For fans of the classic 1999 strategy game, RollerCoaster Tycoon brings up a lot of fond memories: That unforgettable soundtrack, the screams of satisfied guests, and, of course, messing around with the free build feature to create the most twisted amusement park imaginable. But a new project at West Virginia’s Cedar Lake Attractions theme park is taking nostalgia to a whole new level by killing hundreds of riders on two roller coasters that were built to smash into each other!
“When we designed the Black Serpent Coaster and the Twisting Tiger, we wanted to make sure they delivered a stomach-churning experience, but also gave a little throwback love to gaming fans,” said park owner Randolph Arnolds, telling owners that his design team had also considered creating an attraction that shot riders directly into the ground or out of the park entirely before opting for the final design. “Anyone who’s played RollerCoaster Tycoon is going to get a real kick out of riding it or just watching from the sidelines as every passenger from both coasters explode in midair.”
“You’ve got to hear these people screaming in their last moments to believe it,” he added. “It’s just like you’re playing the game.”
So cool! Cedar Lake Attraction’s management also invited us to the park itself to see how the 3,700-foot long steel inverted roller coasters use twin loop-de-loops to build up speed before colliding straight into each other. In fact, watching the twin rides in action, we couldn’t help but be brought back to the hours we spent in the ’90s building parks just like this one as the stench of burning flesh and bone from incinerated guests filled the air!
As a real treat for RollerCoaster Tycoon fans, we also discovered that the park management have taken to lifting up dozens of guests with a giant crane and throwing them into an edgeless lagoon, where they drown within minutes. Now if that doesn’t take you back to playing this park simulation classic, we don’t know what will!
The cherry on top for RT diehards, though, has to be that we’ve discovered the park entrance has been completely bricked off, so there’s no escape! Wow!
Add to that the lack of any food or water concessions, the complete absence of any toilets, and the fact that many of the faceless guests have been forced to puke on the ground because there were no park attendants to help them, and we’ll just come out and say it: Cedar Lake Attractions might just be the must-see spot in the world for RollerCoaster Tycoon fans. That, or we are actually trapped in hell!
Only time will tell, gamers! Only time will tell.