Abyssus is the newest roller coaster to open at Energylandia. This Polish theme park made
a splashy addition for the 2021 season by adding this multi-launch Vekoma coaster as
part of a brand new aquatic themed land. Vekoma has made waves throughout the industry with
their new generation coasters that have sported improved layouts and smoothness. So is Abyssus
the company’s crowning achievement? Or is it merely good? Find out in this review of Abyssus!
Energylandia has had a strong relationship with Vekoma. And Energylandia forged that relationship
at the right time. For many years Vekoma was a laughingstock amongst coaster enthusiasts.
Their coasters were often criticized for their roughness and unoriginality.
Energylandia opened in 2014 and right around this time, Vekoma stepped up their game. Vekoma
improved their ride layouts, trains, and track designs. Now enthusiasts are dreaming of their
home parks getting new generation Vekomas. For the 2015 season, Energylandia ushered in 3
cloned Vekomas. First was Energus, a Vekoma roller skater. Second was the Dragon Roller Coaster,
a Vekoma suspended family coaster. And third was Roller Coaster Mayan,
a Vekoma suspended looping coaster. All three of these coasters, including the SLC, were smooth.
Then in 2016, Vekoma debuted a new model at Energylandia in Formula.
This was a Vekoma Space Warp that showcased the creativity of the company’s new designer,
Benjamin Bloemendaal. This layout combined an LSM launch with inversions,
airtime hills, and fast-pacing. And it was yet another smooth ride. It seemed like the days
of rough Vekomas were over. This ride instantly became one of the most popular at Energylandia.
In 2018, Energylandia opened Hyperion, a massive Intamin hyper coaster. However, this coaster was
almost made by Vekoma. The park had both Intamin and Vekoma pitch layouts for this hyper coaster.
While Intamin won, Vekoma’s proposal was another impressive layout
and it’s clear they would be involved in future projects with Energylandia.
In 2019, Energylandia announced they would be opening Abyssus for the 2020 season.
This would be an LSM launch coaster like Formula also combining inversions with airtime hills,
but this one would be taller, faster, and longer. This would be Vekoma’s first Shockwave model.
And like Energylandia’s other most recent additions, the ride would be paired with
improved theming. The coaster would be part of Aqualantis, a water-themed land. The land was on
track for a 2020 opening, but once the covid-19 pandemic started, construction was put on hold
and all of Aqualantis was delayed a year. Aqualantis and Abyssus opened in July 2021.
Abyssus looked fantastic with its bright blue track and ship-themed trains. And the coaster had
some great interactions with the station, queue line, and area. But it had a notable omission-
the theming. In a move we’ve seen several European parks do in recent years, the park opened their
new ride with incomplete theming. This is how I experienced Abyssus and I can’t wait to see
the final product in 2022 since it will only improve the on-ride and off-ride experience.
Abyssus is located in the very back of Energylandia, just beyond Zadra and the Smoczy
Grod area. From the main entrance, it’s roughly a 15-20 minute walk. So if you head here first,
you can beat the crowds and get a few rides before the masses arrive. Alternatively, few
people are in Aqualantis around park closing so the ride was a near walk-on during the final hour.
During mid-day, Abyssus’s line peaked at a 30-45 minute wait during my August visits.
But that line moved at a steady pace thanks to fast operations,
separate load and unload areas, and consistent 3 train operations.
One way to skip that line altogether is to grab a Fastpass.
Everyone at Energylandia is allowed to grab one free Fastpass per day for this attraction.
The kiosk is next to the main entrance and once your return time is called, you will walk right
onto the attraction. Those in the Fastpass line had no choice of seats and were often assigned
to a row towards the middle of the train. Compare that to those in the main queue who
can pick their row…if they’re fast enough. After you pass by the lockers, there are two automated
turnstiles before the station with monitors. These turnstiles together admit 16 people,
which is exactly enough people to fill the train. Once the turnstiles go live,
both sides often run for the front row. However, you can avoid this mad dash and instead
take the best seat, the back row. This is easily the best and most forceful row on the coaster.
The trains are similar to the aforementioned Formula
and feature the Vekoma vest restraints found on their most recent looping coaster trains. I do
wish this ride had just lap bars like the Intamin or Mack multi-launch coasters out there, but these
vests are comfortable and have some slack, so the airtime is easy to appreciate. They do
inhibit your ability to feel the laterals though. Once dispatched, Abyssus approaches this currently
unthemed and hideous maintenance building. After a brief pause, the ride’s first launch engages.
