X:\ No Way Out is the world's first and only backwards roller coaster in the dark. When it opened in 1996, Thorpe (then owned by RMC) obviously tried to do something creative with the queueline, which is also in the dark, by showcasing weird models and playing bangs and crashes through the speakers. However, nowadays, it's little more than graffitied walls and overly loud sound effects - not a good first impression. Guests get to the front of the queue and see an empty train approach the station. This is something the ride designers did well - where did the passengers from the last ride go? Maybe there is No Way Out....
The train starts rising (backwards) up the lift hill, and shuttles around its course. X:\ No Way Out features harsh brakes throughout the ride so it can play bangs, flash strobe lighting and spray dry ice at you. However, all it does is to destroy what could be a fast ride. You stop and start quite a few times, which is a shame, because if the coaster could just run, it would be more thrilling. The stops only serve to make the ride somewhat jerky and irritating. After the ride has finished (riders exit from a second station, allowing an empty station to greet the next boarders), riders walk through to the exit (still in darkness) and open their eyes to the daylight.
X:\ No Way Out was obviously intended to be aimed at the teenage market way back in 1996, but today's teenagers are generally not impressed - especially when greater thrills from Stealth and SAW can be found in the same Park. It is commendable that Thorpe have tried something different - they took a gamble - but it really doesn't work. The ride is confusing, jerky, and quite dull.
Since the end of the 2010 Season, Park bosses have been experimenting with turning the lights on in the No Way Out pyramid. Doing so has reduced the amount of guests vomiting on the ride, which was previously a big problem when the ride was in pitch darkness. Having the lights turned on removes the unique selling point of the original ride though, shows up the very dirty interior of the pyramid, and only serves to make an odd experience even worse...
"This was an epic ride! Not only was this the first ride I ever rode in Thorpe Park but this was my first ever roller coaster. I wasn't expecting it to be as scary as it was. I'm 14 and I rode this 2 months ago - I'm still scared of it. Would love it if the lights were off on the ride... I heard it makes it more intense! My advice if you haven't been on this ride is GO ON THIS RIDE FIRST before you go on any other ride. No Way Out will get you pumped up for the other more massive roller coasters."
Mohammed, London, UK.
"This was my first 'Extreme Ride'! Love it, great music, great theming and great ride."
Richard, Kent, UK.
"I love X:\ No Way Out, I think it is amazing. I am not a great big fan of Roller Coasters but I love this ride. Even after I went on it 3 times I was still scared stiff!"
Lauren Davis, Hampshire, UK.
"Me and my friends loved it, it's something for people who don't like smaller rides nor really fast rides either."
Sian, UK.
"Me and my friends went on the ride four times and we've actually adopted it as our ride. Seeing as most of us don't like fast rides we were pretty worried, but it was actually really fun! The stopping gave us enough time to scream out "HEY YOU GUYS" and other stupid comments just to annoy the other people."
Grace, Essex, UK.
"I don't normally like rollercoasters (I didn't know this was one), but I loved it! They should have a camera in there so we could have a pic."
Charlotte, UK.
"Good family ride. Jerky, and strange, but other than that, pretty fun."
Robert, Hertford, UK.
"It wouldn't be so bad if there was actully a reason for the stopping/starting! It stops several times in the middle of the ride and everyone sits there in the dark wondering what the hell they are doing sitting in the dark when they could be outside flying around on Saw or something!"
Matt, UK.
"It's not thrilling, but it's fun. I love the Park's more extreme rides but also loved this as it's different."
Darren, Wales, UK.
"This was my first rolleroaster and it was AMAZING!! My friends and I went on again and again. Because it goes backwards I got really hyper and the stops were just so much fun... you have to go on!"
Rabia, West Sussex, UK.
"This ride was very dissapointing, stopped and started too many times and never really gets going. It's jerky and rough as well and I banged my head several times! The backwards in dark concept was and still is a very good one, but unfortunately this ride doesn't deliver the concept with any real conviction. Anyone who gets scared on this is a big girls blouse, The Black Hole that used to be at Alton Towers was much better than this and even that seems tame nowadays, I think Thorpe need to update this and make it better or remove it and replace it with something else completely."
