Super Nintendo World Images: First Official Look At Mario Kart Rollercoaster
The long-awaited Super Nintendo World theme park is finally opening in Japan this coming February. The Super Mario theme park has been in the works for a while now. In January, Universal Studios Japan unveiled key details about the park, including its interactivity with wristbands.
The world of Nintendo, namely Super Mario, offers colorful adventures for the entire family. The distinctive platforms, enemies, and castles are instantly recognizable. When Super Nintendo World was announced, fans across the globe were excited. In addition to the Osaka location, Universal made plans to bring the theme park to Orlando. Throughout the year, images and videos from the park's construction have been shared, giving potential visitors a look at what to expect. Unsurprisingly, the park's opening was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, fans will now be hitting Question Mark Blocks in person sooner than later.
Today, Universal Studios Japan announced Super Nintendo World is opening on February 4, 2021, in Osaka, Japan. The reveal comes with a new overview of the park, including a look at the much-hyped Mario Kart ride. The ride, titled Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge, is found inside Bowser's Castle. Universal boasts the ride is "brought to life through a powerful story and characters, advanced technology in augmented reality, projection mapping, and screen projection combined with a physical set." Also, there is a Yoshi ride and the interactive Power Up Band Key Challenge. Check out the Super Nintendo World opening announcement below, followed by pictures and an in-person video from Bloomberg.
The Mario Kart ride features two sets of karts on two tracks for competition. Racers will wear an AR headset, and then the fun begins. Interestingly, the karts are apparently on rails. In essence, it's a roller coaster with AR implementation. Universal says, "Win or lose; every race is a brand-new, life-sized Mario Kart experience." Racers will be able to throw shells as they ride through the Mushroom Kingdom. How it exactly works will be known when the park opens. The ride lasts approximately five minutes. In addition to Mario Kart, visitors can check out Yoshi's Adventure, a ride where visitors hop on Yoshi searching for three colored eggs for Captain Toad. Like the Mario Kart ride, Yoshi's Adventure runs for approximately five minutes. According to Bloomberg's Kurumi Mori, Nintendo is "already building a rumored Donkey Kong area next door." The Power Up Band Challenge requires purchasing a band and can be linked to the Universal Studios Japan app. The challenge has visitors collect three keys by getting "through the games located throughout the area," culminating in a battle against Bowser Jr. Visitors can also expect "restaurants, shops, and other experiences." Universal Studios Japan says it is implementing health and safety measures, such as the current limited capacity and in-depth sanitization.
Super Nintendo World is almost here, and the wait appears worth it. For adults and kids, one can't help but smile as the world of Super Mario steps right out of the games. Unfortunately, only the Osaka location is opening in February. The Orlando location was put on indefinite hold in July. For now, Osaka's park will be the center for Super Mario adventures in person. Will the Mario Kart ride replicate the intensity of the games? On February 4, fans will finally have the answer.
Source: Universal Studios Japan