Saturday 16th March saw the start of the main 2024 season at Alton Towers Resort and the highly anticipated opening of Nemesis Reborn, following the completion of a track replacement project to revitalise this iconic roller coaster for future generations. With the wider area of Forbidden Valley also transformed as part of this, we take a take a look at all aspects of the development.
Unsurprisingly, the first destination for the vast majority of guests on Saturday morning was Forbidden Valley where Nemesis Reborn awaited. Guests accessing the theme park from the main entrance, entered into a Towers Street decorated with Nemesis Reborn themed bunting, flags and other theming, as well as seeing the frog fountains dressed in Phalanx uniforms. Meanwhile, guests staying at the on-site accommodation, with the Alton Towers Hotel also decorated for the occasion, could enter directly into Forbidden Valley via the Galactica Gates. However, with the Galactica Gates opening at around 9:05am, this soon meant that hotel guests were required to join the back of the queue for Nemesis Reborn that quickly extended all the way into Gloomy Wood and beyond.
On the approach from Gloomy Wood, the first change of note is the installation of a new entrance portal for the area, consisting of a new weathered, metal fence line complete with red beacon lights. The first hint that perhaps The Phalanx, a secretive military organisation, do not have things entirely under control within the area comes from the overhead ‘Phalanx Facility’ sign having been overtaken by tentacles which form the words ‘Forbidden Valley’. A graffitied poster on the fence also suggests similar.
Entering into the area, the new soundtrack helps create a sense of action and intrigue. Guests are first met by The Phalanx’s relocated ‘Stag’ vehicle. However, it is evident that the situation commands further support, with a helicopter landed on a newly installed helipad that replaces the former gun/drill. This aircraft boasts the registration ‘THNDR-V’, a reference to the area’s previous name of Thunder Valley and the first of many Easter eggs added across the project. Alongside the slowly rotating blades, audio has been integrated into this feature to enhance the area’s dynamic atmosphere and immerse guests in what feels like a developing situation. Tentacles burst from the ground and climb up the rocks surrounding the helicopter, and indeed throughout the area. Within the central area, next to the helicopter, is a cage containing several eggs along with a shipping container holding a larger egg. This helps tie nearby attraction Nemesis Sub-Terra into the area’s updated storyline, where The Phalanx are aiming to mutate Nemesis’ offspring and transport the eggs to their facilities around the world as part of ‘Project Secret Weapon’. This is of course a reference to Nemesis being Secret Weapon 3 (SW3) – the first ‘Secret Weapon’ project to be realised by the Resort. In addition, the shipping container also features a nod to Dave Taylor, the Senior Project Manager for the entire development.
Moving further into the area, guests walk past the ‘Lab Challenge’ midway game on the right-hand side and then beneath an archway featuring a sign marking the entrance into the Nemesis Containment Zone. The font featured on this provides a call back to Nemesis’ former logo. Nonetheless, the prevalence of more tentacles and damage to the sign casts further doubt on how contained the Nemesis creature truly is.
Upon entering the containment zone, guests are first met by Nemesis Reborn’s new look track. Initially revealed around 11 months ago, the black track has been uniquely painted with red veins, creating an even more striking look as it bursts out from and disappears into the surrounding landscape. While the roar of the train travelling around the new track is quieter as a result of Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) sand-filling rails during the manufacturing process, it nonetheless still retains one and this is compensated for the area as a whole being louder. At the centre of the containment zone is of course the Nemesis creature herself. Fury heightened and more uncontrollable than ever before, signage warns guests of the increasing danger the closer they get to Nemesis. Like the track, the creature, which serves as the ride’s station, has also been given a striking new grey and red appearance. It also now features a singular, new, blazing red eye surrounded by what are said to be razor-sharp teeth. The eye itself utilises projection mapping to bring the creature to life, creating the feeling that Nemesis has a sense of awareness of what is going on around her, with the eye following the train through the first part of the layout. Additionally the teeth in the top half of the eye are also animated, with the sequence culminating in the creature roaring and blasting smoke at the train as it enters the zero-g roll. This creates a truly captivating centrepiece for the ride, with a small crowd of guests consistently gathered around the eye throughout the day to capture photos and videos of the feature.
The creature has also been further transformed with the addition of a giant new claw which has seemingly grabbed hold of one of the track supports and torn it away from the track. We understand that this is also supposed to be animated, with the top part of the claw having the ability to move up and down, however difficulties have been encountered in getting this feature functional. Two new-look spiky legs have also been added to the side of the creature that faces into the Forbidden Valley area, along with a large new tail above the brake run that is similar in appearance.
