The Joker Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Ride Review

The Joker at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is a Rocky Mountain Construction designed coaster that is new for 2016. The Joker is 100 feet tall, making it tied for the shortest in height coaster by RMC with Storm Chaser at Kentucky Kingdom. The Joker is a remodeling of Roar, a 90’s GCI coaster. This gave RMC a different template than most of their other projects, as those had all been coasters from the 70’s and 80’s. This makes The Joker suprisingly unique with it’s different elements.

The Joker begins with a fast pre lift, and then the 100 foot tall lift hill. For the first drop, you go over the lift and bank to the right, which is one of the best airtime moments of The Joker. Next, fly into the only Step Up Under Flip on a Rocky Mountain Construction coaster, and then into a normal zero-g stall that gives you alright hangtime. Next, there are about 4 banked airtime moments with little turns in between before an average banked turn near the drop, before coming into the best element, the Asian Camelback. This was maybe the most overlooked element coming up to The Joker opening, but is definitely a fantastic airtime experience. The first hump is awesome in the front of the train, while the second is one of the best in California in the back row. Then go into another banked turn and into a low to the ground zero-g roll, before a final (but awesome) airtime hill before hitting the brake run.

Overall, The Joker is a fantastic ride that I feel gets hated on too much. I will say one thing though, and that The Joker is not a very comfortable experience. Because of the sheer airtime and incredibly bulky restraints, The Joker can give you a lot of leg pain (even bruises) on a fast day. If you have a low tolerance of pain on rides, The Joker may not feel so good. But do not let that stop you from riding my number one coaster! The Joker is still an amazing ride, and is an excellent fit for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s lineup.