Six years after its announcement, Super Nintendo World has finally – following considerable coronavirus related delays – opened its doors (albeit seemingly not quite officially) at Universal Studios Osaka. As a result, video footage of the park is starting to appear online – including a full, first look at its Mario Kart ride, which has remained something of a mystery until now.
We've known Super Nintendo World's Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge ride would be squirrelled away inside the park's imposing Bower's Castle for quite some time, but virtually nothing has been seen of the experience that lies beyond the facade's mighty stone jaws. Thanks to fan site Universal Parks News Today, however, those unable to visit the park in person can now enjoy an immensely thorough tour of the Mario Kart ride and it's wonderfully detailed queue.
In fact, the bulk of the 20-minute video is spent exploring the winding line leading toward the Mario Kart ride proper, but it's a fascinating trip all the same, jam-packed with easter eggs and iconic sights right from the start. It's around the six-minute mark that things pick up considerably though, when the queue snakes into Bower's gorgeously realised library where Mario's arch-nemesis has been brushing up on his racing knowledge.