Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
can’t wait to see the projects. @Dark PerGron I know I’m not in the game or a judge but can I still put my input on the projects. Of course my input would not effect the outcome
-
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Dark PerGron’s Manor of Mysteries [Game Thread] {Finished}
- Thread starter PerGron
- Start date
Yeah you’re welcome to guest review a bit if you want
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Ok thanks
ThemeParkPriest
Well-Known Member
Architectural Guinea Pig
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Team Legend - Prompt 3 - The Manor of Mysteries
Imagine America as a theme park. A timeless, romantic, story of a park, to seaside fairs, to farms, to small towns. This is America by Day. But what if, you give it to the Night? Everything is darker and spookier, but the touch of Day never leaves - the romantic timelessness won't ever leave the beauty of Disney's Twilight America.
Long past, in the 1990s, Disney proposed a theme park in Virginia - Disney's America. Of course, that fell flat - as you don't see an American theme park today. For one, it was hard to be relevant to modern audiences. But in 2023, if not Virginia- Then where? Illinois - and specifically Chicago, a golden American city that happens to not have a theme park, except for Six Flags, an hour's drive away. This Twilight America would go on the only less vacant spot in Chicago, Jackson (Andrew) Park, home to an equally romantic Museum of Science and Industry. America... in America, an America by Twilight.
Long past, in the 1990s, Disney proposed a theme park in Virginia - Disney's America. Of course, that fell flat - as you don't see an American theme park today. For one, it was hard to be relevant to modern audiences. But in 2023, if not Virginia- Then where? Illinois - and specifically Chicago, a golden American city that happens to not have a theme park, except for Six Flags, an hour's drive away. This Twilight America would go on the only less vacant spot in Chicago, Jackson (Andrew) Park, home to an equally romantic Museum of Science and Industry. America... in America, an America by Twilight.
Mr. Tux
Active Member
if the links don’t work for you, here are the links for the lands for Disney’s Twilight America:
The Hollow: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Z6dMKB8UN3C2HUBIJ4tWWDM1jBtOekdRSJPobREYK4/mobilebasic
The Town: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10_MxRDKtQx_jY3D3K3BUY1-Br5fKUmGMnBosxKp4uGs/edit?usp=sharing
The Fields: https://docs.google.com/document/d/169RYHdBShYP1iYYMXEE4sOVSTWij3PmesgtMpCq3HXE/edit?usp=sharing
The Carnival: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xBzDt2dkiOEw9bfapmGzocZx7jwv72Sm_gcgoUaS7CM/edit
The Hollow: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Z6dMKB8UN3C2HUBIJ4tWWDM1jBtOekdRSJPobREYK4/mobilebasic
The Town: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10_MxRDKtQx_jY3D3K3BUY1-Br5fKUmGMnBosxKp4uGs/edit?usp=sharing
The Fields: https://docs.google.com/document/d/169RYHdBShYP1iYYMXEE4sOVSTWij3PmesgtMpCq3HXE/edit?usp=sharing
The Carnival: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xBzDt2dkiOEw9bfapmGzocZx7jwv72Sm_gcgoUaS7CM/edit
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
For team lore, I didn’t know if you could have used FNAF, but that would have been a cool concept. I feel like this project, when I was still part of the team, keeping the park small is definitely not my strong suit
Disney Dad 3000
Well-Known Member
Was looking forward to both team's projects this week. Team Legend, I'll have you later today. Plenty of options with IP or non-IP.
Team Lore
Dark Kingdom
The intro is short and succinct but tells me exactly what your park is about. I get shades of @Outbound Dark Kingdom for Hong Kong Disneyland, but with your own direction and IP usage. I definitely see what you were going for and almost a dark take on a smaller castle park.
I know this was blue sky, but my only wants for the set up would be potential locations and how the IP choices came about or were possible. It’s a personal choice, but I like to see some attempt at grounding ideas into the real world, even if it’s a fun tale, etc. That said, doesn’t detract from the idea itself.
Right off the bat, we get a bird’s eye view of the park via your map. I really like how this is laid out with Dracula’s castle as the centerpiece and using natural features (water and trees) to separate the lands. It’s got a nice exploratory feel to it that seems ideal for a Halloween/Spooky/Dark vibe. It’s just a really nice map that effectively conveys everything for guests, or readers like me.
Sleepy Hallow/Hollow
The perfect choice of entrance for a park of this type and some of the direction you’ve gone for. While there are better films in the Disney vault, it’s one I've always longed to see incorporated into the parks in some fashion.
The write up here really hits home something I know the judges have brought up the last few rounds, setting the stage and vibe of the area through words. I am always a fan of the written walk-through experience for Imagineering projects, as long as they hit the important notes and don’t give too much info. It helps me feel like I’m there. This to me is perfect. Highlights all the high points of the entry with plenty of descriptors. My only wish is that there would’ve been an attraction of some type included here and a reference photo or two. Totally get why there isn’t an attraction, but the Sleepy Hollow fan in me just wants to see it.
Dracula’s Castle
Perfect icon I think for your park. Makes sense. Fits the vibe. Maybe could’ve used a little more descriptor of the island and castle itself. Checks the boxes though. Nosferatu Walkthrough is one of the types of things I expected to see in the 2 parks and there’s enough here to get the gist of the setup and a nice inclusion.
Flight of Dracula and a suspended coaster is an inspired choice in attraction. Everything about this makes sense. I imagine with the castle and the coaster flying around it and through the trees, this would be uber popular. The basics of the attraction are all there. This is in no way a knock on the attraction, but I wish if there was 1 attraction in the park that had the largest write up and detail, this would be it. As the centerpiece of the park, would love to see this one done to the nines with everything else as a supplement if needed.
Halloweenland
First off, love the artwork here. Whether its digital work, hand drawn, etc. personal work will always win out for me. I know AI was brought up before so I won’t dive into it, but artwork from the creator will always help convey the intended thoughts better than anything else. It lends a great touch to any project. For a boutique park, the mix of attractions here is just about perfect and what I’d expect to see. While you have cross IP usage, it all works for the rides, and I could see them working together.
For me Scarlet Devil Manor is the one thing that feels out of place in the land. I don’t think it flows with a land that has Casper and Charlie Brown. I almost wonder if Touhou could have been a small section of your park with this restaurant and an attraction separate from Halloweenland? That said, appreciate all of the details in the restaurant. While this is a boutique park, this is the one Disney type restaurant you’ve included which is perfectly acceptable. I know zero about Touhou, and know little, but I am a fan of a spooky/dark restaurant like this. The varied dining rooms are a nice touch as well.
New England Square
A New England area feels like it had to be in your park and….it’s here. Coupled with the Sleepy Hallow entrance, a natural flow on that side of the park. The Winslow Estate has 5 attractions and I like the mix of what’s here and could see them working in this type of park. I appreciate the continuity as they all tell a piece of the story of the estate itself and it’s a unique, non-IP idea.
The Grounds is a standout to me. Being stuck on a slow-moving boat with what’s happening only adds to the spook factor. While there’s no beginning to end story of the ride itself, I think it’s fine to exist simply as a tour of the boathouse, grounds, etc. and explore all of the weird things the estate has to offer.
While I enjoyed all of the other attractions included, I almost think I would have axed one of them and left only 3 total rides. From a balance and boutique park perspective, I think this would have helped. Perhaps the Crows could have become a 2nd walkthrough in the land, which would be great for this type of park. That said, I really liked the Ballroom and Graveyard’s inclusions. Simple enough attractions could exist here with the Graveyard being a solid 2nd coaster for the park. The Secret would be a popular venture, I’m sure. Again, love the idea of this all tying back to the Winslow family.
No Tomorrow Land
No Tomorrow Land (Love the pun) is one I’ve gone back and forth on. It 100% fits your mission statement and honestly makes sense from that perspective, as well as the “dark” play on Tomorrowland. On the flip side, it stands out from the rest of the park and the lands included to me. I don’t know, it’s one I go back and forth on in its fit.
