Okay,
I take it back. You CAN come closer to a Spotlight without winning than
Bayfront Parc did... Despite his semi-recent drama around NE, it seems
that the Fabled Artist Nemesis named Chris (or Artist these days) has
been pretty busy in RCT, and with a recent extended surge in
inspiration, he's been able to work like mad and produce quality stuff.
Exhibit A: Busch Gardens Europe, a park that, despite its monicker,
isn't focused only on countries in Europe!
We begin just left of the entrance area, in Cuzco, with Intiwasi, a
five-inversioned Arrow sitdown looper. This fine coaster seems to take
some inspiration with Drachen Fire, and RCT-wise, there seems to be a
bit of Schuessler feel in the atmosphere and coaster colors. This scene
quickly sets the tone for what to expect in the rest of the park:
amazingly immersive atmosphere and high quality rides all the way.
In
China, we find Warrior, a 6 inversioned B&M looper once again
heavily integrated into the surrounding landscape. This area uses
colors and vegetation to set an Asian feel more than scenery pieces,
and while there are a few awkward areas, overall, it actually works out
rather well. The coaster itself interacts magnificently with its
surroundings and the color scheme is once again quite pleasing to the
eyes. The calm, quiet Busch Gardens atmosphere exudes throughout this
area and beyond.
The smallest (and probably filler) but still nice area of the park
is Selva, which features Loggers Inc. Tours, a pleasant little log
flume. This is perhaps the most outwardly peaceful area, reminiscent of
Meadowbrooke Falls' Emerald Glen in its ambiance. Though Chris probably
could have sacrificed this area in favor of expanding some of the
others, it's still a great little section.
Egypt
presents an almost-welcome blitz of bright and fiery colors. Path of
Isis is a B&M inverted coaster with a fast, compact, intense layout
fit tightly into and withing buildings. It's almost like Montu if it
was compacted into the scheme of Nemesis. Though this area is
relatively flat, the theme justifies it, and the colors are pretty
lively.
The Colonial Theater doesn't exactly look very "colonial" but it's
still a great little section. The steamboat up top is a great
structure, paying tribute to many parks of old that had similar details
like that. No major ride populates this themed land, but it sure is
pretty!
Finally,
at Port Nazca, we find Fergon, a wooden coaster partially designed by
Turtle. It seems to be intended as a Mexican theme, though it looked
more Venetian to me. Still, once again, the atmosphere was simply
superb, and the coaster itself is pretty solid.
Ultimately, realists will love the overwhelming atmosphere and
spectacular theming of the park. Which brings to question why it's not
a Spotlight, if it is so amazing. Well, it could be that it's a bit too
similar to Bijou Magic, or that it's smaller and just slightly less
impressive than Turtle's park. Or it could be something else that may
be unveiled soon. But one thing's for sure: Chris seems to be on the
right track toward Parkmaker, and with stuff like this, it's hard for
anyone to argue.