Behind the IP: Reese’s Cupfusion – Creating the Amplifier
- By: Raven Sun Creative
Project Type
Prototypical interactive gaming dark ride with original IP
Location
Hersheypark, Hershey, PA, USA
The Amplifier
The In-vehicle Game Controller
As with any gaming experience, a key element of the Reese’s Cupfusion interactive dark ride is the point of guest interface with the game itself: the Amplifier. The in-vehicle game controller is dubbed the Amplifier because, within the ride’s story, the device amplifies and channels the guests’ love of chocolate and peanut butter into a blast of positive energy. Guests use their Amplifiers to defend the Reese’s Central, powering the factory, stunning invading members of the League of Misfit Candy, and earning points in the process.
Every Reese’s Transport ride vehicle comes equipped with four Amplifiers, each one with a different identifying color that makes it easy to track their actions in the interactive media and targets. When a guest hits a target, haptic feedback in the Amplifier lets them know with a satisfying vibration.
From the Writer and Associate Producer:
"There are a lot of interrelated requirements for a game controller in the context of an interactive dark ride. Guests are physically interacting with these devices all day long. They have to be super user-friendly, highly functional, easy to handle, and made to stand up to pretty intense wear and tear. And of course, they need to be aesthetically pleasing objects that are integral to the world and the story we're telling.
"Another important factor in the design process was that the Amplifier is visually connected to the Reese's brand. The 'nozzle' portion of the Amplifier is shaped like a Reese's Cup. It had to meet all our needs for usuability and safety while also satisfying Reese's branding criteria. It requires a lot of collaborative iteration to find the perfect solution."