That said, I appreciate all the details here, especially in the signature attraction. Land map, attraction layout and ride vehicle along with the stock images all do a great job of painting the picture. It would be an absolute wild ride. This would add obvious thrill and certainly make the park a destination. I have no clue if a boutique park would use an attraction of this type, but it does a great job of balancing the park between the 3 main attractions spread around. There are some aspects that seem a little grander than what the rest of the park has gone for (43 ft animatronic, screens), but as a ride itself, a lot of fun.
Conclusion
Overall, a really solid project from this team. I don’t know how brainstorming went, but you all did a nice job of covering your bases across the park.
A boutique park is a tricky thing, as I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong answer in what yours should be, how big, etc. You all had an idea though, and your lands and ideas all tie back to that central theme. I might have considered swapping Halloweentown and No Tomorrow Land on the map if no NTL was included as it stands out much more as a land than the rest to me. The transition from Sleepy Hallow to Halloweentown could work nicely. Like that you took the opportunity to mix some non-IP with the other IP included. Some minor personal nitpicks here and there, but overall, really enjoyed seeing what you all put together. Nice work!
Team Lore
Dark Kingdom
The intro is short and succinct but tells me exactly what your park is about. I get shades of @Outbound Dark Kingdom for Hong Kong Disneyland, but with your own direction and IP usage. I definitely see what you were going for and almost a dark take on a smaller castle park.
I know this was blue sky, but my only wants for the set up would be potential locations and how the IP choices came about or were possible. It’s a personal choice, but I like to see some attempt at grounding ideas into the real world, even if it’s a fun tale, etc. That said, doesn’t detract from the idea itself.
Right off the bat, we get a bird’s eye view of the park via your map. I really like how this is laid out with Dracula’s castle as the centerpiece and using natural features (water and trees) to separate the lands. It’s got a nice exploratory feel to it that seems ideal for a Halloween/Spooky/Dark vibe. It’s just a really nice map that effectively conveys everything for guests, or readers like me.
Sleepy Hallow/Hollow
The perfect choice of entrance for a park of this type and some of the direction you’ve gone for. While there are better films in the Disney vault, it’s one I've always longed to see incorporated into the parks in some fashion.
The write up here really hits home something I know the judges have brought up the last few rounds, setting the stage and vibe of the area through words. I am always a fan of the written walk-through experience for Imagineering projects, as long as they hit the important notes and don’t give too much info. It helps me feel like I’m there. This to me is perfect. Highlights all the high points of the entry with plenty of descriptors. My only wish is that there would’ve been an attraction of some type included here and a reference photo or two. Totally get why there isn’t an attraction, but the Sleepy Hollow fan in me just wants to see it.
Dracula’s Castle
Perfect icon I think for your park. Makes sense. Fits the vibe. Maybe could’ve used a little more descriptor of the island and castle itself. Checks the boxes though. Nosferatu Walkthrough is one of the types of things I expected to see in the 2 parks and there’s enough here to get the gist of the setup and a nice inclusion.
Flight of Dracula and a suspended coaster is an inspired choice in attraction. Everything about this makes sense. I imagine with the castle and the coaster flying around it and through the trees, this would be uber popular. The basics of the attraction are all there. This is in no way a knock on the attraction, but I wish if there was 1 attraction in the park that had the largest write up and detail, this would be it. As the centerpiece of the park, would love to see this one done to the nines with everything else as a supplement if needed.
Halloweenland
First off, love the artwork here. Whether its digital work, hand drawn, etc. personal work will always win out for me. I know AI was brought up before so I won’t dive into it, but artwork from the creator will always help convey the intended thoughts better than anything else. It lends a great touch to any project. For a boutique park, the mix of attractions here is just about perfect and what I’d expect to see. While you have cross IP usage, it all works for the rides, and I could see them working together.
For me Scarlet Devil Manor is the one thing that feels out of place in the land. I don’t think it flows with a land that has Casper and Charlie Brown. I almost wonder if Touhou could have been a small section of your park with this restaurant and an attraction separate from Halloweenland? That said, appreciate all of the details in the restaurant. While this is a boutique park, this is the one Disney type restaurant you’ve included which is perfectly acceptable. I know zero about Touhou, and know little, but I am a fan of a spooky/dark restaurant like this. The varied dining rooms are a nice touch as well.
New England Square
A New England area feels like it had to be in your park and….it’s here. Coupled with the Sleepy Hallow entrance, a natural flow on that side of the park. The Winslow Estate has 5 attractions and I like the mix of what’s here and could see them working in this type of park. I appreciate the continuity as they all tell a piece of the story of the estate itself and it’s a unique, non-IP idea.
The Grounds is a standout to me. Being stuck on a slow-moving boat with what’s happening only adds to the spook factor. While there’s no beginning to end story of the ride itself, I think it’s fine to exist simply as a tour of the boathouse, grounds, etc. and explore all of the weird things the estate has to offer.
While I enjoyed all of the other attractions included, I almost think I would have axed one of them and left only 3 total rides. From a balance and boutique park perspective, I think this would have helped. Perhaps the Crows could have become a 2nd walkthrough in the land, which would be great for this type of park. That said, I really liked the Ballroom and Graveyard’s inclusions. Simple enough attractions could exist here with the Graveyard being a solid 2nd coaster for the park. The Secret would be a popular venture, I’m sure. Again, love the idea of this all tying back to the Winslow family.
No Tomorrow Land
No Tomorrow Land (Love the pun) is one I’ve gone back and forth on. It 100% fits your mission statement and honestly makes sense from that perspective, as well as the “dark” play on Tomorrowland. On the flip side, it stands out from the rest of the park and the lands included to me. I don’t know, it’s one I go back and forth on in its fit.
That said, I appreciate all the details here, especially in the signature attraction. Land map, attraction layout and ride vehicle along with the stock images all do a great job of painting the picture. It would be an absolute wild ride. This would add obvious thrill and certainly make the park a destination. I have no clue if a boutique park would use an attraction of this type, but it does a great job of balancing the park between the 3 main attractions spread around. There are some aspects that seem a little grander than what the rest of the park has gone for (43 ft animatronic, screens), but as a ride itself, a lot of fun.
Conclusion
Overall, a really solid project from this team. I don’t know how brainstorming went, but you all did a nice job of covering your bases across the park.
A boutique park is a tricky thing, as I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong answer in what yours should be, how big, etc. You all had an idea though, and your lands and ideas all tie back to that central theme. I might have considered swapping Halloweentown and No Tomorrow Land on the map if no NTL was included as it stands out much more as a land than the rest to me. The transition from Sleepy Hallow to Halloweentown could work nicely. Like that you took the opportunity to mix some non-IP with the other IP included. Some minor personal nitpicks here and there, but overall, really enjoyed seeing what you all put together. Nice work!
Last edited:
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Team Legend patiently waiting for their feedback...
Disney Warrior
Well-Known Member
Alright, Team Legend, you’re up.
As a person who sometimes wished that Disney’s America was built, I’m glad to see a spiritual successor here. I really like the backstory for the Hollow, it is very detailed and I like the font. Isn’t the Legend a coaster at Holiday World? I could see some confusion come up among enthusiasts but that’s minor considering there are multiple Goliaths and Supermans and Batmans (still a good ride). Dance Macrabe is a good dark ride and I like the supporting shops and restaurants.
I’ll admit: I have not seen Stranger Things (bash me in the comments lol). So far the presentation here has been really nice. Escape from Hawkins looks like a good ride, but what type of coaster is it? More details could be nice. Same thing with the Thing (no not the marvel character), what type of ride is it? Is it a ride? Dark ride? Is that mall art AI? I like the concept and the menus.
Now onto the carnival, which is something that should definitely be in a park like this (so far I also like that there aren’t too many attractions). Looks like I spoke too soon, oh well, these are basic flat rides, shouldn’t be too much. I like the backstory, though I expected to see a clown. I’ve never seen a potato tornado, they look tasty and unhealthy. I like the restaurants and shops, but what made you want to name them after the dwarves? There’s the circus clown lol. I like the idea of clown scare maze, even though it is a cliche. The Dorian seems to be the most themed carnival drop tower that isn’t ToT. I like it. I would’ve appreciated some small descriptions of the other attractions, what would Midway Mania or Sideshow Slide feel like? Anyways still good.
