This past weekend saw Nemesis Sub-Terra reopen at Alton Towers Resort, with the drop tower dark ride having last operated in 2015.
Following the announcement earlier in May that the attraction was set to reopen, a statement was issued by The Phalanx on Thursday afternoon advising that the newly recommissioned Phalanx Research Facility would begin to be officially reopened from 9:30am on Saturday 27th May. The opening ceremony featured an in-person appearance from John Dalton, the Head of The Phalanx that had previously only appeared in videos, flanked by Phalanx operatives and scientists. Dalton started by assuring the gathered crowds that Nemesis poses no danger to the public, despite the ‘false information’ that has been shared, and explained that the facility was being reopened to allow guests to view The Phalanx’s latest discovery for themselves. Unfortunately the opening ceremony was momentarily interrupted by operatives emerging from the facility in a cloud of smoke, looking somewhat worse for wear and needing to be carried back inside. Nonetheless, Dalton returned to cut the ribbon and declare the facility open, insisting that everything was “completely under control”. Guests were then invited into the queue line to see for themselves…
The queue line entrance features the new-look Nemesis Sub-Terra logo, as well as the ride restrictions and advisory signage. This is all in line with the black and red colour scheme of the new Nemesis track, which increasingly looks as though will be adopted across Forbidden Valley by the time the iconic rollercoaster reopens in 2024. The Phalanx’s tank-type vehicle, known as ‘The Stag’, has also been repainted with these same colours, and been relocated further up towards the pathway that enters the area from Gloomy Wood.
The queue line itself follows the same route as seen previously, although part of the queue line has of course been occupied by the scaffolding installed for the Nemesis Observation Platform. The elevated flooring has been entirely replaced with a new composite material instead of wood. The screens around the queue line play a similar video loop to that seen previously, providing guests with some background on the Phalanx and the facility, as well as featuring some new additions in the form of excerpts from videos released on social media to market the reveal of the new Nemesis track and its arrival at the Resort.
Eventually guests reach the batching point where they are required to leave any bags and loose items in the attraction’s baggage hold. They are then called forward into the interior pre-show room to be briefed by a Phalanx operative and invited to watch the same video used when the attraction was previously open, informing guests of the journey they are about to take. This has, however, been updated with the latest Phalanx branding and additional screens have been added at the back of the room, in addition to those at the front.
As expected, the main experience remains largely unchanged. This sees guests travel down in ‘lifts’ (an effect achieved using audio, chasing lights in the doors and a vibrating floor) to the level of the Central Core. Here they are invited to take a seat in one of four seating areas around the room, in order to observe the egg of the Nemesis creature that is on display. One of the most notable changes is that the egg has been repainted, so as to now be black in colour with red detailing. After being secured in their seats, the presentation begins however this coincides with the egg showing signs of activity that triggers a chaotic series of events which sees the egg hatch and guests plummeting down into a cavern that contains a larger nest of eggs. Alongside lighting and audio, there are also water effects, leg ticklers and back prodders, all creating the impression that creatures are moving amongst guests. Whilst there are some subtle changes to the lighting and audio used for this sequence, it fundamentally remains unchanged.
The experience ends with guests being hurried into ‘lifts’ to take them back to the surface, only to find these attacked by the freshly hatched creatures. These ‘lifts’ have a bit more movement than those in which guests ‘descend’, and they are also filled with smoke as chaos ensues. Upon the doors opening, guests are met by Phalanx personnel to direct them through a decontamination area and out of the facility’s exit. It seems the number of actors utilised for the finale did vary over the weekend, however there appeared to be three during our run-through, all dressed in red boiler suits and wearing black gas masks. It is the final part of the exit that has seen the most notable changes, with this converted into a decontamination and acclimatisation area in the form of a white corridor, with screens showing guests as they exit the facility. Opposite from where they exit can then be found the baggage hold from which any deposited items can be collected.
As noted, the experience provided by the reopened Nemesis Sub-Terra is largely as it was when the attraction last operated in 2015. It does also seem that the drop tower element continues to suffer from the restraint related issues which plagued the attraction prior to its closure, which make it slow to load and result in some guests being asked not to ride. We experienced this for ourselves when loading, and it seems the group prior to us also had significant issues as our group waited around 10 minutes in the interior pre-show area before this commenced. While each cycle has capacity for 40 guests, a reduced number of around 32 is currently being batched to aid with the restraint issues and allow the ride team time to settle in. Whilst we waited around 30 minutes to be batched, it was therefore approximately 45 minutes for the experience to begin. This was nonetheless shorter than the advertised 90 minutes queue, although we understand this to be down to the difficulties in estimating the wait time for what is a newly reopened attraction.
Overall, while Nemesis Sub-Terra remains relatively unique, immersive and a solid filler attraction that adds welcome capacity to the theme park line-up, it is still relatively short and its re-rideability limited. Even so, it did appear to elicit the desired response from those guests riding it (presumably) for the first time, without the knowledge of what to expect, with plenty of screams coming from others in response to the drop itself and the accompanying effects.
To coincide with the attraction’s reopening, down from Nemesis Sub-Terra, towards the Nemesis site itself, a small retail outlet has returned to the existing unit in the form of Squadron Supplies. On sale is a variety of Phalanx branded merchandise that includes clothing, pin badges and mugs. There are also some items that feature the new Nemesis Sub-Terra logo, and we understand that more Sub-Terra products are to come. The store utilises the digital price tags which are being rolled out across the Resort, most notably in Towers Trading Co so far.
With The Curse at Alton Manor, the theme park’s new for 2023 attraction, now an established part of the line-up, attention increasingly looks to be shifting to Nemesis and building towards its return in 2024. The reopening of Nemesis Sub-Terra has also represented the latest development in the ongoing marketing campaign, with more and more doubt being casted on The Phalanx’s intentions and whether they truly remain in control. As well as being graffitied on hoarding in the vicinity of Nemesis Sub-Terra, the hashtag #SeekTheTruth and the associated symbol have also been spotted appearing on the nearby digital screens, raising questions as to whether all is as it seems…
Are you pleased to see the return of Nemesis Sub-Terra? Have you embarked on a tour of the Phalanx Research Facility as of yet? Let us know on our social media channels.
