SANDUSKY — Under cloudy skies and an occasional sprinkle, media members got an advanced peek Wednesday at Cedar Point’s big new attraction for 2019, Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island — an interactive and immersive … well, it’s more than that.
How about an explorative, physically-challenging … er, no. A socially synergistic treasure hunt? Uh, not quite.
Well just what the heck is this new attraction that took over the former Dinosaurs Alive! Site in the center of Cedar Fair LP’s flagship amusement park?
Forbidden Frontier, which opens to the public on Saturday, is an attraction that can be enjoyed by young and old, and has many layers and options through which to enjoy it. It is included in general park admission.
“It’s what you want it to be, as abstract and weird as that sounds,” said Tony Clark, Cedar Point’s spokesman.
Costing probably about $10 million (park officials will not divulge how much it cost), Forbidden Frontier is Cedar Point’s entry into the growing demand for amusement park entertainment that is both experiential and interactive, and less passive or reactive.
“If you get on a roller coaster, you know what’s going to happen. It’s fun, you’re going to have a good time, but you know ahead of time what will happen,” said Jason McClure, Cedar Fair vice president and Cedar Point’s General Manager.
But Cedar Fair officials have noticed the trend and popularity of so-called Escape Rooms and 3-D rides where riders defeat enemies or shoot weapons.
For many park-goers, it no longer is enough to just sit back and wait for the thrills to happen, Mr. McClure said. “People are telling us, ‘I want to participate. I want it to be what I want it to be,’” he said.
Known by those in the industry as the immersive theater form, Cedar Point’s sister park, Knott’s Berry Farm in the Los Angeles area, was the first to debut this new type of entertainment at an amusement park with its Ghost Town Alive! In 2016.
Mr. McClure said it was such a hit, Cedar Point officials began looking at it closely in 2017 and wondered if it could be duplicated in Ohio. “That’s when we started asking, ‘What did they tap into? Why did that succeed?’” he added.
Rather than do an Old West ghost town, Cedar Point officials came up with Forbidden Frontier and approved the project at the start of 2018. It already knew Dinosaurs Alive! would be leaving so it had a site.
What both Forbidden Frontier and Ghost Town Alive provide is an attraction that can be immersive and interactive if a guest wants, or just a place where mom and dad can relax and let the kids work off energy.
It has some physical challenges, like a series of tree houses connected by bridges. There are things to climb on, and play with.
But then, there also are hidden puzzle layers to explore within the attraction. Costumed actors roaming Forbidden Frontier, all have background stories and information which, when put together and in proper order, can reveal secrets and lead to a hidden treasure. How that plays out depends on how far a guest goes toward uncovering those secrets.
“It’s kind of like Tom Sawyer Island (at Disneyland and Walt Disney World) in that there are physical things to climb on and do,” Mr. McClure said. “But the guest is really the star of the show.”
Someone can spend time on Forbidden Frontier “but it’s going to be different things to different people,” he added.
Every year Cedar Point holds auditions for singers, dancers, musicians, and actors to fill out its entertainment rosters. Last year to get ready for Forbidden Frontier, the park was especially hunting for actors who not only could remember lines and play a character, but become that character.
“We were seeking a different type of actor. They needed to be more improvisational,” Mr. McClure said.
The characters that media members engaged with on Wednesday were spontaneous, charming, eccentric, and improvisational. They included Mary Claire Murdock, a gossipy newspaper editor; Commander Etta Fox, a cavalry officer in charge of the island; Wallace Lockridge, Esq., a banker, entrepreneur, and wealthy individual; Madam Nadya Manulov, a gypsy seer, and her son, Luca.
All cleverly kept in character and could mix in items and incidents of the day and year, 1917.
“I think this is awesome. It’s a great addition to the park,” said Drew Delengowski, 25, who was at Cedar Point on Wednesday visiting from Deptford, N.J., and was among the lucky few who got to try Forbidden Frontier.
He and his girlfriend, Angie Brown, 24, also of Deptford, had discovered that listening to the costumed characters provided clues and objects to solve a quest.
They first had to learn to tie knots from a sea captain; they hit targets with a bow and arrow from a cowboy. In return, they got a tin of pepper and a package wrapped in brown paper. Both items had to be given to other characters.
“It’s like you’re in the show with them,” Mr. Delengowski said. “I think this is great. It’s very unique.”
Mr. Clark said Forbidden Frontier can be played on many levels and have multiple outcomes depending on which characters you talk to, in which order you encounter them, what questions you ask, and what they reveal.
“That’s why this is so exciting for us. It also gives us the ability to change things out and add new characters as we see fit,” Mr. Clark added.
First Published May 22, 2019, 10:39 p.m.