The Fields also seems like one of those quintessential fall things that would be a no brainer in this park, makes me surprised there wasn’t really a Disney Adventure situation. I like the corn maze, I’ve been to some and they have varied in difficulty so seeing an easier one is nice. The petting zoo (would there be any @Architectural Guinea Pig s?) is a nice bonus. The pumpkin patch also feels like a quintessential autumn offering, but midway through this land, I almost forgot that this was for a Disney park, but that just shows that not everything needs an IP. I like the restaurant and the addition of entertainment, which I haven’t seen in other lands. This is still a good land even with no real “rides”.
I like the additions of location realism (being in Chicago means good attendance hopefully unless this is a Six Flags America situation), and the attraction list. I like the map but I would like to see the lands labeled (either on the map or the presentation). I also like the weenie and night show, they are good concepts. I like the addition of a conclusion, but what is this mysterious society? Was it something related to the night show or weenie or one of the lands? Anyways Team Legend, great job!
As a person who sometimes wished that Disney’s America was built, I’m glad to see a spiritual successor here. I really like the backstory for the Hollow, it is very detailed and I like the font. Isn’t the Legend a coaster at Holiday World? I could see some confusion come up among enthusiasts but that’s minor considering there are multiple Goliaths and Supermans and Batmans (still a good ride). Dance Macrabe is a good dark ride and I like the supporting shops and restaurants.
I’ll admit: I have not seen Stranger Things (bash me in the comments lol). So far the presentation here has been really nice. Escape from Hawkins looks like a good ride, but what type of coaster is it? More details could be nice. Same thing with the Thing (no not the marvel character), what type of ride is it? Is it a ride? Dark ride? Is that mall art AI? I like the concept and the menus.
Now onto the carnival, which is something that should definitely be in a park like this (so far I also like that there aren’t too many attractions). Looks like I spoke too soon, oh well, these are basic flat rides, shouldn’t be too much. I like the backstory, though I expected to see a clown. I’ve never seen a potato tornado, they look tasty and unhealthy. I like the restaurants and shops, but what made you want to name them after the dwarves? There’s the circus clown lol. I like the idea of clown scare maze, even though it is a cliche. The Dorian seems to be the most themed carnival drop tower that isn’t ToT. I like it. I would’ve appreciated some small descriptions of the other attractions, what would Midway Mania or Sideshow Slide feel like? Anyways still good.
The Fields also seems like one of those quintessential fall things that would be a no brainer in this park, makes me surprised there wasn’t really a Disney Adventure situation. I like the corn maze, I’ve been to some and they have varied in difficulty so seeing an easier one is nice. The petting zoo (would there be any @Architectural Guinea Pig s?) is a nice bonus. The pumpkin patch also feels like a quintessential autumn offering, but midway through this land, I almost forgot that this was for a Disney park, but that just shows that not everything needs an IP. I like the restaurant and the addition of entertainment, which I haven’t seen in other lands. This is still a good land even with no real “rides”.
I like the additions of location realism (being in Chicago means good attendance hopefully unless this is a Six Flags America situation), and the attraction list. I like the map but I would like to see the lands labeled (either on the map or the presentation). I also like the weenie and night show, they are good concepts. I like the addition of a conclusion, but what is this mysterious society? Was it something related to the night show or weenie or one of the lands? Anyways Team Legend, great job!
Disney Warrior
Well-Known Member
I was starting to write my above review when you posted this message lolTeam Legend patiently waiting for their feedback...
Mr. Tux
Active Member
Escape is a story coaster like space mountain. I forgot to clarify that The Thing is a haunted house
cdunlap
Well-Known Member
Team Lore Review:
Firstly, I want to apologize for not reviewing the last project! Now let’s get on with this new review! First up, as someone who LOVES The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, that entry area was real special to me! Dracula's Castle is also very special to me because I love Romanian history and mythology so to name the landmark after notorious 1400s warlord Vlad Tepes/Vlad Dracula is really interesting and I think the attractions are a very interesting take on the vampire legend that surrounds Vlad. Halloweenland is a very interesting concept and you guys executed it perfectly! I would just LOVE to dine at Scarlet Devil Manor because it sounds amazing! As somebody who loves old mansions along with ravens and their relatives, New England Square speaks to me deeply and I wish it was real so that I could stay there! No Tomorrow Land was interesting. You had a concept that, to me, seems a bit obvious (A Horror Sci-Fi Land). However, you managed to make it into a well done and cohesive land.
Firstly, I want to apologize for not reviewing the last project! Now let’s get on with this new review! First up, as someone who LOVES The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, that entry area was real special to me! Dracula's Castle is also very special to me because I love Romanian history and mythology so to name the landmark after notorious 1400s warlord Vlad Tepes/Vlad Dracula is really interesting and I think the attractions are a very interesting take on the vampire legend that surrounds Vlad. Halloweenland is a very interesting concept and you guys executed it perfectly! I would just LOVE to dine at Scarlet Devil Manor because it sounds amazing! As somebody who loves old mansions along with ravens and their relatives, New England Square speaks to me deeply and I wish it was real so that I could stay there! No Tomorrow Land was interesting. You had a concept that, to me, seems a bit obvious (A Horror Sci-Fi Land). However, you managed to make it into a well done and cohesive land.
Mr. Tux
Active Member
document has been updated
Mr. Tux
Active Member
It’s not AI, it’s a still from episode 1, season 3
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
Hey guys. This is a crazy weekend for me so I won’t have my feedback up until Sunday or Monday. However we should be coming to a consensus in the next few hours. Thank you all for your patience.
mickeyfan5534
Well-Known Member
Not so much a crazy weekend as a crazy month here. I will get your reviews up... at some point okay?
Dark PerGron's Reviews
Obviously one of the main reasons we went here is that we passed over Halloween during the events of this week, but we also selected this prompt because it’s a personal passion project of mine. I’ve always loved Halloween and autumn and the cozy autumnal vibes and have always yearned for some sort of Halloween-themed park for those of us who aren’t fans of the uber scare-filled houses that plague the country. I’d love a nice little farm with some dark rides and flat rides and whatnot, so giving you all the challenge of creating that park was a very exciting challenge.
I hope you all enjoyed the challenge as much as I enjoyed watching you all complete it. Honestly, both teams have only improved in both teamwork and quality of the projects since we began. Looking at round one vs round three, it’s genuinely amazing how much you’ve all grown in such a short time, so no matter who wins, you should all be very proud of the work you’ve done this round. With that, let’s get into the projects.
Team Lore- Dark Kingdom
There’s one thing I wanted to comment on before we really get into the project, and that is team communication. While it wasn’t nearly as bad as it has been in the past, there was an incident where players started bickering and I had to step in to put an end to it. Remember going forward, this is a game, it’s not that serious. Everything will get done and there’s no need to be rude to one another or cop an attitude with anyone. That being said, once resolved, you guys worked well as a team.
Dark Kingdom is maybe not the most original name for a park, but it definitely fits the idea, especially if you’re going to model it after a smaller version of a Disney castle park. I totally understand why this decision was made, the hub-and-spokes design of the castle parks are always a hit and are easy to do, plus the thematic lands translate pretty well to most topics. Even still, I do wish we would’ve had a more unique and original layout. Don’t be afraid to take risks when it comes to layout. Set the whole thing in a corn maze that you have to complete to get to each land, make it all one big pumpkin patch, play around with ideas a little bit. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, but was a tiny bit derivative where I would’ve loved to see more unique decisions. Still, I appreciated that it was a bit of a parody and am glad you played it that way rather than playing it straight.
Sleepy Hollow is genuinely perfect and everything I wanted from this park. We selected making this a boutique park to strip away your freedoms to cram 100 e-tickets in and have to focus on the more small and intimate experiences. Having permanently autumnal trees is a genius idea that really makes the land feel exactly how I hoped it would feel, and I don’t fault you for using artificial trees as there aren’t that many that have those brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds year round, so nice work-around. The brick and steel gates also make the land feel perfect. It’s funny that both teams went with a Sleepy Hollow land, but I suppose it makes sense, especially where really Sleepy Hollow, New York and Salem, Massachusetts really were the two main options both teams tossed around, and while I adore Salem, I think you both made the right decisions.
