it will be done right.
I want to see it integrated well with the Boardwalk and Shoreline Pier, and maybe see how this area fills the connection between Shoreline Pier and the broader boardwalk. Something like the Moon at the top of the Spire would be neat.
I was indifferent around the initial announcement of the project, but as soon as we started seeing construction and teasers, I've been in its corner ever since. I really hope this whole hype cycle is a good sign for the future of things at Great Adventure.
My only major negative is I'd really, REALLY have liked to have had the event open so I could've gone there this morning.
