Pulsar at Walibi Belgium is a high-tech water coaster. This ride is the prototype Mack Power
Splash and it takes the water coaster to the next level by offering multiple
launches and vertical spikes. Should this ride be cloned? Find out in this review!
Mack introduced the water coaster in 1998 with Journey to Atlantis at SeaWorld Orlando.
This ride combined elements of two of the most popular amusement rides
of all time in the roller coaster and log flume. While other manufacturers
have offered their own water coasters, Mack’s version has been the most popular.
And they innovated on the concept further with the PowerSplash. This would be a more thrilling
attraction drifting more towards the coaster side. It would feature a multi-pass launch,
multiple vertical spikes, and it could even be configured to feature a vertical loop.
Walibi Belgium added the first Mack Power Splash in 2016 with Pulsar.
This prototype fared much better than the coaster that came before it. Vertigo was the world’s first
and only Doppelmayr Mountain Glider. This was a colossal and cool-looking suspended coaster,
but it had issues from day one. The ride was supposed to open in 2006, but it was delayed
to 2007 due to technical issues and it operated so little that it was removed after the 2008 season.
Walibi Belgium desperately needed a new thrill coaster and I’m surprised they
were willing to take a chance on another prototype after the issues with Vertigo.
But Pulsar has been a success. So much so that Mack has sold a half dozen
additional PowerSplashes. Most are in Asia, but Six Flags Over Texas is receiving one for 2020,
2021, 2022, 2023 in Aquaman Power Wave. And it’s not hard to see why.
This ride is very marketable and it takes up a small footprint. The ride is long,
but it’s one of the slenderest coasters out there. And it makes quite the impression. You have the
two tall spikes plus that captivating final splash that can nail observers on the midway. Plus this
one is on the water, making it look even better. Although that location caused a major issue last
year. Walibi Belgium suffered major flood damage in the summer of 2021.
The park was closed for months. Pulsar’s electrical room was flooded, damaging the ride’s
controls. Fortunately, Mack and the park got the ride operational again for the 2022 season.
Outside of that, it doesn’t sound like Pulsar has had any major issues. You typically just have a
minor breakdown or two throughout the day, which isn’t too surprising for a prototype.
And that’s a good thing because this is one of the park’s most popular rides.
Pulsar often has the longest line in the park. It routinely has a queue in excess of 45-60 mintues,
even on cooler days. Fortunately, there are two ways to beat the lines.
The most efficient way is to use the single-rider line.
This was a walk-on in my lone visit to the park even when the standby line was 30-45 minutes.
Alternatively, you can use the park’s Speedy Pass skip-the-line system, which costs an extra fee.
Pulsar is a shuttle coaster. Normally, this would mean that the coaster can only run one train,
but this coaster features a turntable load platform, allowing it to run two trains.
While one train is loading, the other can be cycling the course. I believe it usually runs
two trains, but Pulsar was running one train the day I visited like the park’s other major coasters
possibly due to the bad weather forecast. Pulsar’s train looks more like a boat you’d see
on a shoot-the-shoot ride. It’s a single car with 5 rows of 4, seating a max of 20 riders per cycle.
The U-shaped lap bars are lowered automatically, which helps this ride have swift dispatches.
And they’re quite comfortable too. The contouring on the portion that rests against
your lap reminds me of the classic Intamin t-bar. I think the forces are pretty similar across the
entire car, but seat selection definitely matters if you care about how wet you get.
Those in the front row and edge seats will get very wet. Your shoes will come off dry,
which is what I care most about, but the splash will hit your entire upper-body.
Those on the interior seats are spared. Just keep that in mind if you use the single rider
line since you’re almost guaranteed to get placed on the edge to fill those last available seats.
Once dispatched, you rotate onto the main layout. After a brief pause, you take off backwards. The
LSM launch starts slow over the bunny hill, but it actually has a bit of kick coming down the hill.
You then coast up just a fraction of the 148 foot or 45 meter spike,
but you still get some weak weightlessness. The car then coasts over the bunny hill.
You don’t get any airtime, but the second launch engages on the other side.
It has a pinch of power and really boosts the train’s speed a noticeable amount.
You then careen up the second spike, going up a considerable height this time.
This results in some decent weightlessness. At the bottom, the third launch engages and
this may be the most forceful launch on any Mack coaster. It had a real kick
to it and since it sent you backwards, it caused me to fold over my lap bar.
And with all that 63 mph or 101 kph speed, you fly over the bunny hill. This gives everyone
some nice and sustained floater airtime. I’m always a fan of backwards airtime.
Pulsar then rises up the back spike. And this is where it’s weird profiling comes into play.
While it starts vertical like your usual spike, it sort of bends backwards at the top.
So you get the usual weightlessness going up, but coming down, that hump
induces more traditional airtime. It’s not ejector, but it’s good floater airtime.
While riders are experiencing that spike, Pulsar is busy filling the splashdown pool. This
quick-fill reservoir system from Mack is super cool. Especially if you watch it fill while on the
spike. It looks like a mini flood was released. When the boat hits the bottom, it creates an
enormous wave, which as I mentioned earlier, hits those on the front and end seats. This also serves
as the ride’s main braking mechanism. You then slowly roll over the bunny hill and park yourself
where you started. The turntable then rotates you back to the station, ending the experience.
The coaster only has 712 feet or 217 meters of track, but the swing launch sequence definitely
helps this ride have a more satisfactory length. Two final things I want to touch on. First, the
smoothness. Some of the Mack water coasters have a rattle to them, but Pulsar is thankfully very
smooth. That’s certainly a good thing since this more ambitious than their older water coasters.
Second, the theming. Pulsar doesn’t really have any. But the ride is stylized and I
think the logo looks really cool with the pulse in the shape of the park’s W logo.
So what would I rate Pulsar? I would give this prototype water coaster a 7 out of 10. This is
a nice attraction. It’s more forceful than I expected. The launches have some bite to them,
particularly that third one when you’re yanked backwards. The subsequent bunny hill has some
wonderful airtime. And both spikes will have you levitating out of your seat for a few seconds.
Then along with these thrilling bits, you have that refreshing splashdown that is
perfect on a hot summer day. It cools you down without destroying your footwear.
I have no problem seeing more of these pop up because I think it’s
better than your average flume or water coaster. This offers a much
more dynamic ride experience plus the obligatory splash.
So those are my thoughts on Pulsar at Walibi Belgium. What are your thoughts
on the prototype Mack Power Splash or any of the newer installations? Do you like this model? Let
me know 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!