Hold tight! Are you ready to enter a world of dragons, spiders, and maybe even zombies? Welcome to Wonder Mountain’s Guardians. This isn’t just any ride. It’s a ten-million-dollar adventure. Wonder Mountain’s Guardians combines a roller coaster with a 4D interactive dark ride.
Park management wanted a dark ride inside Wonder Mountain around 2004. Technology and budget limitations delayed the project. Planning and design didn’t start until 2011. The ride finally opened on May 24, 2014. Wonder Mountain’s Guardian was inspired by the dragon in Thunder Run. It was also inspired by Starlight Spectacular.
The steel track is 304.8 metres long. It has a maximum height of 18.3 metres. The ride features one of the world’s largest drop tracks. It reaches a height of 9.1 metres. Triotech designed the interactive 3D animations. These animations are enhanced by special effects like wind.
During Halloween Haunt in October, the animations change to zombie-themed effects. Then, the ride becomes Zombies 4D. Before Wonder Mountain’s Guardians, there was Scooby-Doo’s Haunted Mansion. It opened in 2000. It relied on physical sets rather than animations.
In the narrative, King Adelsten entered the mountain to fight Ormaar the dragon. During the battle, the king lost his crown. Stansein, one of the king’s servants, guides riders to find the crown. You can score points by hitting objects on the screen with your light guns. The highest scores are placed in the Hall of Fame.
The train exits the station and turns right. It then enters an 18.3-metre chain lift hill. At the top, the train enters a shallow drop. It crosses over Vortex’s first drop. It runs along the side of the mountain and makes a banked turn. A tarpaulin drops blocking light. The train slows and the cars rotate. Stansein tells riders to prepare for battle.
The first scene is a forest. Here you fight Sneaky Spiders and Beasty Bats. Riders facing forward see Stansein pointing the way. Next, riders battle Wet Ones and Crazy Crabs. This scene is surrounded by a lake. The scene starts above the water but moves downwards.
Riders arrive in Draconian City. They battle against Draconians and Archers. Nearing the end, forward-facing riders see Stansein. Riders are confronted by Draconians and Archers. They then enter a gold-covered area where the crown is found. Ormaar arrives and breathes fire. The drop track releases the train. You experience a 9-metre free fall. As the train leaves the drop track, scores are displayed. One ride cycle lasts about three-and-a-half minutes.
In Zombies 4D, riders shoot zombies and police badges for points. But they lose points if they shoot civilians. The graveyard is full of zombies. A survivor directs riders. The next scene is a house overrun by zombies and spiders. A truck crashes into the house. The train continues to a road with zombies and abandoned cars. The names of the highest-scoring riders are displayed.
Wonder Mountain’s Guardians operates with five trains. Each train has two cars. Each car seats four riders back-to-back. That means each train can seat eight riders. Each seat has a lap-bar restraint, a light gun, and a loudspeaker. The cars can rotate 90 degrees. The light guns display a unique colour to show where each rider is shooting.
The track is 304.8 metres long. The lift is about 18.3 metres high. The drop track is a movable piece of track. It can be released into free fall. As of 2019, only eight coasters in the world used this element. The drop track on Wonder Mountain’s Guardian is the largest.
Wonder Mountain’s Guardians uses 64 projectors to display interactive content. The screen on the right is continuous. It is approximately 152.4 metres long. It is also 4 metres high. Park management can change the film and theme anytime.
The ride features eight characters. Stansein is the guide. Crazy Crabs are attractive but dangerous. Beasty Bats have oversized fangs. Sneaky Spiders can ambush riders. Archers fight with bows and arrows. Wet Ones are reptilian creatures. Draconians protect Draconian City. Ormaar is the dragon.
Ready to defend the mountain? Let’s ride.