In a similar vein to what was introduced to Gloomy Wood alongside the opening of The Curse at Alton Manor last year, a new cast of roaming characters has also been added to Forbidden Valley, further enhancing the area’s atmosphere and bringing to life its storyline. From The Phalanx are Professor Whittaker, guards transporting some mysterious cargo and operatives in hazmat suits seemingly undertaking further experiments. A news crew can be found reporting live from Forbidden Valley, and trying to seek answers from the Phalanx personnel. Also wandering the area is Mushroom Tours bus driver Clive Adams who has unfortunately run into some difficulty with his vehicle. Finally, a squad of protestors have managed to break into the facility, questioning the motives of The Phalanx and declaring that “Nemesis has feelings too”.
Guests who are willing to brave an up close encounter with the Nemesis creature enter the ride’s queue in the same location as previously. The same entrance structure remains in place, but is now painted black and overtaken by more tentacles. Guests enter beneath a sign displaying a 3D version of the Nemesis Reborn logo, which calls back to the coaster’s original logo. The main queue heads up the stairs to the left, while the Fastrack queue heads right, along what was previously part of the main queue line passing beneath the corkscrew and around the pit where the vertical loop is located. The ambulant Ride Access Pass entrance is just off to the right of the entrance structure, down the slope which was formerly used by guests with Fastrack. Step free access for non-ambulant Ride Access Pass users is via the ride exit. The maximum queue time on opening day was reported as 275 minutes, with the line itself stretching back through Gloomy Wood and into Katanga Canyon!
The initial part of the queue line uses a similar area to previously. The first new theming element of note is a section of track emerging from the ground – we understand this to be newly manufactured track, rather than repainted old track. After passing near to the first drop, the queue heads back towards the area overlooking the creature and coaster itself. Another theming feature in the form of a large gun has been installed here, aimed towards the Nemesis creature. This incorporates lighting and sound effects which indicate that it is preparing to discharge, with this then triggering as the train passes through the first corkscrew. This gun has seemingly been added in homage to that which has been replaced by THNDR-V, with components of this original feature actually also left in the queue line. The code on the side of the gun, “A90-TV-92-FV94”, is also another Easter egg corresponding to the evolution of the area from starting as part of Aqualand in 1990, then becoming its own area as Thunder Valley in 1992 and finally transforming into Forbidden Valley for 1994. However, the overall finish of this theming feature doesn’t seem to be as high quality as others found elsewhere in Forbidden Valley. The black appearance of the gun also seems like it will make it susceptible to looking dirty very quickly. In this area can also be found the first viewfinder, which allows guests to observe Nemesis. The queue also temporarily opens up into a large viewing area, to provide guests with the opportunity to take in the sights of Forbidden Valley. On the fencing that runs alongside the Nemesis ride area, there is signage warning that this is an electric fence with metal wiring added along the top of these sections to fit with this.
Guests are then directed up around the first drop and lift hill, into the rerouted section of the queue line. This sees them eventually reach the Phalanx Field Lab, which has seemingly been attacked by Nemesis with one side torn open by another section of track. This serves as a rolling pre-show, with a video and audio loop seeing Dr Haldane intercept the Phalanx announcements to warn guests of the Phalanx’s sinister intentions and that their hubris has led to them losing control of Nemesis. Signage on the walls of the lab provide an insight into Nemesis’ mutations which include impenetrable armour, attack spikes, acidic saliva, and enhanced vision capabilities. Easter eggs which recognise John Wardley, the original designer of Nemesis, and John Burton, Senior Creative Lead at Merlin Magic Making for the Nemesis Reborn project, can be found on the lab’s exterior.
Eventually guests reach a section of queue line which runs along the top of the pit, overlooking the vertical loop – a view which hasn’t been seen for many years. The queue then heads around the stall turn, where another viewfinder is located. Here a Phalanx helicopter has crash landed in the centre of the stall turn, intermittently smoking while Phalanx personnel communicating over its radio can be heard. The registration of this aircraft is SB-IFT, representing the coaster’s iconic catchphrase – ‘Sit Back, Its Fright Time’. The queue takes guests past the roller coaster’s maintenance building, which has been painted to denote this as Hangar 24 – Phalanx A.I.R Command. Finally, guests merge with the Fastrack / ambulant RAP queue on the final approach to the Nemesis creature. Notably, the physical form of the legs on this side of the station has been largely maintained as before, although with some enhancements to replicate the veiny appearance of the track itself. It seems this is to reflect how the creature is still in the process of mutating as a result of the Phalanx’s experiments.
