Hydra the Revenge is a coaster that certainly has generated some buzz since its opening in 2005. Looking at the reviews here, it seems that Hydra is one of those coasters that you either really like or are generally disappointed with. Well, you can color me into the "really like" column. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from some of the stories I’ve heard), I never had the chance to ride Hydra’s predecessor, Hercules. Therefore, I cannot accurately comment on how good a replacement Hydra is. What I can do, however, is give some insight into why I do enjoy this mythical coaster and what it brings to the table. This floorless coaster, despite claims to the contrary, is a thoroughly enjoyable ride with many pluses, at least to me anyway!
Perhaps expectations for this ride were too high before its opening, or perhaps many have been spoiled by the mammoth B&M floorless installations in the past (a la the Medusas and Dominators and Screams of the coaster community). For whatever the reason, it seems the reception Hydra has gotten from enthusiasts is lukewarm at best. To each his own, I guess, which is one of the things about coaster riding that is so neat – different coasters and styles appeal to different people. Having now ridden Medusa, I will agree that Medusa is a superior coaster, but for me riding that only strengthened Hydra’s place as a unique and thrilling mid-sized floorless. The slick lime green track color works perfectly with the coaster’s namesake, the mythical creature Hydra. This coaster looks tremendous, and when walking up to it you can see a wide variety of inversions packed into its compact layout. Lines are usually not much of an issue on Hydra, as I for one have never waited more than 10-15 minutes to snag a ride. And unlike most other floorless coasters where the front is the money seat, for this one I give the nod to the very back row.
Exiting the station, the train crawls through the amazing JoJo Roll, as dubbed by someone who obviously has a weird sense of humor! This element is truly fantastic, as you go through it so low to the ground and at such a low speed, coming right out of the station. This is one of the ride’s highlights, and I give a thumbs up to the thought of having an inversion right off the bat! The first drop is a bit smaller, I will admit, but in the back row it still packs a huge punch! It is extremely steep, and the train is simply yanked over, providing some powerful floater airtime the entire way down the drop!! The train then hits an inclined loop, a nicely executed zero-g roll, and a great corkscrew (that provides a little floating time as well), before diving into the rock-strewn valley to tackle the warped cobra roll. The cobra roll is very nice, but not quite as forceful as the standard ones, which was a bit of a surprise after looking at how tilted (for lack of a better term) the track was. Still, it is a well-placed element that keeps the flow going nicely. Next is the s-curved hill, followed by a great bunny hop with some excellent floater air in the back. At this point, I do feel that the ride sputters, with an ending that does take some away from the first action-packed half. There’s another corkscrew, although it is less forceful than the first, and a relatively weaker helix, which failed to give many forces. A tighter, longer helix would have been great here, and why not replace that second corkscrew with a smaller standard vertical loop? It would’ve kept with the uniqueness that hits riders throughout the first portion of the ride. As I hit the brakes, I am always very pleased and thrilled, but just wishing that the last portion had a little more "ooomph". That is where the ride drops a point for me. However, Hydra is most importantly a good deal of fun and I always feel the need to hop back on for rerides.
Overall, Hydra is a great floorless coaster. The layout is intriguing, and the inversion right out of the gate is a superb idea that is executed<
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