French theme park Futuroscope kindly invited me over to check out their brand new first-of-its-kind ride Mission Bermudes as Mack Rides have debuted a ride system that combines a water coaster with a rapids ride and a dark ride all rolled into one in what is without a doubt one of the coolest ride systems to debut for many years.
This innovative ride has a boat connected to hidden under-the-water coaster track that allows full forwards and backwards movements in addition to track switches which allow the boat to drift and navigate in similar fashion to a speedboat.
Submerging the track underwater leaves guests unable to figure out which direction they’re heading in and combined with a variety of elements such as a rapids section, vertical lift and even an indoor experience Mission Bermudes is certainly a ride system that is going to take the themed entertainment world by storm.
Immersive water rides will never be the same again.
Mission Bermudes Review
The storyline of Mission Bermudes focuses on a lost group of explorers who have gone missing around the area of the Bermuda Triangle and it’s our job to go on an adventure to find them.
Our immersion begins within the queue-line as we navigate around the giant body of water that the land occupies, we cross bridges and we gaze upon the jungle that is laid out before us complete with some very cool mist effects.
What I loved the most about this is that despite the queue line weaving its way around a large area that makes up the start of the ride there’s still the mystery of what lies beyond. We see a shipwreck and a bridge complete with eerie mist and some wonderful rock work but at no point is anything spoiled past this point and that adds to the intrigue and exploration vibe the ride is about to portray.
As you approach the station the theming gets more marine research style and mission orientated, there are a few buggies parked up and a lot of themed buildings which house our speedboat ride vehicles before we set off on our mission.
We pass through a research van as years of Bermuda Triangle research and search party documents and information lie as the story is being weaved before our eyes but when we eventually take our seats on our boats and lock ourselves in the story somewhat loses its way.
The introduction of the ride gives us an idea of the boats capabilities as the ride system teases a few unique movements never experienced before on a water ride and then we approach the misty bridge and journey into the great beyond that up until this point has not been seen before.
It’s a thrilling and unique experience and despite the language barrier of not understanding the story it didn’t take away from the adventure that I felt I was a part of.
The rapids portion of the ride absolutely soaks you (and I mean SOAKS) if you’re sitting in the front row, this is the most thrilling bit of the entire ride by quite some distance but sadly the high point of the entire ride ends there.
As Mission Bermudes finishes the rapids portion of the ride the story and the ride experience somewhat fizzles out. The movements are limited and as you approach a more enclosed section of the ride and the exploration element of the ride fizzles out as the story stops dead.
Mission Bermudes is a very open planned ride to begin with, many elements are spaced out and there’s a vastness which adds to the exploration theme, the rapids then condenses that experience as the rock work is much closer to you, it’s more intimate and more intense and then once that’s over the sightline stretches out once again but this time there’s not a great deal to look at.
As you come out of the rapids there’s a strange turn-around section where you’re looking at rock-work but there’s gaps in the rocks, you can see where the body of water is being held and there’s nothing here to distract you from seeing this rather unfinished area of the ride.
There’s no jump scare, there’s no effect, there’s absolutely nothing of note that dives into the mystique and the adventure of going to the Bermuda Triangle and that’s where this particular ride fails in terms of storytelling.
An indoor section for Mission Bermudes is an exciting prospect as this genius ride system navigating an indoor space with a variety of effects or animatronics just whets the appetite for what’s in-store but instead the ride enters the show-building backwards, absolutely nothing of note happens as you pass this rather nicely themed interior and it merely serves as a loading space to ascend a vertical lift.
In initial concepts for the ride this vertical lift section was supposedly going to be constructed inside a volcano which would have been great but it seems budget constraints scrapped that idea and we now have an outdoor vertical lift hill where our mission died quite some time ago.
Don’t get me wrong, the ride experience is still fun, it’s still adventurous and the vertical lift is always a great addition to any water ride but the narrative has well and truly vanished, no doubt within the Bermuda Triangle, the irony.
We don’t find the people we were going out searching for, we don’t encounter a mysterious or supernatural effect that makes the Bermuda Triangle so special (I was screaming for some projection mapping in the building or some fire effects, anything!) and the whole thing just ends in a very flat manner despite the ride itself being very fun indeed.
A Mack Rides Masterpiece
Whilst Mission Bermudes has certainly more room to improve in terms of a ride experience (more animatronics and more effects certainly needed) I feel as though the ride system itself is the star of the show.
A lengthy ride experience (around 4 minutes) mixed with the unique movements make this Mack Rides Rocking Boat system one to watch in the future.
With LSM launch motors in addition to a rapids section I can’t imagine this is a cheap ride to operate as the power consumption for this ride must be astronomical but with the right theming and immersion this system has so many customisation options, the possibilities are endless.
Imagine if Universal created a Jaws ride where you’re exploring the seas and animatronic sharks are chasing you down. Imagine if the proposed Creature From the Black Lagoon ride utilised this ride system as you explore the lagoon and the mysteries within it.
There’s so many options and outlets and I feel as though this ride system would benefit even more from a much lengthier indoor section with theming, effects and animatronics complimenting the unique movements of the vehicle.
Whilst Mission Bermudes for the most part keeps themed elements at a distance there’s a real opportunity with the system to go up close and personal with a variety of effects and payoffs, it’s begging for a more up close and personal ride experience.
Mack Rides have made a water ride that simulates the randomness of a real river, nothing is predictable it feels adventurous smooth and most of all from a park perspective, reliable.
The ride was running smooth all day with little downtime but I would be interested to see how the ride performs over time as submerged track for long periods of time may pose a problem, or I could be completely wrong!
Final Thoughts
A milestone in theme park design Mission Bermudes is the first of many rides of this kind I feel and whilst storytelling goes a little off course after the rapids section the ride system more than carries its own and provides a very fun, frantic and unpredictable experience.
Mission Bermudes is a case of concept vs reality and whilst we didn’t quite get exactly what the park were looking to achieve visually with the ride I think guests will certainly experience more than they bargained for from this unique world’s first ride system.
On another note, drainage within the boats are wonderfully handled with a whole trough of water being emptied from the boat within seconds but it’s only the front row that seems to collect it so be prepared for VERY wet feet as everyone else behind you merely gets a splash from the sides of the boat as they’re quite low to the water.
Water rides will never be the same again and Futuroscope have set the benchmark for what’s to come from this ride system in the future.
It’s a park that needs more rides as opposed to indoor screen-based experiences and as part of their 2030 plan it looks like another roller coaster (presumably Vekoma) is heading to the park within the next few years and it’s certainly needed as the park evolves.
Mission Bermudes is a great addition for this future-forward park but an even greater addition for the themed entertainment industry as this ride system really does define what a water ride (and a water coaster) is.
Check out a POV of the ride in action below:
Want to check out our VLOG / review of the press day for Mission Bermudes?