I was surprised this wasn’t a rolling launch, but the acceleration from the dead stop gives this
element an ok punch despite the modest top speed. The first half is the ride’s warm-up.
It’s a compact figure 8 layout with some tight turns and small airtime hills. Nothing in this
section is extreme and this is where I hope some theming gets added in the future to compensate.
After the launch, there’s this surprisingly forceful turn. It looks rather slow off-ride,
but I almost started to greyout from its compactness and solid positive Gs.
This leads into a bunny hill that offers decent floater airtime for those in the back,
but weak floater up front. The is followed by a small S-hill that
offers decent floater airtime for everyone. Abyssus then winds around a few ok turns before
shooting over this tiny bunny hill. Those up front get some more floater airtime while those
in the back get stronger airtime that borders on weak ejector when the coaster is warmed up.
The train then rises up into the second launch, giving those up front a tiny pop of airtime.
Then comes the second launch, which is disappointing. While Abyssus has an impressive
top speed of 62 mph or 100 kph, this launch has barely any force to it. This launch reminds me of
a launch on a Mack coaster. And that’s not a comparison a launch coaster should want.
In all honesty, the ride’s far slower first launch is superior to the second on Abyssus.
You then ascend the 126 foot or 38 meter tall, twisting top hat, getting a quick
blast of positive Gs. And then you come face to face with the most controversial part of Abyssus,
the trim brake. Yes you will feel it slow you down. This caused the front only get a tiny pop of
floater airtime despite the top hat’s sharp crest. However, the drop is still very good in the back.
Those in the back car get good sustained ejector airtime once the train clears the trim.
Abyssus then cruises through a giant and fairly forceful loop
that had me seeing a little grey on most rides. It was a contrast to most multi-launchers I’ve
ridden recently where the vertical loops are more about hangtime than positive Gs.
This loop is followed by Abyssus’s best element, this camelback that rises over
the second launch. You fly over this hill and it delivers the ride’s best airtime. Those up front
get strong floater airtime while those in the back get strong ejector airtime.
And the element finishes by diving beneath the station so you also get a sweet headchopper.
Abyssus then glides through a batwing. The first inversion doesn’t do too much, but it
finishes by diving below the entrance plaza. The pullout starts with some good positive Gs, but
the pullout is elongated so the Gs subside before the second inversion. The entry into the batwing’s
second inversion has some decent Gs up front, but the inversion itself only offers moderate snap.
After diving below the station yet again, Abyssus soars over this s-hill.
The element is really drawn out, so it only offers ok floater airtime and weak laterals.
After a moderately forceful turn, there’s a sharp camelback. This one offers ample floater airtime
up front and solid ejector airtime in the back. Abyssus then flies around a tight and enjoyable
turn before winding through a floaty corkscrew. It’s a contrast to the faster, lateral-heavy
ones on Formula just down the midway. The finale of Abyssus sort of fizzles out.
There is this off-axis hill that doesn’t offer any airtime nor laterals.
As great as the newer Vekomas have been, this is the one element that seems to miss consistently.
This is the case even on the near unanimously praised Lech Coaster at Legendia.
Abyssus then rounds another moderately forceful turn before navigating yet
another elongated s-hill that offers weak floater airtime across the train.
You then hop into the brake run, giving those up front an itty bitty pop of airtime,
before coming to a smooth stop, ending the 4318 feet or 1316 meter long coaster.
Abyssus wasn’t quite as intense as I expected, but that may have been
deliberate. Energylandia’s other headlining coasters are pretty forceful start to finish.
Abyssus is arguably the most reridable. It’s immaculately smooth and most elements
deliver moderate to decent forces, but the coaster never feels truly out-of-control.
Compare that to something like Lech Coaster or even Formula
that pack more of a punch even though they have less track. After several rides on Abyssus,
the coaster it reminded me most of was Steel Curtain based on its pacing and type of elements.
So what would I rate Abyssus? I would give this coaster an 8 out of 10. This is a fun,
well-rounded coaster. The ride strings together four decent inversions and a series of mild
airtime hills. There is the occasional standout moment if you’re in the back car such as the drop
off the top hat and two camelbacks, but Abyssus is a ride that’s more about quantity over quality.
It’s possible the final theming could elevate some of the ride’s milder elements,
but as it stands, Abyssus is one of the best coasters at Energylandia
and it showcases the diverse layouts Vekoma is moving towards in the future.
So those are my thoughts about Abyssus, the Vekoma multi-launch coaster at Energylandia. Have you
been on this coaster? How do you think it compares to Vekoma’s other coasters out there? I would love
to hear what you think about this ride down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!