Guests then enter the Nemesis creature herself, with the interior of the station also having been completely transformed to create the feeling that guests are inside a living organism. Giant ribs have been installed down the side of the station through which guests enter, with fleshy fabric suspended from the ceiling. New smells, paintwork on the row dividers and lighting, including two giant illuminated veins which run overhead, complete the station’s new organic feel. The vein closest to the track incorporates the numbers for each row. A combined lighting and sound sequence triggers upon the dispatch of each train. Unfortunately, the ride’s front row queue has been removed as part of the changes made to the station – we hope that this is something that the Resort will consider reinstating in the future, given that the front row is arguably the best place to ride an Inverted coaster in order to get that truly exposed feeling!
Once it is their turn to ride, the air gates open for guests to deposit any bags and loose articles in new wooden shelves on the far side of the station and then take their seats aboard the train. Ride hosts, in their Phalanx operative uniform, complete the usual restraint checks and then prepare to dispatch the train. On opening day, the ride did seem to be experiencing some restraint related issues, requiring ride hosts to recheck certain seats, slowing down dispatch times. However, we did notice some improvement here on the Sunday.
With the layout of the roller coaster unchanged, the fundamental ride experience remains the same as it has been since 1994. This begins with the train turning gently to the right as it leaves the station and then beginning its ascent up the lift hill. As part of the ride’s overhaul, the lift now has the ability to run at variable speeds, allowing trains to be dispatched as soon as they are ready and then be kept on the lift for longer to enable to train ahead to clear the brake run block section. Upon reaching the top, the train takes the classic B&M pre-drop to disengage from the lift chain, and then turns left as it accelerates down the first drop. The on-ride photo has been relocated to the bottom of the first drop, with spotlights illuminating the train as it goes past to ensure guests are clearly visible during both the day and night! The first inversion is the iconic corkscrew, which has thankfully retained the ‘whip’ characteristic of early B&M coasters. The train then takes the downward helix, arguably the most intense section of the layout, and then climbs into the zero-g roll over the Nemesis creature. This element has been enhanced by the addition of the smoke effect, which looks fantastic at all times of the day with the train dragging the smoke along behind it. We did also find the rotation through the zero-g roll to be somewhat smoother than in its previous form.
After passing across the pit, the train takes the stall turn around the crashed helicopter and then plummets to the bottom of the pit in order to accelerate into the vertical loop. The ride exits from the loop and then rises into the more gentle turn across the front of the Nemesis creature, its eye slightly opening as the train passes. Descending into another smoke-filled tunnel, the final inversion is effectively hidden from riders until they find themselves being whipped upside down one last time. This takes riders past the crashed Mushroom Tours bus which has been attacked by one of the creature’s tentacles – off-ride guests will also notice details such as ‘SW3’ painted on one side and a voiceover provided by Eve, the virtual tour guide featured in Galactica. The train passes through one final smoky underpass, before completing the final turn up to the right, into the brake run. As a result of the installation of magnetic brakes, the train is slowed down somewhat more gradually than in its previous form, and then moves forward slowly towards the rear of the station, passing alongside the maintenance building which has been designated as the “Containment Unit”.
After disembarking from the ride, guests collect any belongings from the shelves and exit through the doorway in the centre of the wall, walking down a themed ramp that is located next to the ride’s final inversion. It is this ramp which non-ambulant RAP users queue along, entering through the doorway at the station’s rear. After facing Nemesis, guests can purchase their on-ride photos from the Nemesis Surveillance unit. The Resort have also introduced an on-ride video option, with the cameras capturing the train descending the first drop.
As noted, other than some subtle differences throughout the course of the layout, the intense ride experience of Nemesis lives on in Nemesis Reborn. However, we and many others did notice a rattle, which was most prominent towards the end of ride and back of the train. This is something that we understand that the Resort and B&M have been working to resolve this over the last week. Many were also hoping that the blood red waterfalls that were an iconic feature of the original Nemesis would be reinstated as part of the development. Although the red dye seems unlikely to return given the issues the Resort had with this contaminating the local water supply, it does seem plausible that the waterfalls could be set to make an imminent return with what seems to be new pipework and pumps visible from the queue line.
With the theme park open until 8pm for the first Alton After Dark date, opening day also provided the first opportunity to see Forbidden Valley at night. With new, permanent lighting having been installed throughout the area and around Nemesis Reborn itself, this totally transforms the area and ride experience once darkness falls, seeing it take on a whole new feel. A spotlight located on Nemesis Reborn’s entrance shines out across the ride, whilst different parts of the layout feature synchronised lighting, such as the vertical loop which is illuminated in blue as the train traverses the element. Unfortunately the roller coaster experienced a technical issue at the end of opening day, which meant that we were unable to experience a night ride after an extended wait, having been asked to leave the queue – it subsequently emerged this was an error of communication by a staff member, with those that refused to leave able to ride at the end of the night. Nonetheless, there are sure to be plenty of opportunities for night rides this year and in the future, with the introduction of Alton After Dark alongside the usual late openings for Scarefest and Fireworks.
