Knott’s Berry Farm Announces New Dark Ride

Today Knott’s Berry Farm announced their new attraction for 2015, an interactive shooter dark ride called Voyage to the Iron Reef.  It appears the ride will have a sort of Jules Verneian/steam punk theme, as riders will try to stop the “Queen of the Kraken” from pulling the parks roller coasters and thrill rides down into the watery deep (and really, what better motivation to kill a monster is there for theme park lovers).  The ride will combine interactive 3-D screens with a six hundred foot long coaster track.  In addition, the park claims the ride is designed to react to the riders actions, which will make a unique adventure every time.

Nooooo, don’t take Xcelerator!!!

As Eric Marradi, creative director of the company building the ride, Triotech, says,  “It’s like riding a roller coaster and watching a movie and playing a game all at the same time.”

This will be the first “high tech” ride at Knott’s, but it does follow their recent pattern focusing on dark rides the past couple of years.  According to Cedar Fair president Matt Quimet, “If we can do more rides where everyone in the family has fun, we will be even more successful.”

For now it appears this will be the most advanced ride in Southern California, combining interactive aspects, 3-D video, and the coaster track.  It probably won’t stay that way for too long, with Universal Studios and Disneyland both planning big new expansions (like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter coming to USH, and the inevitable Star Wars rides that will be coming to Disneyland), but it’s exciting to see Knott’s going high-tech and competing with the heavy weights.

In order to avoid describing things as steam punk, I’m sticking with the phrase “Jules Vernian.”

I admit, I’m pretty excited for the theme, and the plot-line that riders are trying to save their favorite Knott’s rides.  For more information on the ride, including some detailed specs, check out this article at the LA Times and the Knott’s Berry Farm website.

And for those of you who have been to Canada’s Wonderland and ridden on Wonder Mountain’s Guardian, Triotech is the company that made that ride as well.  I’ve heard generally positive things about it, but haven’t ridden it myself.

Any thoughts on the new ride announcement? Excitement?  Concern?  Indifference?  Let us know in the comments!

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