Hex – The Legend of the Towers has at last returned to the Alton Towers Resort theme park line-up following an extended period of maintenance that has involved the replacement of elements of the ride system along with updates to the lighting, AV system and other effects. We examine the changes and enhancements made as part of the refurbishment and refresh of this much-missed attraction!
Although Hex remained closed for refurbishment during the 2016 season, its reliability continued to be variable in the following years, culminating in its closure at the very start of the 2023 season. The next update wasn’t provided until March 2024, just ahead of the start of the 2024 season, when it was confirmed that the attraction was set to return later in the year. This was the result of Alton Towers’ decision to make a significant investment into the restoration of Hex, rather than see it close. As the project progressed, the Resort opted to undertake more work than originally planned in order to further improve its reliability.
While guests reported being able to hear Hex testing during the first few months of the season, there was no official word about when the attraction was expected to reopen until an update video was released at the end of June. This featured an update video presented by Divisional Director Bianca Sammut that provided a fairly detailed insight into the work that had been undertaken and acknowledged that, although a Summer 2024 opening was originally being targeted, the attraction was expected to reopen in the Autumn. On Friday 4th October, Alton Towers confirmed that Hex would reopen for the start of Scarefest on Friday 11th October at 12pm.
TowersTimes was fortunate to be amongst the content creators invited to a preview of Hex – The Legend of the Towers on the morning of 11th October. As part of this, further details of the enhancements made across the attraction were provided, along with the opportunity for us to have a first run-through and ride ahead of its public opening at 12pm. During the preview event, filming and photography was limited to the interior queue line and corridor between the Octagon and Vault so as not to spoil the experience for guests. To mark the opening, there was a small opening moment in the form of the doors to the attraction reopening and waving staff member emerging from within, alongside some green smoke in the exterior queue line. Hex did seemingly prove popular upon its reopening, with it attracting a consistent queue, including at points utilising the additional temporary extended queue line that was set-up. Unfortunately, the ride suffered a technical issue on the evening of Saturday 12th October, requiring it to close again before reopening on Tuesday 15th October.
The reopening of Hex has attracted much intrigue as to what would and wouldn’t have changed. Although it was never billed as a reimagining to the extent seen with The Curse at Alton Manor and Nemesis Reborn, the information released ahead of its reopening did indicate that some creative updates had been made to this iconic attraction. Upon walking through the giant doors which have remained sealed for almost two seasons, it is in the interior queue line where the first changes become evident. With the existing lighting system and fixtures removed throughout the attraction, these have been replaced with LED equivalents, with a further 200 lights added in the process. The interior queue features relatively subtle lighting that remains in keeping with the style of the original attraction – this is something which does appear to have been toned down since the update video in June. New screens to display the rolling video have been installed, although the change in aspect ratio means these awkwardly display black bars on either side – for this reason, they would perhaps benefit from some frames or using the surrounding theming to better cover these areas. Upon guests reaching the end of the interior queue, they now walk through a newly created doorway which replaces the original turnstile and numeric display used to batch 78 guests. This creates a more enclosed space for where guests learn about the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury ahead of then being invited onwards into the Cinema Room.
The Cinema Room still features the original video which conveys the Legend of the Chained Oak to guests. As with the queue line, the lighting has been enhanced in this room, with the most notable changes being some lighting effects that are synchronised with the video content of lightning and the burning branches of the oak tree. This is presumably reflective of the installation of a new Show Control System which is said to provide greater control of the synchronicity of the show SFX. It is in this room where the benefits of the new audio visual system can also first be most noticeably heard.
Guests then journey deeper into the Towers and into the Octagon, which features a new generator, spark effect and curtain installation. This is alongside smells and plenty of smoke (with machines upgraded and added across the attraction), as well as the enhanced lighting and sound systems seen throughout. In its substance, the Octagon sequence remains unchanged. Nonetheless, the new spark effect is a lot more dramatic than its original counterpart, which is arguably to the benefit of the guest experience by ensuring everyone in the room is able to catch it. However, the positioning of the effect is questionable, with it clearly coming from a box in front of the generator. If it were to come from behind the generator this would probably better sell the effect, although there may be a safety reason for why it can’t. The use of LCD screens within the Octagon also means that the room does not get as dark as before during the black-out moments, with these still emitting a fair amount of light even when displaying a black screen. As before, the sequence ends with the sound effect of the bookshelf sliding open and the curtain lifting, with the sound effects tied in with the former significantly enhanced by the new audio system. The corridor which takes guests to the Vault (and, unbeknownst to them, out of the Towers themselves) features sympathetic flickering lighting, which is also used to more brightly illuminate the Shrewsbury crest.
The central element of Hex is of course the Vekoma Madhouse ride system, which is what has been the source of the attraction’s previous reliability issues. During this latest period of closure, Alton Towers have worked with Vekoma to custom make new components to replace the existing, most notably the two end point slew rings which are required to rotate the gondola. This has been done with the aim of improving its reliability and consistency, with additional re-design work undertaken as part of the project. Ahead of its reopening, Hex has completed over 3,000 cycles as part of its testing.
That the original soundtrack has been retained and remastered is certainly welcome, with this being such a key element of the ride experience – to coincide with the reopening, the remastered soundtrack has been released by Alton Towers on streaming platforms. Where the presentation of the Vault most significantly differs from before is in its lighting. The Vault does now seem brighter than previously and the preceding rooms. The ride sequence begins with the Earl’s equipment powering-up, something which is again enhanced by the installation of the new audio hardware. However, this also coincides with the fibre optics within the branch itself flashing between different colours. Previously this was an effect saved for the end of the ride, creating a final magical moment for guests as the room returned to normality with the branch glittering in a softer white – there is now no such effect at the end, which seems a shame to have lost. Alongside the audio, the powering-up of the equipment is also signified by lighting within the props and piping that creates a chasing effect. Although the programming varies across the duration of the ride, these effects do remain on for most of it and arguably distract from the wider show as time goes on. Seemingly intended as the new finale moment, replacing the glittering of the branch, is a projection effect onto the oak face located on the side of Vault above guests’ heads. Although less subtle than before, it did nonetheless elicit an audible reaction from riders, both during the preview run-through and another public run-through.
Overall, it is undoubtedly great to see Hex – The Legend of the Towers open once again at Alton Towers and, in our opinion, it remains one of the best presented Madhouses going. Nonetheless, it seems there is scope for the lighting to be tweaked over the upcoming closed season, most notably within the Vault. If this is done, then the attraction should make an even stronger return in 2025 and continue enchanting guests for many years to come!
Have you had the opportunity to experience Hex – The Legend of the Towers since it has reopened? What do you think about the changes and enhancements made? Let us know your thoughts via our social media channels.