The Ghost Host tours were also a really phenomenal idea. I would love to visit a park and follow around a guide giving insight into the park but also telling ghost stories. This sounds like a really awesome addition, especially a free addition included with the price of admission as it seems yours is. The statue of the Headless Horseman with effects at night would be a sight to see and I could easily see it being a super popular Instagram spot, and the Pumpkin Carving Station was also genius. To me, this is exactly what I was looking for in this sort of park. The option to carve a pumpkin and decorate the park for the night would be such a rewarding experience for so many people. I would love to have it here.
Jumping to the shopping and dining experiences, they’re small, but they fit the vibes brilliantly. A coffee shop and a bookshop absolutely fit the cozy vibes of the autumnal town and I would love to spend some time just sitting there and enjoying the atmosphere. The Estate also sounds interesting and I enjoy the background that you’ve created for it. I maybe would’ve liked a little bit more detail on it so I could comment more on it, but at the same time, I understand the challenges @spacemt354 faced in real life, so I’ll give you a pass on that. Still, some really interesting stuff.
I think overall, my single and only gripe with all of Sleepy Hollow was the lack of visual aides. I think even just some stock images just to emphasize what you were going for would’ve really added to this write-up. For the teams going forward, if you’re compiling the project and there is no visual aid provided, it would be advantageous to include some pictures as you go just to make sure the whole thing isn’t just one blurb of text. Still, I really enjoyed this land and everything that came with it, it was some of exactly what I wanted when I gave this prompt.
Dracula’s Castle really is a perfect centerpiece for your park, especially if you’re going for the castle park hub-and-spokes concept. Dracula is a very iconic character and his castle is a perfect bit of imagery. With a boutique park, you don’t really want to fill it with too many large-scale attractions, especially like coasters, so I think you all made the right decision making your main coaster the headliner of the park, yet still making it a family coaster. This seems to me, through reading, like a suspended version of Slinky Dog Dash or Hagrid’s, so to have something akin to those very popular attractions for your park makes a ton of sense. I’m going to reiterate the need for some visuals though, especially with coasters. Even just a little overhead track view would’ve really benefited you. It’s hard to write coasters and it’s hard to visualize when reading, so going forward, I think some visuals would help. Still, I enjoyed the coaster and think it would be a lot of fun.
I absolutely adore a good walkthrough and I also adore Nosferatu, combining the two in the aptly named Nosferatu Walkthrough, was perfect and I think a walkthrough is the best way to include the property into a park. Including the effects to the walkthrough would also be a great way to make it all a little scary and a little more exciting for guests. I think my critique here really is just the name, this feels more like a descriptor without an official name. I would’ve preferred a little bit more time put into the name of the attraction, but the attraction itself was good.
Heading to Halloweenland, this is another great example of what I was hoping for from this project. Including the likes of properties like Scooby Doo and The Peanuts were perfect and were some properties I really wanted to see referenced here. I also liked the inclusion of walk around characters to meet like Scooby and gy and Casper and all the others you mentioned. Walkaround characters really add a lot to a land, so even just a mention really plusses up the land (the inclusion of Aah! Real Monsters was also fun).
I ADORE It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! This spinner was exactly what I hoped for and you killed it, especially with the brilliant artwork by both @MonorailRed and @ThemeParkPriest. Both the concept art and the vehicle were beautiful and I loved seeing these pieces, especially after an unfortunate lack of visual aids prior to this. As for Scooby-Doo, Drive, I also appreciate the ingenuity here. These truck rides are too kiddy to really be included in a Disney or Universal park, but fit perfectly here as a flat ride. Getting into The Nightmare Before Christmas Train and Casper Walk-Thru, I have to bring back my criticism for the Nosferatu Walkthrough in that I think more could’ve been done with the names here. I also found that these two (especially Casper) have a pretty big lack of detail. I would’ve loved to have seen a bit more put into these to walk us through the experience. I also had sort of an issue with the NMBC Train, mainly because it feels more Christmas-y than Halloween-y. I Think a train going through Halloweentown with the characters would’ve been more interesting with this maybe as a seasonal overlay.
Alright, here we are, we’re at Scarlet Devil Manor, the token anime inclusion that seems mandated in these comps lol. I do appreciate the effort in bringing people like myself who are unfamiliar with the IP in without alienating us. There was a decent introduction at the beginning, though I can’t lie, by the time you start throwing names at us, it falls back into the same traps of before where I have to start googling stuff. Maybe with the pictures included, just throw down a caption saying that character’s name? I really did like, despite my unfamiliarity, the amount of detail put into each room. It really feels like each room was crafted for the fans, and I’m sure many fans would come to this park just to experience this restaurant. My main critique here is probably the lack of a menu. For a restaurant, that’s a pretty important part that felt lacking. I’d also say maybe Touhou could’ve been it’s own subland rather than cramming it in Halloweenland as it was sort of a different vibe, but that’s not really a huge issue to be completely honest.
Yeeeeaaaaah, I’m gonna need a lot more time with The Winslow Estate. I gave you all the freedom to use any and all IP out there and you chose to create an original idea. That is my favorite thing ever, I love the background and story and diving into it, I was so excited to get into it. The Grounds is a really interesting Pirates of the Caribbean style boat ride with some really creepy ideas and imagery that would make for a really atmospheric experience. The Ballroom, The Graveyard, and The Crows are all brilliant. I’m lumping them together so I don’t have to keep repeating everything I’ve said about how brilliant it all is. I absolutely loved it all. The Secret is how you do a walkthrough everyone, take note. It has the perfect amount of detail without going too deep into it that it becomes a slog. As for The Pine Tree Inn and The Estate Spirits, they’re all phenomenal editions for a land and great inclusions. All in all, so far, this whole project is really great, but this is my favorite part.
Jumping into No Tomorrow Land, while I appreciate the pun, it’s maybe the most redundant part of the project bringing back my criticism from the beginning. I would’ve liked to have seen a somewhat more unique naming convention, but that’s all fine and good. Getting into Metroid: Hostile Invasion, I am not a Metroid fan, but I think you did a job in making this an accessible project where you don’t need to be a fan to understand. You wrote this well and clearly and I really appreciated that. I also really appreciate the drop tower system being utilized here, it made for another cool ride system to be introduced into the park. Grey Goo: The Assimilation and Flatland are also really good additions that I wish we had a bit more of included. The write-up for Metroid was so strong, that these small paragraphs felt like afterthoughts.
I think the main attraction of this land was strong, but I think the land as a whole just felt a little bit disjointed and confused compared to the rest of the park. That could be me just not being a big sci-fi fan and thinking it didn’t really have a place here, or maybe more people agree with me a bit more? I’m not sure, but this isn’t a slight against the attraction, but more about the land as a whole not really fitting. I would’ve rather seen the cut lands you all had over this land.
All in all, I think this was a super strong project. I definitely have my nitpicks with it, but there wasn’t a single piece in here that I would have said could be cut, it’s really well fleshed out and gave me a lot of what I enjoyed. Great job!
Team Legend- Disney’s Twilight America
Team Legend, I must admit, I was so incredibly impressed by you all this round. Despite losing a member with @Muppetsfan#1 ‘s departure and some scheduling conflicts with @TheOriginalTiki still on vacation for part of it and @ChaosCat and his personal issues, you guys all managed to crank out your best project yet.
To kick us off, I like that this park is sort of a spiritual successor to the not-long-for-this-world Disney’s America idea, but I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t have made this a Disney park. I wanted to keep you guys away from one specific chain and have you all go more blue sky with it, and honestly, very little here lent itself to being a Disney park. Calling it Twilight America would have sufficed and probably would have been the better direction to go with this. That said, your opening bit and placemaking was great and really led to this feeling very real. I also really enjoyed the map here, both teams provided some great mapmaking. That’s my biggest weakness, so I always appreciate a good map.
