Tomb Raider: The Ride to The Crypt

By: Chris

 

Picture By: Gabe Zelazny

            

           We all know that there are the video games and the movie…but some may not know there was a ride. In 2002 then Paramount’s Kings Island debuted a state of the art ride, Tomb Raider: The Ride (TR:TR), based of the Laura Croft video game and movie empire.

            Guests walking on the midway through the park typically did not know what this ride was until they got on to board it. The ride was heavily themed. From the midway guests would walk through the queue line to the entrance of a cave. As they go through the almost pitch black cave, they make way to an ancient temple. Once in the temple area, the guests were then stopped by a ride operator. Once stopped, guests were separated and sent to the antechamber, where guests were charged with the challenge to escape the doom. Once the charge was given and the ride was ready, a sliding rock door with a runic symbol opens and the guests would board the only vehicle available for escape, a gondola of 3 rows of 22-25 seats in each row. Guests on the gondola rocket upwards to face the 6 armed goddess Durga. Durga’s anger sends guests on a wild ride! Those on the gondola end up going around the big room, being flipped upside down to face razor-sharp stalactites. They also do a face first plunge straight down to a pit of boiling hot lava. The riders flip a few times, hang upside down and rotate throughout the room.  This ride was a for sure thrill ride. TR:TR was Kings Island's biggest investment up until 2002 at $20 Million, and with inflation it can still be considered the biggest investment today.

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            After the 2007 season, Tomb Raider: The Ride was stripped of the name, now known as The Crypt, as well as several props, effects, and major themeing. The change was due to Paramount being acquisitioned by Cedar Fair Parks. TR:TR wasn’t the only ride in the park to have this happen to it, but that’s another story. Many were and still are angered by the decision to change the ride. Cedar Fair had claimed that the ride experience wouldn’t change that much. However, just before the 2008 season started, the first row on the gondola was removed, lowering capacity of the ride from 77 riders to 56. The queue line was changed had the “Triangle of Light” removed from several areas, the line was lit with red flood lights, skeletons were added, the sliding door was opened to never close making the antechamber part of the queue line, the monkey statues were replaced with skeletons, the giant Brahma goddess statue in the preshow room was replaced with a bat demon, the stone walls were covered with camouflage mesh and no video is shown. Also, anything that was on the lower half of the ride chamber was removed, the Durga goddess has been made invisible due to darkness of the ride, few lights are used during the ride, lava pit and the stalactites have been removed (both replaced with stones and concrete flooring), there was a lack of soundtrack for a while, but it was noted in the 2010 season, and the cycle maybe flips riders 3 or 4 times.

            Throughout the past 2 to 3 seasons many guests complained about having the ride cycle changed to a very tame ride 3 times. One change was a minor change, the second change was a bigger program with around 8 flips but then was changed to a very tame cycle (which the 2010 season ended with this cycle) of two flips and a little hang time. Many have accused The Crypt of being down a majority of the time when they visit. I personally have heard ride operators complain about the ride always going down. I personally have noted that during the 2010 season, it was operational a lot of the time when I visited.

            This currently is one of my favorite flat rides at Kings Island although the ride has been made tamer. I enjoy visiting it because the queue is air conditioned (great for a hot day at the park), the ride cools me off as well, it’s not a typical ride, the environment although the atmosphere has been changed from when it was Tomb Raider: The Ride and just for the fact that I can almost freak people out from riding it for the first time because they don’t know what it does. Honestly I have two complaints about The Crypt/TR:TR (whatever you want to call it). One complaint would have to be the darkness of the queue line before the rooms, I’m tired of seeing people making out with their loved ones and possibly doing more than making out, the lighting has got to improve. The second complaint I would have to say I have is that the bags in-front of the seats for loose articles are not big enough! When I wear shoes that may fall off during the ride and want to put them in the bag with my other loose articles I fight with getting them to fit or have to use another bag. On a scale of 1-10 (ten being highest) I will always give this ride a high mark, as it stands currently, I give the ride as TR:TR an 8. As the Crypt, a 5.

The Crypt Entrance

The Crypt Entrance below Diamondback

The Crypt/TR:TR Ride building.

These pictures courtesy of Zach Nicholson

Other Pictures have been found by using Google Images unless noted.

The above pictures were also provided by Gabe Zelazny

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Sources

Tomb Raider Chronicles

Wikipedia- Crypt article

Ultimate Roller Coaster 1