Eye of the Storm has been in operation at Kentucky Kingdom since 2017. Designed and manufactured by Larson International from their 22M Giant Loop line. The concept here is to take a popular element from roller coasters in the loop and do it over and over again. These aren’t exactly our favorite model but for high thrill-seekers, they will do the trick.
Eye of the Storm Experience
Eye of the Storm is sandwiched in between Raging Rapids River Ride and Thunder Run. You will need to be at least 48 inches tall to ride. You will be kept safe by an over-the-shoulder restraint with a buckle. There are two seating options. On both ends of the ride, there are two seats that face outwards. All the other seats have two seats that face another two seats. That way you can interact with some of your group while being flipped upside down. Once the ride attendants have checked all the restraints the fun can begin.
When it starts up, it will gain some momentum by first going forwards then backward. After a couple of tries, it will begin to fully invert riders. After a couple of rotations forward it will then do it all again backward. The total experience is around two minutes. When the ride comes to a complete stop they will unlock your restraint. You can then exit the ride safely.
Eye of the Storm: The Good
This ride is very intense. When you look at a standard loop on a roller coaster you will notice that the loop isn’t actually a perfect circle. The Force is much more intense of a circle than the teardrop shape seen on most coasters. The decision to make these more of an actual circle means that they are going to feel very intense. Also with the intensity is the best moment on this ride which is the hangtime. About halfway through the cycle, it will hang you upside down for what feels like forever. Truly a fantastic moment.
We question why this ride deserves it, but we love the bleachers viewing area this ride got. Good for just a resting spot, or for watching those crazy enough to ride this get tortured. Anytime a park sets up a viewing area like this we will give extra points.
Our favorite thing about Eye of the Storm is how you can face other riders. We are a firm believer in that all amusement rides are better when shared with friends and family. Watching the blood collecting on your friend’s face while you are hanging upside down is a lot of fun.
The Bad
We mentioned how much we like riding in the middle seats with friends and family. That is because it is the only real reason we will ride this. We don’t ride this because the ride itself is fun. Only it if we are with a group of people who haven’t ridden it yet. We wouldn’t call Eye of the Storm boring, but we do think of it as rather unpleasant.
We think of flat rides like this as roller coaster emulators. There is something joyless about one element from a coaster and just doing it over and over again. If you want to be flipped upside down just go ride the masterpiece that is Storm Chaser.
The nail in the coffin for this ride is the park has another similar ride that is better in every way possible. Cyclos has the exact same ride experience except in a much better distribution of force. What is fun there is unpleasant here.
Final Verdict
Eye of the Storm is an okay addition to the park. It can be fun depending on the circumstances. It for sure has it in the intensity department. Yet this is an inferior ride to other better rides that already operate at the same park. Because of these reasons Eye of the Storm gets a five and a half out of ten.
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