I also have to give you some props for your presentation style. With these games, there’s really only so many presentation styles you can do and we do end up seeing a lot of Google Sites, Google Slides, Google Docs, and forum posts, so when we get these more unique styles of presentation, I enjoy them a lot. Not to say the latter are bad, but it’s fun to see something we don’t see as much, like a Prezi.
Now let’s start with the first land of the park being The Hollow. Now, I know you mentioned it in the brainstorming messages, but @TheOriginalTiki, I never want to see you come for me for my long winded backstories again lol. No, but seriously, I love this take as the Legend of Sleepy Hollow is an absolute classic story, but we haven’t really seen any unique reimaginings of it like we have other works like those by Dickens or Shakespeare. The steampunk twist to Sleepy Hollow was super unique and had me intrigued from the beginning, as did the connection between Ichabod and the Headless Horseman, from being a story used to scare him to a real trauma. Not exactly a “Disney story” which lends credence to this not being a Disney park, but a great twist nonetheless.
I love the hand-drawn artwork going on here. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a million times, I’d rather see the most amateur hand-made art than the cleanest and best AI. That’s not to disparage AI, it’s just how much more personal and original hand-drawn art is, so keep going with this! I do wish we could see some artwork of your description of the land though, really visualize what you’re going for. I also wonder why not include more steampunk in the land design? I think that would’ve been a really interesting addition to the land to make it stand out. I do like the cast of characters as well, they’re nice takes on the characters we already know, but for the final time I’ll say it, a little portrait would’ve been so cool to see your interpretations!
Into The Legend, this was so well-written and inspired. The backstory here was so good that I forgot I was reading a queue and not a bonafide story of this land. I love a good backstory (who would’ve guessed, I know) and this is some of the best you could’ve done for an original take. It also makes it so that despite the short coaster write-up being relatively short, the write-up in all is pretty substantial, especially for a main E-Ticket. Having the two different endings depending on the time of day was also an interesting concept. It would definitely plus up the rerideability and make it worth doing a full day at the park rather than just evenings as I imagine most people would expect.
Danse Macabre Masquerade is also a really interesting take on the Hat Dance style of attraction with a more grim and macabre style to it. I really would’ve appreciated some artwork for this one like we got for The Legend, but either way, I got the general vibe you were going for and could easily piece it together in the ol theater of the mind. My only critique here is the inclusion of the Headless Horseman. Since we meet him in the other attraction, having him be the main antagonist of both attractions is a little bit redundant. It doesn’t take away from this attraction specifically, but it does make it fall a little bit as a whole.
Ichabod Crane’s Schoolhouse Tavern is a typical afterthought restaurant, which I would critique you more for if you hadn’t also included Van Tassel’s which stole the show for this entire land. An immersive theater experience with drinks and story akin to the Adventurer’s Club. This experience would be one worth having and I could see a really strong fan response here that would bring out the critters each night, akin to an Evermore Park. Tiki, you’ve really crushed these interactive experiences in the last two rounds, so great job on these!
Heading to The Town, we enter Hawkins from Stranger Things, and this is an IP I am very unfamiliar with. I’ve tried to watch Stranger Things many many times, but I just cannot get into it, but that won’t hurt you guys so long as you make it accessible… The idea of the “time bubbles” makes sense for wanting to include a bunch of the different timelines and is something unique, though maybe a bit bigger than what this park really could handle? In the intro stuff, we got a few small stores which are all fine and good, though are you all really going to write newspapers? Are they daily? Is it one single print? Just some questions about it all, would be a cool souvenir if the stories changed up.
Stranger Things: Escape from Hawkins is an interesting concept for a unique and storytelling coaster. However, it’s where I’m starting to wonder if two large coasters in one small boutique park is really necessary. The two are different and unique enough, but as I’m going through, seeing two lands each with a coaster has me a bit concerned going forward if we maybe added a bit too much. That said, the coaster itself is unique and intriguing and including Master of Puppets on it would be a really fun and exhilarating experience. Definitely a great song option for a coaster in general, and for a Stranger Things coaster, it’s definitely the right pick.
One thing Team Lore completely left out of their park was a true Haunted House, something that I’m not personally a fan of, but definitely has its place in a park like this, so I was happy to see one included here. Stranger Things: The Thing feels like a great scare maze that would absolutely fit beautifully into this land. The only real issue I have is it feels maybe a bit redundant from the HHN maze, but whatever, it was a strong inclusion here.
Going into the Starcourt Mall, I love the idea of an 80’s-style mall as a main attraction full of shopping and dining. I think all the stuff here was very good and fit the land well. I was going to question why not put the earlier shops here, but honestly, I kind of like that you separated them to add to the thematic elements. Maybe a few too many shops for a small land, but still a great idea.
Now headed to The Carnival, I love circuses. Obviously not the animal abuse of it all, but the aesthetics and vibes that come from the greatest show on Earth, I really do love. Including a carnival in a spooky Halloween park really fits perfectly. Making that a formerly existing but defunct circus that is reopening, that’s brilliant. As I said with Team Lore’s review, I am so happy you guys did some stuff that isn’t IP-based and created an original story for some of it. That’s beautiful and brings a tear to my eye seeing it.
I love fair food, it’s a serious guilty pleasure of mine and potato tornadoes are among some of my favorites, so I’m happy to see them here. I also love seafood, so a pierside seafood restaurant would be phenomenal. Churros, burgers, and gift shops also all fit really well.
Getting into the attractions, I won’t lie, I was really disappointed to see we are only getting to see two of the attractions in full detail. That said, It: The Funhouse is a really unique and exciting take on a scare maze. Or, at least I thought it was until I saw you’re just kind of freebooting the actual experience. If we’re only going to dive into two of these attractions, I would’ve rather seen one that doesn’t already exist as a copy. I get that lack of time may be an issue, but especially with an extra day, I wish we had seen more original ideas fleshed out with less copying what already exists. It’s fine if you did that, but it’s not really fine when we only get to read two and this was one of them you chose to do.
The Dorian is a really cool thematic way to do a drop tower experience. I don’t love drop towers because I have a crippling fear of heights, but I do enjoy doing the Tower of Terror solely for the thematic elements. While not as thematic as that, I enjoy the queue and storytelling present here and it makes up for the previous attraction not having all that much of a ride through.
This land could’ve been my absolute favorite, but it ended up being the biggest let down just because of the lack of write-ups. Teams, if you notice eight attractions with only two write-ups, try to divide that work to make sure everything gets at least something to represent them. All that does is reflect better on the team as a whole.
When I put out this project, I was hoping to see corn mazes and pumpkin patches and y’all absolutely delivered with The Fields. A small quaint farm full of exciting Halloween-themed activities and decorations, that’s just amazing, genuinely. I think the corn maze you guys have brought together a classic Halloween attraction and some fun prizes for completing it with the stamps for the passport. Needless to say, I was giddy when I saw the Corn Maze Challenge in brainstorming and I think y’all did it justice.
Y’all were absolutely just catering to me with the Petting Zoo, you know what you were doing and it worked. One of the best parts of autumn are the county fairs where you can pat the goats and sheep and see animal demonstrations and stuff. While there’s no harness pulls or sheep runs in your write-up, the petting zoo alone brings an authentic addition to your land. The Pumpkin Patch is also everything I wanted in this prompt and I was happy to see both teams brought some jack-o-lantern carving into their projects. It’s something that would really round out both of these parks and make them feel more realistic. I also appreciated the Rhythm Ranchers as some entertainment. Some streetmosphere with different music going on always brings a lot to the parks and I’m happy to see it included. Great work with this!
Jumping into the extra stuff you’ve included, I’ve got to say it was really nice to see these extras included. Dropping the price for Halloween is an interesting idea but may just work. Honestly, I wish you had all gone with the idea of a pay-per-ride experience over an entry fee with free trick-or-treating, but alas, it wasn’t to be and that’s okay. The nighttime show and park weenie were also a nice additions though a little bit light on the detail.
Overall, a great project. In fact, both were absolutely everything I could’ve asked for and I loved it all. Congrats to both teams, you guys nailed this and have given us judges a super hard decision to make.
