The opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan has been hit with delays in the wake of COVID-19. The Osaka park was initially supposed to open last summer, then got delayed to February 2021, and has now been delayed indefinitely due to rising infections in Japan. Recently however, a select group of lucky individuals got the opportunity to tour the park and videos of their experience have emerged.
First up is 20 minutes of footage from inside Super Nintendo World’s star attraction, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge. (Koopa of course being Bowser’s Japanese name.) Up until now, Nintendo has kept video of the attraction brief and only teased certain shots, which makes the level of detail in these new videos extra satisfying. The tour takes you on the winding path through Bowser’s Castle, where it’s revealed that visitors are going to take part in a big race between Team Mario and Team Koopa, and everyone gets sorted into one of the two teams. Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopa Kids are willing to do anything to win, and eventually visitors wind up in Bowser’s library, where it’s revealed he’s doing some intense research on how to beat Team Mario.
There are some absolutely incredible visuals and displays in this room, such as a diorama of a track with all of the racers on it, a Tiffany-style stained glass lamp of a Piranha Plant on Bowser’s desk, and a model airship surrounded by pages of architectural drafts. Keen-eyed visitors will notice the titles of some of Bowser’s books, such as “Sibling Rivalries and How to Exploit Them,” and a feeding schedule for Piranha Plants — with Mario on the menu. Tucked away lovingly on Bowser’s throne is a framed photo of Peach.
Bowser’s hard at work planning Mario’s demise on the race track, as visitors eventually find their way into his weapons factory, where it’s revealed that Bob-ombs, Bullet Bills, and Mecha Koopas are produced. Video screens show these guys making their way down a production line and being assembled, demonstrating exactly how they come to exist in the Mushroom Kingdom. On the walls of the attraction are all of the ads that Mario Kart players catch glimpses of while racing, like Bowser Oil (the official sponsor of the race), Yoshi’s Egg Market, and Bom-omb Plugs (my personal favorite because the Bom-omb in the ad has had its fuse replaced with a spark plug).
Video of the ride shows that visitors are given AR headsets before stepping into their karts, which seat four people. By aiming your visor at enemies that appear on the track and pressing buttons on the steering wheel, you can aim shells at minions and racers on the opposing team. Visitors are taken through familiar scenes from Mario Kart tracks: underwater, in the clouds, the sewers, even the halls of what appears to be Luigi’s mansion or a similar haunted locale. The combination of the extremely detailed environment in the ride with the AR visuals from the headset brings everything to life in a real-meets-digital experience.
If visitors to the park need a bit of a cooldown after the high-octane experience of Mario Kart, they can make their way to the Yoshi’s Adventure attraction, where visitors take a slow ride on one of many different colored Yoshis through Yoshi’s Island. Visitors will recognize familiar scenes, such as Baby Mario riding on the back of Yoshi with Fly Guys in tow, and friendly faces like Captain Toad hanging out with Baby Yoshis gorging themselves on fruit.
While the rides are the allure of theme parks, video game merchandise enthusiasts and collectors like myself have wanted to know since the park was first announced what park-exclusive merchandise would eventually be for sale at Super Nintendo World. Enter over 45 minutes of non-stop footage of every item available to purchase at 1-Up Factory, the park’s gift shop. The shop is fashioned to look like all of the goods for sale have been produced right there in the factory, which is really cute and creative. Merchandise covers every wall and floor kiosk, with items ranging from home goods and stationary to clothing, accessories, collectibles, and a LOT of omiyage (individually wrapped snacks to bring back for family, friends, and coworkers following a trip).
I actually screamed when I saw the Shy-Guy drawstring bag. I will fly to Japan for it if it’s the last thing I do. All of this amazing new footage of Super Nintendo World is making the anticipation of finally visiting the park almost unbearable, but it’s fantastic being able to see the park and what visitors can look forward to once visits are finally possible.
Do you have any plans on visiting Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan?
Source: Engadget
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