This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 30, 2019

Resorts World Genting (RWG) has breathed a new life into its indoor entertainment space, creating the new Skytropolis Funland that had a soft launch in December after closing for nearly one and a half years.

Previously known as the First World Indoor Theme Park, Skytropolis Funland is spread across four floors with LED screens from the walls to the ceiling (over 50m in length) that light up the park.

Thirteen rides have been introduced, while nine more will follow suit. Covering 400,000 sq ft, the indoor theme park includes Asia’s first The VOID, BigTop and the soon to open Imaginatrix that combines physical rides with virtual reality.

“We are always striving to excite and impress our guests with new experiences at the resort, and with Skytropolis Funland, we have succeeded in creating a carnival wonderland that can be enjoyed at any time of the year by children, adults and families alike,” said Brian Machamer, senior vice-president of Theme Parks for RWG.

He added, “We have invested over RM300 million into revamping this new indoor theme park. We brought in 15 of the favourite rides from the previous outdoor theme park and revamped them with an entirely new look.

“These rides remain as a big part of almost every visitor’s childhood and we are bringing them back, bigger and better than ever such as the Super Glider which was known as ‘Superman’.

“We are also introducing seven new cutting-edge rides for our visitors to experience for the very first time including Power Surge, Disco!, Sky Tower, Spin Crazy, Bumper, Boo Boo Bump, Tea Cups and Balloon Race.

“When the full collection of rides are opened, we expect to have more than 7,000 paying customers enjoying the rides on a daily basis.”

Pump up the adrenaline with the Family in Copper Express as it “choo-choos” its way along a 61m track, giving you a visual tour of Skytropolis Funland. Space Cadets will then elevate and spin you around to explore the solar system. Coming back down with a regal spin on the Royal Carousel, or stay in the sky in the Balloon Race.

Coming soon are the magical mystery Tea Cups, the Charlot Cruise that loops around the park and Soaring Ships which offers an aerial view to enjoy with the family.

Up the ante in terms of adrenaline and go on the Thrill rides starting with super-sized version of bumper cars meant for guests who are kids at heart in Bumper Boss.

Soar into the sky with Sky Tower, and dance with Disco! which challenges one’s orientation, swirling them around a disco ball on a rollercoaster track, while Spin Crazy shows the world from very different angles where up is down and right is left, looping 360 degrees in the air around a central axis.

Go on Power Surge which is an intense high-flying ride. Rides such as the pendulum swing Stormy Voyage, fast spinning turbulent ride Music Express and the Super Glider will be coming soon.

Skytropolis will also introduce the Resort’s Highland Heroes, its 2019 animal ambassadors, Joe the Orangutan, Tabby the Tiger, Allie the Elephant, Geno the Dinosaur, Bennie the Bear and Callie the Dragon will be the recognisable faces of Skytropolis Funland.

In the realm of Skytropolis, The VOID is not to be forgotten, as it is a highly anticipated hyperreality experience which now includes its other two titles Ghostbusters and their own original spooky experience: Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment.

BigTop is an arcade area with a circus-theme. It is located at Level 2 and has a total of 150 machines of cutting edge games for arcade lovers. BigTop carries games such as Spacetime Squad Virtual Reality, PacMan Battle Royale, Jurassic Park, Star Wars Battle Pod and Storm Racer G for speed lovers.

Come July, visitors can run, race, research and reveal new worlds in the Imaginatrix. The latest in virtual reality (VR) gaming technology will be showcased with industry leading immersive VR experiences from Europe, Canada, UK, South Korea and Taiwan.

Head for the Eagle Landing Zip Line if you are an adrenaline junkie, stretching 200m across the indoor theme park, four floors from the ground. The zip line, which is the longest in a shopping mall in Malaysia, offers a one-of-a-kind view of the indoor theme park.

There is also plenty of food and drinks at Skytroplis’ eight food and beverage kiosks.