Supply Store Bunker 94 is the new shop in Forbidden Valley, located near to the Rollercoaster Restaurant. It boasts a relatively simple black exterior, although tentacles have started to take hold of the building. The interior of the retail store is highly themed, with periodic show sequences which incorporate audio and changes in lighting to again make it feel like Nemesis’ breach of containment is a live situation. On sale is a range of Nemesis Reborn and Phalanx merchandise, such as badges, clothing and cups, along with original Nemesis bolts. Amongst the items being stored on top of the shelves around the perimeter of the shop is one of the original Nemesis eyes. An impressive model of the Nemesis creature is also on display inside, in the centre of the shop – this largely matches the finished result, although some notable differences include one of the old-style claws being retained along with the part of the Nemesis creature that extended out above the pre-lift track.
The shop proved to be very popular over opening weekend, attracting a large queue on both days, reflecting the strength of the Nemesis brand. A temporary queue was therefore created next to the retail store, on what is the proposed site of Project Ocean, a new permanent attraction for which a planning application was recently submitted. If approved, this would suggest that there is still more to come for the area, with of course also the question of whether Galactica is due to be more closely integrated into the refreshed Forbidden Valley through a retheme.
If you’re feeling peckish whilst visiting Forbidden Valley, all of its food and beverage outlets have been refreshed with new names, theming and food options. Ground Command – Coffee Outpost serves hot and cold refreshments, as well as themed treats which include Project D donuts themed to the Phalanx and some of the Resort’s other major rides. Our team tried the donuts on opening day, and sadly found it difficult to justify the hefty price tag based on the quality of the treat. During opening weekend, a limited supply of 1000 Nemesis Nectar beers produced by Rural Brewing Co were on sale from this outlet. Signage at the Coffee Outpost provides some alternative takes on messages displayed elsewhere in the area, such as “Strength in Coffee” and “Sip the Truth”.
Up near The Blade, which has itself been painted grey and the classic yellow design added back to the tops of its supports, Generator – Refuelling Company serves chicken wings and strips, with a variety of different sauce options to suit all tastes. We tried the BBQ and Sriracha chicken strips meal options and found the portions to be generous and the food itself tasty. Other refreshments and snacks can be purchased from Energy Station and Donut Division. The Refresh and Refill station has been retained in the unit which is now opposite Supply Store Bunker 94, but nonetheless themed in line with the rest of the area. This unit helps with the transition between Galactica / Rollercoaster Restaurant and the rest of Forbidden Valley, with one side featuring red lettering and the other blue.
Replacing Edge Games will be R-Cade, which is similar in external appearance to that of Supply Store Bunker 94. Unfortunately, this building wasn’t quite ready for opening weekend, with some of the exterior cladding, theming and signage still to be added. Nonetheless, with the main building complete, it was clear that R-Cade will be a much more dominant structure in Forbidden Valley than Edge Games was. The planning application for this building noted that it will continue to have the same function as an arcade, but we will have to wait and see whether there is anything more to this than just a standard arcade.
The opening of Nemesis Reborn brings to an end a project that was first publicly confirmed more than two years ago, upon the submission of a planning application in January 2022 which detailed Nemesis’ proposed track replacement. The announcement in September 2022 that the roller coaster would close for refurbishment at the end of the 2022 season marked the start of Alton Towers’ story-led marketing campaign centred on the Phalanx’s investigation. Indeed the closing night Forbidden Valley take over stunt was indicative of what was to come over the course of 2023 and into 2024, with videos, email updates, the addition of the Observation Platform and the reopening of Nemesis Sub-Terra all adding to the intrigue and excitement surrounding Nemesis’ return.
It has made for a truly unique project to cover, with structural and thematic changes slowly revealing themselves over the course of the 16 months Nemesis has been closed. Whilst undoubtedly an evolution of the original Forbidden Valley and Nemesis theme, the end result is definitely well executed and arguably the highest quality investment that Alton Towers has seen within the last couple of decades. Although it is evident that there are a few things to tidy up and fine tune, Nemesis is unquestionably back with a vengeance! Congratulations to all involved in the project which has revitalised this iconic roller coaster for another generation.
Did you visit on opening weekend to experience Nemesis Reborn? Or perhaps you have a trip planned soon to Seek the Truth about what The Phalanx are doing to Nemesis? Be sure to let us know via our social media channels!
