26 February 2017 – Early Hype
The February air still carried the bite of winter, but inside the marketing office at Elysion Park, the warmth of coffee and the glow of a large monitor set the mood. Lucas stood beside Walter, both leaning slightly over Emma Scholz's desk as she queued up a file on her laptop.
"Alright," Emma said, tapping the spacebar. "This is just a teaser. No full POV, no stats yet—just enough to get people talking."
The screen faded in from black. A sweeping 3D render of the Jungle Zone appeared, still in soft, untextured lighting. The camera drifted toward a towering stone temple façade, serpent heads carved into the massive gate. A low, deep hiss rumbled through the speakers.
Cut.
Inside the temple, torchlight flickered over gold-lined carvings. The camera panned past murals of explorers and snakes before stopping at the coiled stone serpent. Its eyes flared red. With a sudden mechanical grind, the gate split open, daylight spilling through the gap.
The hiss turned into a rising roar—
Cut.
The view switched to an exterior shot as the train blasted from the temple into bright sunlight, the first launch propelling it over a sharp airtime hill. The jungle blurred past as it snapped into a set of quick S-curves, weaving between palm trees and rocks.
Cut.
A slow pan across a section of the real construction site — the deep forest green track of the launch section glinting under the winter sun, supported by golden-yellow steel columns — overlaid with the caption: Opening July 2017.
Cut back to render: the train dove into another temple entrance, serpent glyphs glowing along the walls. A second launch hurled it out into sunlight—
Cut to black.
The logo for Serpent's Run emerged in gold lettering, the sound of a snake's hiss lingering before fading away.
When the video ended, Walter crossed his arms, a faint smile on his face. "Much better than the Sky Discovery rollout," he said. "This… this will get them curious."
Lucas nodded. "That's the point. We give them just enough to imagine the rest."
Emma was already saving the file in multiple formats. "If we post this now, we'll have weeks of speculation before the next update. By the time the track is finished, everyone will be watching."
Lucas looked once more at the paused frame of the serpent gate on the monitor. The ride was still just steel and bolts outside—but on screen, it was already alive.
Later that evening – Online release
By seven o'clock, the teaser for Serpent's Run was live on Elysion Park's social media channels. The thumbnail alone — a dramatic shot of the golden temple gate framed by jungle foliage — drew clicks within minutes.
The caption was short and sharp:
> "Something stirs in the heart of the Jungle Zone…
Serpent's Run — Opening July 2017.
Dare you face the curse?"
The thirty-second video played out exactly as Lucas and Walter had seen it earlier that day: glimpses of the dark temple corridors, the serpent's eyes flaring red, the explosive first launch into a bright green track framed by golden supports. Just enough of the layout was revealed to spark questions, but most of the ride's course remained a mystery.
Below the video, the comments started stacking up:
> @ThrillSeekerNL: "Two launches? This is bigger than I expected from Elysion!"
@CoasterScoutDE: "That temple theming looks incredible already. Can't wait to see the final product."
@FamilyFirstDE: "Looks beautiful, but is it too intense for kids?"
@LoopingLarry: "Those colours. Green track + gold supports = chef's kiss."
@MysteryRideFan: "They're hiding half the layout… what's after the second launch?!"
Emma monitored the engagement from her desk, glancing at the view counter ticking upward. "If this pace keeps up, we'll hit fifty thousand views by tomorrow morning," she said.
Walter smirked. "And they still haven't seen the full theming. This is going to keep them guessing for months."
Lucas leaned back in his chair, satisfied. With Sky Discovery, the marketing had been rushed. This time, the story of Serpent's Run was being told one deliberate piece at a time — and the first chapter had just landed perfectly.
28 February 2017 – Train reveal
Two days after the teaser video dropped, Elysion Park's social channels lit up again — this time with a single, striking image. The coaster's green track and gold supports blurred into the background, but front and centre stood the first fully assembled Serpent's Run train.
