[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Knott’s Berry Farm has announced its newest attraction, opening Spring 2015. Voyage to the Iron Reef will be an “interactive 4-D” experience, and the first true dark ride for Knott’s since Kingdom of the Dinosaurs closed for good back in 2004. The new ride will occupy the same show building, which was also home for the classic Knott’s Berry Tales, remembered fondly by fans.
Here’s the official press release with more details about the attraction:
https://www.knotts.com/what-s-new/new-for-2015-voyage-to-the-iron-reef
For the ride experience, think Toy Story Midway Mania! at Disney California Adventure, with omnivore-style carriages that move through physical sets. The vehicles will stop at specific show scenes, allowing riders wearing 3-D glasses to fire their laser guns at specific targets, rack up points, and have their scores tallied at the end to determine the winner.
Voyage to the Iron Reef isn’t arriving without its controversy. On the one hand, re-introducing a classic-style dark ride furthers the return to form for Knott’s, emphasizing its commitment to the family-friendly roots the park was originally known for. The influence for the ride concept itself, though, is decidedly modern, jumping on the bandwagon of the all-too-common video game style shooter attractions that have found their way into amusement parks throughout the country.
Knott’s has been wanting families to come back to the park, but the theme of Voyage skews more into the teen demographic, with a more violent storyline that promotes the use of “weapons” to counter the enemy.
We can see the brilliance of Disney with its version of this ride technology. Your “weapon” is nothing of the sort. It’s a toy with a string you pull to launch a 3-D projectile, say, a dart, at balloons. This is family-friendly at its best.
Voyage on the other hand arms you with weapons. To counter a bit of this negative backlash, it appears they are describing it as some sort of “freeze ray” that stops an enemy robot-fish dead in its tracks, without necessarily destroying it. Nevertheless, this is going to be a more high-octane shooter experience that today’s parents may simply want to avoid entirely. And yet, the concept is just cartoonish enough to make one wonder if even teenagers are going to give the ride a repeat visit.
Still, it’s great seeing the park go in this direction, as opposed to installing yet another dull spinning flat ride, or putting in another lackluster coaster. It will be a ride worth trying out, and hopefully it will be engaging enough to compel riders to return.
After restoring both the Timber Mountain Log Ride and Calico Mine Ride, and now opening a brand new dark ride, I’d love to see them construct an all-new version of the Haunted Shack next. This was such a popular walk-thru attraction in its time, was great for the families, is rooted in Knott’s Berry Farm tradition, and is thematically perfect for the park.
For now, get those freeze rays ready![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]