Obviously one of the main reasons we went here is that we passed over Halloween during the events of this week, but we also selected this prompt because it’s a personal passion project of mine. I’ve always loved Halloween and autumn and the cozy autumnal vibes and have always yearned for some sort of Halloween-themed park for those of us who aren’t fans of the uber scare-filled houses that plague the country. I’d love a nice little farm with some dark rides and flat rides and whatnot, so giving you all the challenge of creating that park was a very exciting challenge.
I hope you all enjoyed the challenge as much as I enjoyed watching you all complete it. Honestly, both teams have only improved in both teamwork and quality of the projects since we began. Looking at round one vs round three, it’s genuinely amazing how much you’ve all grown in such a short time, so no matter who wins, you should all be very proud of the work you’ve done this round. With that, let’s get into the projects.
Team Lore- Dark Kingdom
There’s one thing I wanted to comment on before we really get into the project, and that is team communication. While it wasn’t nearly as bad as it has been in the past, there was an incident where players started bickering and I had to step in to put an end to it. Remember going forward, this is a game, it’s not that serious. Everything will get done and there’s no need to be rude to one another or cop an attitude with anyone. That being said, once resolved, you guys worked well as a team.
Dark Kingdom is maybe not the most original name for a park, but it definitely fits the idea, especially if you’re going to model it after a smaller version of a Disney castle park. I totally understand why this decision was made, the hub-and-spokes design of the castle parks are always a hit and are easy to do, plus the thematic lands translate pretty well to most topics. Even still, I do wish we would’ve had a more unique and original layout. Don’t be afraid to take risks when it comes to layout. Set the whole thing in a corn maze that you have to complete to get to each land, make it all one big pumpkin patch, play around with ideas a little bit. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, but was a tiny bit derivative where I would’ve loved to see more unique decisions. Still, I appreciated that it was a bit of a parody and am glad you played it that way rather than playing it straight.
Sleepy Hollow is genuinely perfect and everything I wanted from this park. We selected making this a boutique park to strip away your freedoms to cram 100 e-tickets in and have to focus on the more small and intimate experiences. Having permanently autumnal trees is a genius idea that really makes the land feel exactly how I hoped it would feel, and I don’t fault you for using artificial trees as there aren’t that many that have those brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds year round, so nice work-around. The brick and steel gates also make the land feel perfect. It’s funny that both teams went with a Sleepy Hollow land, but I suppose it makes sense, especially where really Sleepy Hollow, New York and Salem, Massachusetts really were the two main options both teams tossed around, and while I adore Salem, I think you both made the right decisions.
The Ghost Host tours were also a really phenomenal idea. I would love to visit a park and follow around a guide giving insight into the park but also telling ghost stories. This sounds like a really awesome addition, especially a free addition included with the price of admission as it seems yours is. The statue of the Headless Horseman with effects at night would be a sight to see and I could easily see it being a super popular Instagram spot, and the Pumpkin Carving Station was also genius. To me, this is exactly what I was looking for in this sort of park. The option to carve a pumpkin and decorate the park for the night would be such a rewarding experience for so many people. I would love to have it here.
Jumping to the shopping and dining experiences, they’re small, but they fit the vibes brilliantly. A coffee shop and a bookshop absolutely fit the cozy vibes of the autumnal town and I would love to spend some time just sitting there and enjoying the atmosphere. The Estate also sounds interesting and I enjoy the background that you’ve created for it. I maybe would’ve liked a little bit more detail on it so I could comment more on it, but at the same time, I understand the challenges @spacemt354 faced in real life, so I’ll give you a pass on that. Still, some really interesting stuff.
I think overall, my single and only gripe with all of Sleepy Hollow was the lack of visual aides. I think even just some stock images just to emphasize what you were going for would’ve really added to this write-up. For the teams going forward, if you’re compiling the project and there is no visual aid provided, it would be advantageous to include some pictures as you go just to make sure the whole thing isn’t just one blurb of text. Still, I really enjoyed this land and everything that came with it, it was some of exactly what I wanted when I gave this prompt.
Dracula’s Castle really is a perfect centerpiece for your park, especially if you’re going for the castle park hub-and-spokes concept. Dracula is a very iconic character and his castle is a perfect bit of imagery. With a boutique park, you don’t really want to fill it with too many large-scale attractions, especially like coasters, so I think you all made the right decision making your main coaster the headliner of the park, yet still making it a family coaster. This seems to me, through reading, like a suspended version of Slinky Dog Dash or Hagrid’s, so to have something akin to those very popular attractions for your park makes a ton of sense. I’m going to reiterate the need for some visuals though, especially with coasters. Even just a little overhead track view would’ve really benefited you. It’s hard to write coasters and it’s hard to visualize when reading, so going forward, I think some visuals would help. Still, I enjoyed the coaster and think it would be a lot of fun.
I absolutely adore a good walkthrough and I also adore Nosferatu, combining the two in the aptly named Nosferatu Walkthrough, was perfect and I think a walkthrough is the best way to include the property into a park. Including the effects to the walkthrough would also be a great way to make it all a little scary and a little more exciting for guests. I think my critique here really is just the name, this feels more like a descriptor without an official name. I would’ve preferred a little bit more time put into the name of the attraction, but the attraction itself was good.
Heading to Halloweenland, this is another great example of what I was hoping for from this project. Including the likes of properties like Scooby Doo and The Peanuts were perfect and were some properties I really wanted to see referenced here. I also liked the inclusion of walk around characters to meet like Scooby and gy and Casper and all the others you mentioned. Walkaround characters really add a lot to a land, so even just a mention really plusses up the land (the inclusion of Aah! Real Monsters was also fun).
I ADORE It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! This spinner was exactly what I hoped for and you killed it, especially with the brilliant artwork by both @MonorailRed and @ThemeParkPriest. Both the concept art and the vehicle were beautiful and I loved seeing these pieces, especially after an unfortunate lack of visual aids prior to this. As for Scooby-Doo, Drive, I also appreciate the ingenuity here. These truck rides are too kiddy to really be included in a Disney or Universal park, but fit perfectly here as a flat ride. Getting into The Nightmare Before Christmas Train and Casper Walk-Thru, I have to bring back my criticism for the Nosferatu Walkthrough in that I think more could’ve been done with the names here. I also found that these two (especially Casper) have a pretty big lack of detail. I would’ve loved to have seen a bit more put into these to walk us through the experience. I also had sort of an issue with the NMBC Train, mainly because it feels more Christmas-y than Halloween-y. I Think a train going through Halloweentown with the characters would’ve been more interesting with this maybe as a seasonal overlay.
Alright, here we are, we’re at Scarlet Devil Manor, the token anime inclusion that seems mandated in these comps lol. I do appreciate the effort in bringing people like myself who are unfamiliar with the IP in without alienating us. There was a decent introduction at the beginning, though I can’t lie, by the time you start throwing names at us, it falls back into the same traps of before where I have to start googling stuff. Maybe with the pictures included, just throw down a caption saying that character’s name? I really did like, despite my unfamiliarity, the amount of detail put into each room. It really feels like each room was crafted for the fans, and I’m sure many fans would come to this park just to experience this restaurant. My main critique here is probably the lack of a menu. For a restaurant, that’s a pretty important part that felt lacking. I’d also say maybe Touhou could’ve been it’s own subland rather than cramming it in Halloweenland as it was sort of a different vibe, but that’s not really a huge issue to be completely honest.
Yeeeeaaaaah, I’m gonna need a lot more time with The Winslow Estate. I gave you all the freedom to use any and all IP out there and you chose to create an original idea. That is my favorite thing ever, I love the background and story and diving into it, I was so excited to get into it. The Grounds is a really interesting Pirates of the Caribbean style boat ride with some really creepy ideas and imagery that would make for a really atmospheric experience. The Ballroom, The Graveyard, and The Crows are all brilliant. I’m lumping them together so I don’t have to keep repeating everything I’ve said about how brilliant it all is. I absolutely loved it all. The Secret is how you do a walkthrough everyone, take note. It has the perfect amount of detail without going too deep into it that it becomes a slog. As for The Pine Tree Inn and The Estate Spirits, they’re all phenomenal editions for a land and great inclusions. All in all, so far, this whole project is really great, but this is my favorite part.
