Queen, in its iconic song, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” lamented that there was “no escape from reality.” Well, begging Freddy Mercury’s pardon but there is – and it comes in the form of something everyone needs right now: a roller coaster where the ups and downs are synched to BoRhap.
Sports parks near amusement parks need this. Event owners need this. Everyone needs this. And score one for esports: it’s digital, meaning you can hope aboard the train with Freddy, Brian May and the whole gang, at any old time.
And everyone has hopped aboard, it appears. The video appeared in late June and by late July, it had the better part of one million views.
The video surfaced on Nerdist, who reported that it came from the YouTube channel ChuggersRCT, who created an entire sweeping ride in Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 that runs according to the emotional roller that is the six-minute song. The track rises and falls (you know, little highs, little lows) with Freddie Mercury’s vocals. It also picks up the pace or slows down accordingly with the music. It passes by a devil when Beelzebub is mentioned. What more can you want?
The creators have figured out what else you can want. They’ve added lyrics using text via signs and landscaping, created large objects and props, and tons of loops. All of this is perfectly synced to the classic song. It goes over piano keyboards during the keyboard riffs and goes into crazy spirals on the classic guitar section
Throughout the ride are little touches that fit the theme. The track runs through lightning bolts, across a guitar neck and by some notable lyrics, including all six instances of Galileo.
What’s fascinating is that it’s hard enough to get someone to watch a 30-second video all the way through. But this one, which clocks in at over six minutes (duh, the way the song does) is riveting. And like the song, it’s hard to turn off.
One viewer commented, “Did anyone else start watching and think “I’ll watch just a bit” and then stayed for all of it?” (And apparently, plenty did because the comment got 3,000 thumbs-up ratings).
The platform on which the video was built, RollerCoaster Tycoon, is a part of a series of simulation video games about building and managing an amusement park. Each game in the series challenges players with open-ended amusement park management and development and allowing players to construct and customize their own unique roller coasters and other thrill rides.
The coaster’s creators (the aforementioned YouTuber ChuggersRCT) say they “have some more work to do in order to make it more user-friendly to operate.”
Geekologie can’t help but point out, “This is an insane amount of work to put into a game that came out in 2002, and a testament to how great the Roller Coaster Tycoon series is. Let's also take a moment to acknowledge this guy's ROI, considering he's gotten 18 years of entertainment out of a $40 PC game.”
And considering the reaction, there are plenty of fans who are getting a thrill from it as well.
Geekologie also notes, “It's like the exact opposite of the guy who paid $114,000 for a Super Mario Bros. cartridge and will never play it once.”
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