Tomb Raider: The Ride (Kings Island)

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**The Crypt**
The Crypt Logo
Name:	The Crypt
Formerly:	Tomb Raider: The Ride
Location:	Kings Island, Cincinnati Ohio
Section:	Rivertown
Type:	Thrill Ride
Status:	Operating
Opened:	April, 2002
Manufacturer:	Huss Rides
Designer:	Huss
Model:	Giant Top Spin
Height:	80
Drop:	70
Speed:	6RPM
Inversions:	9
Duration:	2:00
Capacity:	49
Cost:	Approx 20 Million
Gforce:	4.3
Height Restriction:	54 inches

The Crypt (Formerly Tomb Raider: The Ride) at Kings Island is a fully enclosed Giant Top Spin thrill ride built by HUSS. It opened at Kings Island in 2002 and is the world's only Giant Top Spin.

The Crypt is a higher-capacity version of the highly popular smaller Top Spin located at many amusement parks. Initially, The Crypt accommodated 77 riders. In 2005, its capacity was lowered to 56. In 2007, it held 67 riders; the 10 remaining seats were removed. The Top Spins installed at other former Paramount Parks (The Crypt, formerly known as Tomb Raider: Firefall at Kings Dominion and Firefall at California's Great America) are newer, floorless models with a more standard Top Spin capacity of 38-40 riders.^[1]

For the 2001 season, Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal, a log-flume water ride, gave its last ride. On April 24, 2001, the area around Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal was fenced in, with the phrase, "An exciting new adventure is coming in 2002" written along the fence. Kings Island officially announced Tomb Raider: The Ride on July 2, 2001. On January 21, 2008, King's Island's main web site replaced the name Tomb Raider: The Ride, with the new Cedar Fair name The Crypt.

As "The Crypt", all Tomb Raider references have been removed from the attraction. The altar chamber (the room in which the ride actually takes place) which formerly contained the temple walls, engraving of the goddess Durga, the stalagmites, lava pool, and volcano, is now empty. Instead of theme lighting and effects, the chamber is kept in complete darkness for a more disorienting experience. Tomb Raider: The Ride's old, specially-composed musical score is gone. "The Crypt" utilizes a "techno music" score to enliven the pitch-black attraction, though the park has been testing having only howling wind noises in the ride.

1 "The Crypt" Controversy
2 Storyline
3 References
4 External links

[edit] "The Crypt" Controversy

The ride's newest incarnation as "The Crypt" has brought about much controversy. While it's generally agreed upon that the ride system is much smoother and more enjoyable than that employed by "Tomb Raider: The Ride", many argue that the lack of theming present now makes the ride far less enjoyable. "Tomb Raider" was praised for it's storyline and immersive theming. It had a specially-composed musical score, and tons of expensive effects and props. When the theme park was purchased by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, all Paramount movie references had to be removed, and all names had to be changed. As such, the name change to "The Crypt" is understandable. Many argue, however, that gutting the ride building and putting the ride in darkness, with no effects, no music, no storyline, and a mismatched theme is a bad move for Cedar Fair, a company already known for their inability to theme rides sufficiently (see Disaster Transport). Many argue that Cedar Fair was lucky to gain possession of an already-themed attraction such as "Tomb Raider" and that trying to change it into a new theme when they didn't necessarily have to was useless idea.

Cedar Fair's lack of theming is evident through the attraction. Under Paramount rule, the ride fit quite nicely into the "Rivertown" section of the park in which it's located. As of June 2008, "The Crypt" was located in an old cave with Hindu writing in the queue line walls. The antechamber that previously containted the huge goddess statue and pre-show movie screen is now filled with mismatched human skeletons and "dog warrior" statues that were previously used in King's Island Halloween event. In place of the huge statue is a small, slow-moving animatronic of a bat-creature, which is unrealistic and does nothing but flap its wings very very slowly. Then, to top off a mismatched theme, the ride itself has no theming and takes place while techno music plays.