Jumping into No Tomorrow Land, while I appreciate the pun, it’s maybe the most redundant part of the project bringing back my criticism from the beginning. I would’ve liked to have seen a somewhat more unique naming convention, but that’s all fine and good. Getting into Metroid: Hostile Invasion, I am not a Metroid fan, but I think you did a job in making this an accessible project where you don’t need to be a fan to understand. You wrote this well and clearly and I really appreciated that. I also really appreciate the drop tower system being utilized here, it made for another cool ride system to be introduced into the park. Grey Goo: The Assimilation and Flatland are also really good additions that I wish we had a bit more of included. The write-up for Metroid was so strong, that these small paragraphs felt like afterthoughts.
I think the main attraction of this land was strong, but I think the land as a whole just felt a little bit disjointed and confused compared to the rest of the park. That could be me just not being a big sci-fi fan and thinking it didn’t really have a place here, or maybe more people agree with me a bit more? I’m not sure, but this isn’t a slight against the attraction, but more about the land as a whole not really fitting. I would’ve rather seen the cut lands you all had over this land.
All in all, I think this was a super strong project. I definitely have my nitpicks with it, but there wasn’t a single piece in here that I would have said could be cut, it’s really well fleshed out and gave me a lot of what I enjoyed. Great job!
Team Legend- Disney’s Twilight America
Team Legend, I must admit, I was so incredibly impressed by you all this round. Despite losing a member with @Muppetsfan#1 ‘s departure and some scheduling conflicts with @TheOriginalTiki still on vacation for part of it and @ChaosCat and his personal issues, you guys all managed to crank out your best project yet.
To kick us off, I like that this park is sort of a spiritual successor to the not-long-for-this-world Disney’s America idea, but I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t have made this a Disney park. I wanted to keep you guys away from one specific chain and have you all go more blue sky with it, and honestly, very little here lent itself to being a Disney park. Calling it Twilight America would have sufficed and probably would have been the better direction to go with this. That said, your opening bit and placemaking was great and really led to this feeling very real. I also really enjoyed the map here, both teams provided some great mapmaking. That’s my biggest weakness, so I always appreciate a good map.
I also have to give you some props for your presentation style. With these games, there’s really only so many presentation styles you can do and we do end up seeing a lot of Google Sites, Google Slides, Google Docs, and forum posts, so when we get these more unique styles of presentation, I enjoy them a lot. Not to say the latter are bad, but it’s fun to see something we don’t see as much, like a Prezi.
Now let’s start with the first land of the park being The Hollow. Now, I know you mentioned it in the brainstorming messages, but @TheOriginalTiki, I never want to see you come for me for my long winded backstories again lol. No, but seriously, I love this take as the Legend of Sleepy Hollow is an absolute classic story, but we haven’t really seen any unique reimaginings of it like we have other works like those by Dickens or Shakespeare. The steampunk twist to Sleepy Hollow was super unique and had me intrigued from the beginning, as did the connection between Ichabod and the Headless Horseman, from being a story used to scare him to a real trauma. Not exactly a “Disney story” which lends credence to this not being a Disney park, but a great twist nonetheless.
I love the hand-drawn artwork going on here. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a million times, I’d rather see the most amateur hand-made art than the cleanest and best AI. That’s not to disparage AI, it’s just how much more personal and original hand-drawn art is, so keep going with this! I do wish we could see some artwork of your description of the land though, really visualize what you’re going for. I also wonder why not include more steampunk in the land design? I think that would’ve been a really interesting addition to the land to make it stand out. I do like the cast of characters as well, they’re nice takes on the characters we already know, but for the final time I’ll say it, a little portrait would’ve been so cool to see your interpretations!
Into The Legend, this was so well-written and inspired. The backstory here was so good that I forgot I was reading a queue and not a bonafide story of this land. I love a good backstory (who would’ve guessed, I know) and this is some of the best you could’ve done for an original take. It also makes it so that despite the short coaster write-up being relatively short, the write-up in all is pretty substantial, especially for a main E-Ticket. Having the two different endings depending on the time of day was also an interesting concept. It would definitely plus up the rerideability and make it worth doing a full day at the park rather than just evenings as I imagine most people would expect.
Danse Macabre Masquerade is also a really interesting take on the Hat Dance style of attraction with a more grim and macabre style to it. I really would’ve appreciated some artwork for this one like we got for The Legend, but either way, I got the general vibe you were going for and could easily piece it together in the ol theater of the mind. My only critique here is the inclusion of the Headless Horseman. Since we meet him in the other attraction, having him be the main antagonist of both attractions is a little bit redundant. It doesn’t take away from this attraction specifically, but it does make it fall a little bit as a whole.
Ichabod Crane’s Schoolhouse Tavern is a typical afterthought restaurant, which I would critique you more for if you hadn’t also included Van Tassel’s which stole the show for this entire land. An immersive theater experience with drinks and story akin to the Adventurer’s Club. This experience would be one worth having and I could see a really strong fan response here that would bring out the critters each night, akin to an Evermore Park. Tiki, you’ve really crushed these interactive experiences in the last two rounds, so great job on these!
Heading to The Town, we enter Hawkins from Stranger Things, and this is an IP I am very unfamiliar with. I’ve tried to watch Stranger Things many many times, but I just cannot get into it, but that won’t hurt you guys so long as you make it accessible… The idea of the “time bubbles” makes sense for wanting to include a bunch of the different timelines and is something unique, though maybe a bit bigger than what this park really could handle? In the intro stuff, we got a few small stores which are all fine and good, though are you all really going to write newspapers? Are they daily? Is it one single print? Just some questions about it all, would be a cool souvenir if the stories changed up.
Stranger Things: Escape from Hawkins is an interesting concept for a unique and storytelling coaster. However, it’s where I’m starting to wonder if two large coasters in one small boutique park is really necessary. The two are different and unique enough, but as I’m going through, seeing two lands each with a coaster has me a bit concerned going forward if we maybe added a bit too much. That said, the coaster itself is unique and intriguing and including Master of Puppets on it would be a really fun and exhilarating experience. Definitely a great song option for a coaster in general, and for a Stranger Things coaster, it’s definitely the right pick.
One thing Team Lore completely left out of their park was a true Haunted House, something that I’m not personally a fan of, but definitely has its place in a park like this, so I was happy to see one included here. Stranger Things: The Thing feels like a great scare maze that would absolutely fit beautifully into this land. The only real issue I have is it feels maybe a bit redundant from the HHN maze, but whatever, it was a strong inclusion here.
Going into the Starcourt Mall, I love the idea of an 80’s-style mall as a main attraction full of shopping and dining. I think all the stuff here was very good and fit the land well. I was going to question why not put the earlier shops here, but honestly, I kind of like that you separated them to add to the thematic elements. Maybe a few too many shops for a small land, but still a great idea.
Now headed to The Carnival, I love circuses. Obviously not the animal abuse of it all, but the aesthetics and vibes that come from the greatest show on Earth, I really do love. Including a carnival in a spooky Halloween park really fits perfectly. Making that a formerly existing but defunct circus that is reopening, that’s brilliant. As I said with Team Lore’s review, I am so happy you guys did some stuff that isn’t IP-based and created an original story for some of it. That’s beautiful and brings a tear to my eye seeing it.
I love fair food, it’s a serious guilty pleasure of mine and potato tornadoes are among some of my favorites, so I’m happy to see them here. I also love seafood, so a pierside seafood restaurant would be phenomenal. Churros, burgers, and gift shops also all fit really well.
Getting into the attractions, I won’t lie, I was really disappointed to see we are only getting to see two of the attractions in full detail. That said, It: The Funhouse is a really unique and exciting take on a scare maze. Or, at least I thought it was until I saw you’re just kind of freebooting the actual experience. If we’re only going to dive into two of these attractions, I would’ve rather seen one that doesn’t already exist as a copy. I get that lack of time may be an issue, but especially with an extra day, I wish we had seen more original ideas fleshed out with less copying what already exists. It’s fine if you did that, but it’s not really fine when we only get to read two and this was one of them you chose to do.
