Nemesis Review - Alton Towers

Nemesis

Alton Towers, Alton, England

A big hole in the ground with a roller coaster in it.

The queue line takes you right through the belly of this monster.

Score: ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➏ ➐ ➑ ➈ ➉ 7.88/10

95th Percentile 

Height Requirement: 55" / 140cm
Top Speed: 50mph
Inversions: 4

Where to Sit on Nemesis: Front.

Excitement: 8.2/10 Nemesis is a coaster that gets faster and more thrilling the further you go through the layout. You load onto the train at a higher point than a lot of the track, resulting in a short lift hill with a lot more speed than you imagine. While the ride is forceful and transitions are snappy, the ride is on the shorter side and there are more powerful coasters that exist. Nemesis' turns, dips, and dives get you lost to where you are during the ride, so if you don't know exactly what the layout is before riding, you'll be all sorts of confused as to what is going on! If it weren't for all the near-misses with the ground it wouldn't be nearly as exciting. Do not miss this ride when visiting the park.

You can walk down into the hole where Nemesis resides, resulting in some really cool viewpoints.

Pacing: 9.0/10 Nemesis has some of the best pacing in the world! The ride starts on the side of the hill, so the speed and elements get more unreal the further you travel along the rides path. There's no other coaster quite like this in the world. It's a must-experience ride at the park and is exactly what should be expected out of a one-of-a-kind park like Alton Towers.

The darkness of the hole the ride is located in adds to its atmosphere.

Technicals: 8.3/10 Snappy, fierce, comfortable, and smooth all at the same time. This inverted coaster by the Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard is another example of one of their perfectly engineered rides. There's no sections at the end of this coaster that feel like you are meandering around just to make your way back to the station. Something with the first corkscrew seems off and to not fit in as well with the rest of the layout, possibly the height of it compared to how low to the ground you are during the rest of the ride.

Theming: 8.0/10 While the overall story isn't told during your journey, Nemesis' environment and surroundings are like no-other. Diving into and around the massive crater along with the echo of the roar on the rocks around you is perfect.

Another element closely following the surrounding terrain.

Uniqueness: 8.9/10 Nemesis is as unique as they come. A large hole was dug just for the ride to be built, where else have you seen something like that? The flow of elements and how they are used are unlike any other coaster in the world.

Score: ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➏ ➐ ➑ ➈ ➉ 8.5/10 

Placement: 97th percentile among all coasters. (Ranked in the top 3% of coasters worldwide.)