Adam K, Upminster, UK.
"I loved it as you never know when there is a drop or turn and it is funny when it jerks backwards as you think it'll shoot forwards! Good ride to start off the day!"
Brandon, London, UK.
"What a great ride! It's really the only ride completely inside so you don't know what to expect! After you drop off your bags you have to go through so many creepy passageways and you're sure you are going the wrong way or someone's going to jump out of you! So scary - it was amazing! The ride itself was a slight disappointment though. It stopped at 3 different points so you never really got into it - 2 would be fine. And seeing as it stops 3 times, wouldn't it be great to have actors?! They could be "viruses" or something - it would definatly freak me out! The thing that really annoyed me though is that it's supposed to be themed around a virus in a computer but guess what - it wasn't apart from it saying error before the ride starts - oh that sooooo scared me - NOT. I heard that there used to be loads of effects and themeing as you go through the passageways and this would be amazing - but it turns out that Thorpe Park either took them away or they simply stopped working... :(
My verdict: great ride - the darkness adds scariness as you never know which way you will turn and the few flashing lights during the ride do freak you out. But there wasn't a storyline like on SAW, so there was nothing to be scared about. There's a virus in a computer? I don't think so - I never knew. This ride could be amazing if there were videos explaining a storyline while you wait and the theming brought back again - but until that happens it's just another ride - nothing special. I have to say that I did enjoy it on the way out. It was just loads more passageways (with no theming again!) but we just cackled and screamed and it was like a echo - it vibrated all the way to when you got out! That was pretty awesome :)"
Robert Bone, Hampshire, UK.
"On paper it could be brilliant, but in reality it just doesn't get anywhere near it. I guess it was built in the days when Thorpe was a bit pants. If they repainted the building and gave it better theming, removed the brake sections and bumped up the speed of the lift hill to be more launched they could improve it immensely."
James, Portsmouth, UK.
"If a company such as Disney designed this ride it would be utterly phenomenal. Unfortunately it was made by Tussauds and it turned out to be the worst "in the dark rollercoaster" I've ever ridden. A serious redesign is needed, urgently!"
Orlando, Kent, UK.
"This is a great ride, it just needs life pumping back into it!! Stop the stopping of it and put live actors in it like the SAW - Alive maze. I hope they do redesign it and not demolish it :("
Hame, Devon, UK.
"If you're a big wuss then this ride is for you! It's so boring and stupid, it needs to go!"
Saji, Chicago, USA.
"I went on this ride one time (in the pitch black) and it was quite good (apart from all of the brake sections), but the next time I went there was a sign outside saying 'the lights on x:/no way out will be on today' which I thought just ruined it completely. In the dark when it goes forwards for a second and you hear the other people screaming you thought you are going to crash!"
Jamie, UK.
"I think people forget the purpose of the ride. The purpose of it is to go backwards, and I think it's a fun ride. Where else in the UK can you experience a backwards rollercoaster? There are no others. So all in all I think the ride fulfils its 'purpose' very well and shouldn't be missed if you want a different ride experience."
Mark, Hampshire, UK.
"X:\No Way Out is good fun and not scary! It's a bit annoying constantly stopping and sometimes it moves for a second and stops again which can make you bang your head, so be careful of that! But it's a great ride for all ages."
Katie, Bookham, UK.
"I don't really like this ride; at first I thought it was broken. It was my first ride I ever went on at Thorpe Park and it really put me off."
Matthew Barnes, Basingstoke, UK.
"Complete waste of time! Very very glad we didn't queue for it. What is the point? I kept waiting for something to happen...then we stopped again! Doesn't fit with the rest of the park at all."
Rebecca, Epsom, UK.
"When I rode it I was shocked because the lights were all on. In my opinion it's more scary with the lights on, because you can see stuff like speakers and track. It's not as much fun in the dark because you don't know where you are going."
Reece Smith, Feltham, UK.
"This such a weird ride as you're going backwards the whole way! I don't know why people say it's bad it's so fun and rickety!"
George, Middlesex, UK.
"Saying it's boring and crap is quite dramatic. It's NOT scary, just fun."
Sarah, London, UK.
"It wasn't scary."
Amy, London, UK.