The Dorian is a really cool thematic way to do a drop tower experience. I don’t love drop towers because I have a crippling fear of heights, but I do enjoy doing the Tower of Terror solely for the thematic elements. While not as thematic as that, I enjoy the queue and storytelling present here and it makes up for the previous attraction not having all that much of a ride through.
This land could’ve been my absolute favorite, but it ended up being the biggest let down just because of the lack of write-ups. Teams, if you notice eight attractions with only two write-ups, try to divide that work to make sure everything gets at least something to represent them. All that does is reflect better on the team as a whole.
When I put out this project, I was hoping to see corn mazes and pumpkin patches and y’all absolutely delivered with The Fields. A small quaint farm full of exciting Halloween-themed activities and decorations, that’s just amazing, genuinely. I think the corn maze you guys have brought together a classic Halloween attraction and some fun prizes for completing it with the stamps for the passport. Needless to say, I was giddy when I saw the Corn Maze Challenge in brainstorming and I think y’all did it justice.
Y’all were absolutely just catering to me with the Petting Zoo, you know what you were doing and it worked. One of the best parts of autumn are the county fairs where you can pat the goats and sheep and see animal demonstrations and stuff. While there’s no harness pulls or sheep runs in your write-up, the petting zoo alone brings an authentic addition to your land. The Pumpkin Patch is also everything I wanted in this prompt and I was happy to see both teams brought some jack-o-lantern carving into their projects. It’s something that would really round out both of these parks and make them feel more realistic. I also appreciated the Rhythm Ranchers as some entertainment. Some streetmosphere with different music going on always brings a lot to the parks and I’m happy to see it included. Great work with this!
Jumping into the extra stuff you’ve included, I’ve got to say it was really nice to see these extras included. Dropping the price for Halloween is an interesting idea but may just work. Honestly, I wish you had all gone with the idea of a pay-per-ride experience over an entry fee with free trick-or-treating, but alas, it wasn’t to be and that’s okay. The nighttime show and park weenie were also a nice additions though a little bit light on the detail.
Overall, a great project. In fact, both were absolutely everything I could’ve asked for and I loved it all. Congrats to both teams, you guys nailed this and have given us judges a super hard decision to make.
Mr. Tux
Active Member
It’s a monthly print.
"Aaaah" screams @Architectural Guinea Pig
"What?" @spacemt354 questions, panicking and ready to grab a first aid kit.
"There was a spider crawling on me!" @Architectural Guinea Pig replies, wiping the cobwebs from their shoulders.
Looking around, all of the players peer at the cobblestone walls, statues of the former owners of the house look over them as the skulls embedded in the walls of the caverns give off an eerie aura.
"Hey, now that we're done, can we get out of this place? It gives me the willies." says @Mr. Tux
Suddenly, the pale man who guided the group down turns and stares at the group of nervous players. A disembodied cackle erupts from his agape mouth as the skin and flesh peels from his bones, revealing, inside, none other than @Dark PerGron
"What the... Heck!" shouts @Tegan pilots a chicken
"Good one" chuckles @ThemeParkPriest
"My apologies for alarming you all," @Dark PerGron laughs, "but you simply must have expected me to be around, paying attention at all times. If not, you've not spent enough time in our little Manor of Mysteries. Now, I will grant you your freedom from these dank catacombs on one condition. You all must first read out the results of the round. Unfortunately, I misplaced the results, I must have left them on my other skull. If you all could do me the favor of seeking them out, you're more than welcome to leave."
With that, Dark PerGron makes his way up the stairs, slamming the door behind him. The darkness envelops the room, only the dim candlelight revealing any sense of familiarity.
"Are you kidding? We have to find the results? In this place?" questions @MonorailRed angrily.
"It's not that I don't like fumbling around in the dark with long dead strangers," @AceAstro begins. "But if you had to ask me how I wanted to spend my Friday night, I wouldn't have said this."
"If you all stopped yapping and started cracking skulls, we'd be out of here by now!" Yells @OSUPhantom, arm deep in the eye socket of a skull.
For the next few hours, the crew search every skull, every coffin, and every tomb, to absolutely zero reward. Not a single piece of paper is revealed. As the team sits, dejected, a single skull falls from a shelf and shatters on the stony floor, leading to multiple shrieks to emanate from the players.
"Poor guy." says @TheOriginalTiki, looking at the shattered skull. "Wait a second, everyone, look at this."
The group crowds around the skull fragments and notice they weren't from a skull at all, but a ceramic pot painted like one. Inside, two pieces of paper, one reading "winners" the other reading "not winners."
"Open it!" @Chaos Cat hollers, paws reaching for the papers and tearing one from Tiki's hands...
Results
"What?" @spacemt354 questions, panicking and ready to grab a first aid kit.
"There was a spider crawling on me!" @Architectural Guinea Pig replies, wiping the cobwebs from their shoulders.
Looking around, all of the players peer at the cobblestone walls, statues of the former owners of the house look over them as the skulls embedded in the walls of the caverns give off an eerie aura.
"Hey, now that we're done, can we get out of this place? It gives me the willies." says @Mr. Tux
Suddenly, the pale man who guided the group down turns and stares at the group of nervous players. A disembodied cackle erupts from his agape mouth as the skin and flesh peels from his bones, revealing, inside, none other than @Dark PerGron
"What the... Heck!" shouts @Tegan pilots a chicken
"Good one" chuckles @ThemeParkPriest
"My apologies for alarming you all," @Dark PerGron laughs, "but you simply must have expected me to be around, paying attention at all times. If not, you've not spent enough time in our little Manor of Mysteries. Now, I will grant you your freedom from these dank catacombs on one condition. You all must first read out the results of the round. Unfortunately, I misplaced the results, I must have left them on my other skull. If you all could do me the favor of seeking them out, you're more than welcome to leave."
With that, Dark PerGron makes his way up the stairs, slamming the door behind him. The darkness envelops the room, only the dim candlelight revealing any sense of familiarity.
"Are you kidding? We have to find the results? In this place?" questions @MonorailRed angrily.
"It's not that I don't like fumbling around in the dark with long dead strangers," @AceAstro begins. "But if you had to ask me how I wanted to spend my Friday night, I wouldn't have said this."
"If you all stopped yapping and started cracking skulls, we'd be out of here by now!" Yells @OSUPhantom, arm deep in the eye socket of a skull.
For the next few hours, the crew search every skull, every coffin, and every tomb, to absolutely zero reward. Not a single piece of paper is revealed. As the team sits, dejected, a single skull falls from a shelf and shatters on the stony floor, leading to multiple shrieks to emanate from the players.
"Poor guy." says @TheOriginalTiki, looking at the shattered skull. "Wait a second, everyone, look at this."
The group crowds around the skull fragments and notice they weren't from a skull at all, but a ceramic pot painted like one. Inside, two pieces of paper, one reading "winners" the other reading "not winners."
"Open it!" @Chaos Cat hollers, paws reaching for the papers and tearing one from Tiki's hands...
Results
Team Lore
This was genuinely not an easy choice. We went back and forth and all three of us agreed that when it came to individual attractions you guys were maybe a bit stronger, but in the end, it was your slight disjointedness with your lands and lack of detail at parts that led to you guys taking second place.
This was genuinely not an easy choice. We went back and forth and all three of us agreed that when it came to individual attractions you guys were maybe a bit stronger, but in the end, it was your slight disjointedness with your lands and lack of detail at parts that led to you guys taking second place.
Team Legend
You guys should be super proud of yourselves and how far you came. What really won you all this was the experimentation as well as not relying on IP that won you this. We always say get weird and try things and you guys absolutely did. While both teams should be super proud of yourselves, Team Legend, you fought hard to earn this win!
You guys should be super proud of yourselves and how far you came. What really won you all this was the experimentation as well as not relying on IP that won you this. We always say get weird and try things and you guys absolutely did. While both teams should be super proud of yourselves, Team Legend, you fought hard to earn this win!