There are many people on King's Island fan websites who have petitioned and argued that Cedar Fair ought to pay the extra fee to own the rights to use Paramount names. It would seem that this is a good plan, as it would certainly bring back attendance figures that simply don't enjoy the park without the movies they love (ex. Tomb Raider). Return guests are also upset at Cedar Fair's policy (which has been employed at every theme park they've purchased) of changing themes to mismatched ideas that don't work (see above) and changing copyrighted names to very generic and "temporary", "cheap" names. (ex. "Drop Zone: Stunt Tower" is now "The Drop Tower" and "The Italian Job Stunt Track" is now "The Backlot Coaster"). It has been expressed by many guests that their hope is that these name changes and theme changes done to "Tomb Raider: The Ride" are temporary until the park can gain the naming rights from Paramount.

[edit] Storyline

As Tomb Raider: The Ride, the experience begins as guests enter into the mouth of a jagged cavern that has appeared in the forests of "Rivertown", one of the themed areas at Kings Island. Entering the cavern, darkness covers the crowd and and eerie sense of foreboding ensues. As the guests enter into the ante-chamber of the ride, a huge, 10-armed statue of the Hindu goddess Durga surveys the crowd as they wait for the circular door at the left of the statue to open. After a short pre-show video, the circular door is illuminated with the symbol of the "Triangle of Light" that is inscribed on the door. The door rolls away and guests enter into a huge, dark cathedral-like chamber, where they are separated into the three rows to fills up the ride vehicle's three rows. Drum beats resound through the hollow altar room, and just in front of the vehicle, construction lamps illuminate excavation equipment used to uncover the secrets hiding in the tomb.

The drum beats come to an abrupt and echoing halt as strange music fills the chamber. The construction lights go dark, leaving the vehicle in darkness. There is a sound of an object moving, as if dislodging itself from stone for the first time in centuries, and the vehicle begins to move forward and up. It falls back down and then swings forward with greater force, this time scaling to a height enough that when the vehicles headlights turn on, a huge 60-foot tall engraving of a goddess appears on the wall. Awaken from her sleep by the intrusive noises, her eyes illuminate a piercing blue, and lasers shoot from them, scanning through the vehicle. When she spots the riders, she utters something in an ancient language and in her right and left hands, fire and ice begin to illuminate and light up the darkness, revealing the sheer size and magnitude of the enormous temple, covered in vines and ancient hieroglyphics.

The vehicle's axle unlocks, leaving the rows of seats to dangle as it's tossed backwards over the arc of the ride's arms. Lara Croft's voice resonates, "You're making a big mistake!" The vehicle is hurtled backwards away from the goddess' engraving as her laughter fills the chamber. It circles back to in front of the goddess' face and this time, only the ice is illuminated. The temple is illuminated in blue and mist fills the room. The vehicle rockets skyward and the guests are pointed directly into the spikes of icy cold stalagmites. As the goddess' ancient language fills the chamber yet again, the icicles turn blazing red and begin to melt, splattering water onto the riders. Just before they crash down, the vehicles spins back to the ground. The poles have shifted, and fire is now the ruling element. The vehicle finds itself placed directly over a pit of shimmering, hypnotizing molten lava. Facing completely downwards staring into the water, the vehicle slowly lowers itself towards the bubbling lava as fountains of it begin to leap upwards and towards the riders.

At the last possible second, the vehicle swoops forward, pulling guests to the rear of the temple and holding them completely and utterly upside down staring into the active, smoking holes in the side of a volcano. Just when the vehicle feels as if it may fall into the lava, it swings upwards to the top arc of the ride, staring down at the goddess engraving. She screams as a white piercing strobe light fills the temple. Her fire & ice emblems begin to flicker on and off. The ride's effects go crazy as smoke, fire, icicles and lava surround guests. Then, held at the top of the arc, the vehicle free falls the complete 70 feet through the smoke clouds to the base of the statue where it began just as the effects cumulate. The voice of Lara's father fills the chamber. "No one gets the best of Lara Croft! Unless she lets them... But I don't like to raise that kind of thought!" The music crescendos and the lights all turn back off for one solitary moment as the goddess' eyes light up one last time and her laugh fades away. Then, the construction lights come back onto the excavation equipment in front of you and peace is restored to the temple.

As of the 2008 season, the lava, volcanoe, and the voices were taken out leaving some riders bored. The lava was replaced with concrete.