We were gifted free tickets to deliver our honest thoughts about this brand-new experience
We were kindly invited to the press day for Helios a Fantasiana theme park in Austria to check out Helios the brand new Mack Rides Big Dipper coaster that has custom Mack Rides Stryker trains before it officially opened to the public.
Mack Rides shattered the illusion of what a thrill coaster is with the opening of Voltron Nevera back in 2024 and theme parks across the world were intrigued to see how this brand new ‘Stryker Coaster’ could be implemented into their own park.
Fantasiana is very much a family-friendly theme park so the idea of them getting a coaster even similar to Voltron is unheard of and with space being tight after removing the beloved Wild Train coaster, just how could they make it work?
Well, they started with Big Dipper track and added Stryker trains and themed the entire ride in this brand new area called Sun Bay. As confirmed by the park Helios is NOT a Stryker coaster but a Big Dipper model with the Voltron-style trains but they’ve been perfected.
Voltron had an awful rattle on certain trains during its initial operation but it seems as though these issues have been refined because my last trip to Europa Park saw no noticeable rattle and Helios as Fantasiana is butter smooth throughout its layout and not only that but Helios has added onboard audio that Voltron is crying out for especially because of its extended layout which would be complemented by a soundtrack accompaniment.
Sun Bay
Immerse yourself in the warm and vibrant colours of the South! In our Mediterranean world, you will experience the flair of the coastal regions around the Mediterranean Sea. Here, an exciting mix of Mediterranean architecture, an old, real olive tree, and culinary delights that will enchant your senses await you.
What a beautiful area Sun Bay is with old stone-themed architecture, a glorious fountain show that is constantly running in the square with a seating area giving guests the entire scope of the ride layout, Sun Bay and Helios are very photogenic.
The new Sonnenbucht (Sun Bay) themed area represents the largest, most elaborate, and most expensive investment in Fantasiana’s corporate history.
In quite a beautiful tribute a Chapel has been constructed to pay respects to the park’s late esteemed founder Mr. Kommerzialrat Erich Wagner. I think this tribute to their late founder is such a nice touch and it really brings everything together in quite a beautiful tribute of respect and honour.
A dodgem ride and a small wheel also reside in this area but for me, they currently look very out of place but at least the dodgems are hidden behind some theming pieces whilst the wheel does look a little out of place compared to the theming of the area, hopefully, they change this in the future.
Helios Ride
Replacing the beloved Wild Train coaster, which operated from 2005 to 2024 would be no easy task but the Helios roller coaster is certainly a sleeper hit in the 2025 coaster calendar.
Riders will hit speeds up to 75 km/h and will traverse three inversions including a corkscrew, a barrel roll-down drop, and another corkscrew, as well as an outward-banked airtime hill.
Eight passengers ride in two rows and onboard audio bellows out the beautiful IMASCORE soundtrack as it follows the ride’s movements around the park.
The immersion begins the second you walk through the queueline which is much shorter than I was expecting as it leads almost directly into the station from a small courtyard as you walk past a lovely waterfall in these tranquil gardens and even the concrete has been themed to look like old pillars with the ride logo carved into them, attention to detail is breathtaking.
Entering the station is a giant statue of Helios roller coaster accompanied by projections that make him come alive and then you’re straight into the station which is themed like a Mediterranean village almost with plants, a small water wheel and the beautiful fly-through station element above your head as the train flies through the station during its runthrough.
It’s quite impressive just how much they’ve packed into a short footprint of space within the park but it just works beautifully, there will always be comparisons with Voltron but Helios is in its own league of being more of an introductory ride for families to dip their toe into the thrill market.
The Helios roller coaster is the most thrilling ride in the park and if this is the benchmark standard they’ve set for their future additions then Fantasiana have a very exciting future ahead of them.
After a quick chat with the General Manager Simon Spitzbart who kindly invited us out on this trip, he said there were discussions with Gerstlauer and Mack Rides but due to the relationship that the Mack family has with Fantasiana (including a heartwarming story about a German bakery that now has one of the old Wild Trains inside it), they were able to strike a deal and bring Helios to life.
For a more family-friendly coaster Helios is packed full of hangtime and the soundtrack is perfect, my only negatives of the on-ride experience is that as the ride reaches a near-miss element just before the end the intensity of the ride ends instantly and as the ride caresses the final curve into the station the soundtrack finishes just a few seconds too early which can easily be fixed.
I also thought that the Helios statue could have had some projections of fire on the statue to simulate that fire association and the giant banner in the station could be replaced by a more eye-catching Fantasiana shield or even a banner made from a higher-quality material such as a regal fabric to make it look less cheap, I am nitpicking now aren’t I?
Whilst you shouldn’t compare the two I’ll certainly call it a baby Voltron for the fact that it is like the tester ride before the step-up to a ride like Voltron but at the same time it shines (sun ride, shine, see what I did there?) and stands on its own two feet.
The Helios roller coaster is the perfect replacement for the previous Wild Train ride and it fits into this beautifully themed park like it has always belonged.
Check out my VLOG from the press event for Helios at Fantasiana below and thanks once again to Fantasiana for asking us out to Austria to enjoy this wonderful ride.
