The video game-themed park will open its doors next year.
In a partnership between video game developer/publisher and Universal Studios, the Universal Studios Japan theme park is receiving a Nintendo-themed extension called Super Nintendo World. The park has been planned for at least six years, with the grand opening originally scheduled for Summer 2020, though due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening was forced to delay. Nevertheless, despite setbacks, it seems Super Nintendo World is just about ready to receive guests.
During a press conference on Monday, Thomas Geraghty, Executive producer at Universal Creative, formally unveiled the mostly-finished park, giving the press an up close and in-person view. The press conference was held in one of the main attractions of the park, Koopa’s Castle (also known as Bowser in the west).
The park will feature several rides and attractions themed around characters from the Super Mario franchise, including Yoshi’s Adventure and a Donkey Kong-themed jungle area. Scattered around the park will be coin blocks that guests can interact with, tracking their coin counts via a smart wristband and companion app.
“It will provide the first-ever ‘Asobi’ (play) experience for our guests,” said Geraghty.
Inside Koopa’s Castle is the main attraction of the park, titled “Koopa’s Challenge.” This attraction is a real-life recreation of the popular Mario Kart franchise, where guests drive on-rail karts through a racetrack simulated by projection mapping and augmented reality headsets.
“Guests will race through the Mushroom Kingdom, steering their way around the track, throwing shells at Koopa Lane, racing alongside Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach,” said Geraghty.
Super Nintendo World is slated to open on February 4, 2021. Various social distancing measures will be in place due the pandemic, though representatives from multiple press outlets have noted that the park is somewhat small, and so it may be difficult to keep guests apart during what will likely be a very busy opening day.