The caption read:
> "Your vehicle awaits…
Prepare for the expedition of a lifetime.
Serpent's Run — Opening July 2017."
The jeep-style design was unmistakable: a deep green body with weathered gold bumpers and wheel arches, a thick rope tied across the rugged front bumper, amber-glass headlights, and an expedition plate stamped with the ride's name. Brass-coloured lap bars arched over dark brown canvas-look seats, ready for sixteen riders per train. Behind the last car, a spare wheel was mounted as if the expedition could continue far beyond the jungle.
Comments flooded in within minutes:
> @CoasterScoutDE: "YES! Jeep trains! Fits the theme perfectly."
@AdventureRider: "That rope detail on the bumper is genius. Feels like an actual expedition."
@LoopingLarry: "I was expecting snake heads or something, but this… this is better. Classy and immersive."
@RideItAllUK: "Brass lap bars?! This park is really going all-in on details."
@ThemeParkArchive: "Calling it now — Serpent's Run will be the most photogenic ride of 2017."
Walter scrolled through the responses on his phone, a satisfied grin forming. "They get it," he said.
Lucas looked over from his desk. "Good. Now we just need to make sure the real thing looks even better than the renders."
Outside, in the storage shed near the Jungle Zone, the real trains sat under protective covers, waiting for their first run.
1 March 2017 – Construction buzz
The morning sun cast long shadows over the Jungle Zone construction site. The green track of Serpent's Run now arched proudly out of the station area, the golden supports gleaming against the pale sky. Workers in hard hats moved between scaffolding and stacks of steel, guiding the next pieces into place.
Lucas stood near the perimeter fence, hands in his jacket pockets. The first launch section was complete, and the skeleton of the temple gate had begun to rise around it. Even without its rockwork and serpent carvings, the shape was already imposing.
By midday, a few distant camera lenses peeked over the treeline. Word had spread on a popular German coaster forum: "Elysion Park's Serpent's Run – first real construction pics!" Someone had uploaded grainy but clear images showing the green track curving past the site of Jungle Splash Adventure.
The post lit up with replies:
> @RideItAllUK: "Look at that colour combo in the sun. Green track + gold supports was the right call."
@ThrillSeekerNL: "That's definitely the first launch section in place. Gate structure's coming along fast!"
@ThemeParkFan89: "Two words: Airtime hill."
@FamilyFirstDE: "Still curious if it's going to be too intense for smaller kids. Anyone know the height restriction?"
Walter leaned over Lucas's shoulder as he scrolled through the thread. "They're already guessing half the layout just from a couple of supports," he said with a chuckle.
"Good," Lucas replied. "Let them guess. We've still got plenty to surprise them with."
By late afternoon, another delivery truck rolled into the site — long, covered trailers carrying more deep forest green track sections. Lucas watched as workers began unloading them, each piece bringing the vision of Serpent's Run one step closer to reality.
3 March 2017 – First shapes in steel
The morning sun glinted off the deep green rails already in place for Serpent's Run's first launch. Beyond it, the golden supports for the next section stood bare, waiting for their track.
A crane rolled into position, lifting the first piece of the day — the short airtime hill immediately after the launch. From the ground it looked modest, but its smooth crest promised a sharp pop of weightlessness. The section slid neatly into place between its supports, bolts clinking as the crew locked it down.
By midday, attention shifted to the following S-curves. One by one, the green track sections swung through the air, settling into a quick left-right rhythm that already hinted at the ride's pacing. The low profile kept the steel close to the ground, perfect for the dense planting that would come later.
Lucas watched from the fence, hands in his jacket pockets, as the final S-curve piece was fixed in place. The line from the launch, over the hill, and weaving through the turns was now unbroken — the first real taste of Serpent's Run's flow through the jungle.
The site beyond lay ready for more, with fresh foundations already set near Jungle Splash Adventure for the sweeping turn to come. That section would wait, but today, the heart of the first act was complete.