Imagine being transported into some spooky woods, trying to find out why dozens of people have disappeared in there. That is the main idea of the new dark ride concept Torchlight: Search of the Forest, offering riders a unique horror experience. The concept was announced by UK-based company Katapult, known for the guest experience designs in a.o. Legoland Discovery Centers worldwide. The dark ride concept was developed in collaboration with also UK-based Simworx and Lagotronics Projects from The Netherlands.
The ride will be set in the fictional forest ‘Shadow Pines’. This forest has gotten infamous for its many disappearances, which are the fuel for rumors of a greater presence inside of the forest. All these cases about missing people prompted a big search mission to look for them, and guests will be joining in this mission. The ride is inspired by shows like Black Mirror and by psychological horror videogames. This interactive aspect of games is also something that can be found in the ride, guests will able to use a flashlight in order to search for the missing people.
The Torchlight concept was inspired by Simworx most recent ride vehicle; the agv darkride. These trackless vehicles are able to accelerate up to 2,4 meters per second. Combine this with its ability to rotate up to 90 degrees per second and its full range of motion to get an intense ride based around pursuit and disorientation. “We are really excited about what we’ve been able to achieve already with Simworx,” says Phil Higgins, CEO at Katapult. “TORCHLIGHT is just one of two ride concepts that we have been working on to maximise the potential of the class-leading AGV technology.”
Torchlight will use AR technology to make riders truly feel immersed in the experience. This experience will already start in the queueline, which will ease guests into the story with its vibe and theming. “This project has also allowed us to experiment and push the boundaries in terms of what a dark ride can offer,” continues Phil Higgins. “We’ve put considerable effort into developing ideas for the ride’s queue line, car design, soundscape and photo opportunity too, to develop a hyper-realistic experience that guests continue to gravitate back to for more.” Custom versions of the ride scaled to size and budget will also be available, to give all types of parks the possibility to order this complete experience.
