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Face/Off Roller Coaster: The True Story Behind Kings Island's Invertigo And Its Shocking 2025 Status

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The "Face/Off" roller coaster is a legendary name in the amusement park community, instantly conjuring images of high-speed, inverted thrills and a truly unique, face-to-face seating arrangement. Originally a key attraction at Paramount's Kings Island, this coaster was a direct tie-in to the 1997 blockbuster film of the same name, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Today, the ride is known as Invertigo, and its status has become a major talking point among enthusiasts, especially with a significant, unconfirmed closure update from the 2025 season.

This deep dive explores the full history of the ride, its cutting-edge technology, and the current, fresh information surrounding its operation in the United States. The coaster is a prime example of the Vekoma Invertigo model, an inverted shuttle coaster that delivers a double dose of inversions—once forward and once backward—making it one of the most intense and distinctive rides ever built.

Face/Off (Invertigo) Roller Coaster: Core Specifications and Unique Features

The ride now known as Invertigo is a Vekoma Invertigo model, a variation of the manufacturer’s popular Boomerang design, but with a crucial difference: the inverted trains. The ride’s unique appeal comes from its shuttle coaster design, which sends the train through the circuit both forwards and in reverse. The most talked-about feature, however, is the seating, which places riders in a "face-to-face" orientation, ensuring you scream directly at the person across the track from you.

The ride was a major addition to Kings Island’s *Action Zone* when it debuted in 1999, which was then known as Paramount’s Kings Island. The area was themed after action movies, and *Face/Off* was the perfect fit for the park's movie-studio ownership at the time.

  • Manufacturer: Vekoma (Netherlands)
  • Model: Invertigo (Inverted Shuttle Coaster)
  • Location: Kings Island (Mason, Ohio, USA)
  • Original Name (1999–2007): Face/Off
  • Current Name (2008–Present): Invertigo
  • Height: 131.3 feet (40.0 meters)
  • Length: 1,013.8 feet (309.0 meters)
  • Top Speed: 50 mph (80 km/h)
  • Inversions: 3 (through a Cobra Roll and a Loop) in each direction, totaling 6 inversions.
  • Train Configuration: Single train with 7 cars, seating 28 riders.

The ride's layout is deceptively simple but intensely thrilling. The train is pulled backward up a lift hill, released, and then travels forward through the station, into a Cobra Roll, followed by a vertical loop, and then up a second lift hill. It is then released to traverse the entire circuit in reverse, sending riders through the same three inversions backward.

The Shocking 2025 Season Status of Invertigo at Kings Island

For coaster enthusiasts, the current status of Invertigo at Kings Island is a major, breaking development. As of September 2025, the ride has been confirmed to be closed since July of the 2025 season.

While amusement parks often close rides for regular maintenance or refurbishment, a mid-season closure that lasts for months often fuels speculation about the ride's long-term future. This is particularly significant because Invertigo is currently the last operating Vekoma Invertigo model in the United States.

The ride has been a fixture in the Kings Island skyline for over two decades, and its potential retirement would mark the end of an era for this unique ride model in North America. Fans are closely monitoring official announcements from Cedar Fair, the park's current owner, regarding the ride's fate for the upcoming seasons.

The Exclusive Club: All Vekoma Invertigo Installations Worldwide

The Vekoma Invertigo is a rare ride model, with only four installations ever constructed globally. This scarcity is part of what makes the Kings Island coaster so historically significant. The model is a testament to the Dutch manufacturer Vekoma's ability to innovate on their highly successful Boomerang design by introducing the inverted seating and face-to-face element.

Here is a complete list of all four Vekoma Invertigo installations, their history, and their most recent status:

1. Invertigo (Kings Island, Ohio, USA)

  • Original Name: Face/Off (1999–2007)
  • Current Status: Operating (but closed since July 2025)
  • Note: The only remaining Invertigo in the United States. It was re-themed and renamed from *Face/Off* to *Invertigo* in 2008 following the sale of the park from Paramount to Cedar Fair.

2. Diabolik (Movieland Park, Italy)

  • Original Name: Two Face: The Flip Side (Six Flags America, USA)
  • Current Status: Operating
  • Note: This ride was originally located at Six Flags America from 1999 to 2007. It was dismantled and relocated to Movieland Park in Italy, where it reopened in 2015 as *Diabolik*, another movie-themed attraction.

3. Stinger (Dorney Park, Pennsylvania, USA)

  • Original Name: Invertigo (California's Great America, USA)
  • Current Status: Closed/Dismantled
  • Note: This coaster has a complex history, first operating at California's Great America from 1998 to 2000. It was then moved to Dorney Park in 2012, where it operated as *Stinger* until it was permanently closed and dismantled in 2017.

4. Triops (Walygator Parc, France)

  • Original Name: Triops (Parc Astérix, France)
  • Current Status: Operating
  • Note: This was the first Invertigo model ever built, opening in 1997. It was relocated from Parc Astérix to Walygator Parc in 2012, where it continues to operate today.

The Legacy of Face/Off: A Coaster That Defined an Era

The *Face/Off* era at Kings Island represents a distinct period in amusement park history when parks were directly tied to Hollywood IP (Intellectual Property). The coaster’s name and theme capitalized on the movie's premise of identity swapping, perfectly mirroring the ride's dual-direction experience.

The unique face-to-face seating, which is a signature element of the Invertigo model, intensifies the experience by focusing the riders’ attention directly on each other during the high-speed maneuvers and inversions. This design choice is a major part of its lasting appeal and why it remains a fan favorite despite its age and the 2025 operational uncertainty.

Whether Invertigo reopens for the remainder of the 2025 season or if its closure becomes permanent, the legacy of *Face/Off* is secure. It will always be remembered as a pioneering inverted shuttle coaster that brought a unique, highly intense, and visually dramatic ride experience to a generation of thrill-seekers at Kings Island. Its current status has made it one of the most talked-about rides in the industry, proving that even two decades later, this Vekoma classic can still generate major buzz.

Face/Off Roller Coaster: The True Story Behind Kings Island's Invertigo and Its Shocking 2025 Status
face off roller coaster
face off roller coaster

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