Six Flags Unveils Virtual Reality Roller Coaster Game Experience

JACKSON, NJ — Imagine yourself, zipping along through the dark, around sharp curves, and you're confronted by a demon out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, you zap the demon trying to destroy the world.

That what riders will experience on the new virtual reality gaming roller coaster experience opening at Six Flags Great Adventure this fall, park officials said Tuesday.

The Rage of the Gargoyles, which will debut on Skull Mountain just in time for Fright Fest, will be one of the first virtual-reality roller coaster experiences in the country, Six Flags Great Adventure president John Fitzgerald said.

Riders will battle demonic creatures as they roll through the dark on the Skull Mountain roller coaster, in a fully integrated virtual reality coaster experience, said Kristin Siebeneicher, spokeswoman for Six Flags.

The virtual reality gaming experience involves riders wearing Samsung Gear VR Oculus headsets with high-definition imagery and storytelling that's synchronized to 1,377 feet of plunging, twisting coaster track to create a one-of-a-kind, “real world” to “virtual world” thrill ride experience, Siebeneicher said.

The headsets will allow the riders to engage in interactive gaming throughout the entire experience by shooting at flying demons. Unique, sophisticated head-movement targeting allows riders to instantly lock on a moving target – no touchpads or buttons required to fire, she said.

"Riders will immediately become fighter jet pilots battling against terrorizing, blood-thirsty gargoyles. Surrounded by 360-degrees of sheer chaos, it is up to the riders to save humanity. Diving and swerving through devastated city streets, this epic conflict reaches a fever pitch as the pilot must attack the vicious master gargoyle – and the surprise ending will leave riders speechless," Siebeneicher said.

Skull Mountain, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, will close mid-August for its virtual reality makeover.

When Rage of the Gargoyles debuts during Fright Fest on Sept. 24, the season pass holders, active members, haunted maze pass purchasers and owners of the Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy Note7 will gain exclusive access to the experience weekends and select days through Nov. 13, she said.

“This revolutionary VR technology will transform our classic, fan favorite into a cutting-edge thrill,” Fitzgerald said. “Rage of the Gargoyles amps up the fear factor to a level only Fright Fest can deliver.”

For more information, visit www.sixflags.com/virtualrealitycoasters and www.samsung.com/gearvr.

Video provided by Six Flags gives a glimpse of what the experience will look like:

Photo provided by Six Flags Great Adventure