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A lot of my feelings around what I perceive as "light" theming would be forgiven if the area was heavily forested. I would argue SDC's tree canopy is what provides the park with 80-90 percent of its charm. Take that away and it's largely a bunch of (now) brightly-colored wood sheds.

Give me this exact ride layout set through the woods, and I would be largely content. But when you hype up theme and story so much, and the set up is a trip into a mine shaft through an unexplored part of Marvel Cave, I want you to take me there.

To be clear: If you're excited for this, I'm happy for you. This will be a fun ride for what it is. My disappointment lies in what it could have been, and the direction it implies for the future of the park. Think about it: if a brand-new family mine ride isn't themed to the max, you just know anything more thrill-oriented down the road is going to be even more bare bones.

[First, this is the right thrill level for the park]

My initial reaction: underwhelming.

Here's where I'm at:

First, this is the right thrill level for the park. Of course an intense multi-looper or hyper would be fun, but this park is all about families and it's hard for "America's #1 theme park" with a theme based on an 1880s mining town without a mine coaster. It makes sense.

Here's what disappoints me:

This looks to be a pretty standard coaster. Yes, the track is lightly themed. Yes, I'm sure it will be glass smooth. And yes, SDC is very good at marketing. But, at the end of the day, what are we really looking at here for the guest experience? They clear-cut all the trees to create a giant flat pad to be filled with a fairly generic steel coaster track running back and forth. Layout-wise, there is nothing here that Arrow wasn't doing back in the 80s. At least Thunderation uses the natural terrain. Here the steel supports appear to be doing all the work. 

No signature moments. Modern SDC loves their gimmicks. Consider:
- Outlaw Run (wood coaster with loops)
- Time Traveler (looping coaster that spins)
- Mystic River Falls (rapids ride with a vertical lift and drop)

What's the signature moment on this ride? With Mack involved, I was hoping for some Voltron-style tricks like a bounce track (imagine simulating a mine shaft about to collapse), turntable/launch sequence (coast down into the mine, turnaround and blast out). Or even some layout inspiration from Grizzly Gulch at Hong Kong Disneyland with a mild backwards sequence. Nope. Two lift hills, drops, curves through retaining walls, a small wooden tunnel. Nothing that simulates being in a cave from what I can see.

Theming looks light. Yes, the huge mine tower is very cool and very impressive. But if there is more here, there wasn't much revealed beyond that. For all the bluster about backstory and theme, all the hype about exploring down in the mine, there is no mine. I'm sure there will a covered queue box with big fans and some art on the walls. The same standard as Time Traveler, Mystic River, and the new Fire in the Hole. But compare that to Wildfire's queue.

This feels like Powder Keg light. Thrill-wise, I'm great with that. Theming-wise and quality-wise, this is just another coaster.

SDC has gotten very good at storytelling and marketing, but the actual product and experience feels hollow to me. Hope I'm wrong.

I'm sure the ride will be popular. Maybe this is all it needs to be, but it just stings a little when the park prides itself as being so much better than everywhere else, and they bait their fans into thinking this will be more special than what it appears to be. But again, I'd love to be proven wrong on this.