Super Nintendo World theme park finally opens and it’s like every gamer’s Christmas just came early
Super Nintendo World. (Universal Studios)
The Super Nintendo World theme park will finally open at Universal Studios Japan after an eight month delay.
The Nintendo park was opened for a test period for select ticket holders at the start of February, after its official opening was delayed due to COVID-19.
Now, the park will be open to the public from 18 March but with strict health and safety guidelines, including specific entry times and a cap on the number of visitors allowed in the attraction.
In a Nintendo Direct video in December, Super Nintendo World and its rides were revealed, including Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge (an AR ride based on the Mario Kart franchise), the Yoshi’s Adventure ride, and Power Up Band Key Challenges that unlock surprises hidden around the park to those with a special wristband.
The Mario Kart ride has riders wearing an AR headset to see various game elements and items to use against fellow riders as they race around a Bowser’s Castle themed racetrack.
There’s also a Toad-themed restaurant with plenty of mushroom dishes created by Chef Toad.
The Osaka-based park was originally intended to open ahead of last year’s delayed 2020 Olympic Games.
More parks are set to be built at Universal Orlando, Hollywood and Singapore. However, the Florida version has been delayed until 2025. It will be part of the new Epic Universe park originally planned for 2023, but work was paused last year owing to COVID-19.
“The restart will begin immediately, but is expected to take several months before reaching full-speed as Universal restaffs for the project and reassembles its vendor and contractor teams,” reads a March 2021 statement from Universal.
There’s no news yet on the Hollywood or Singapore parks.
The Universal Parks News Today YouTube channel has uploaded a number of videos that give first hand impressions of Super Nintendo World and its rides, food and merchandise. The videos are of course full of spoilers, but this might be the closest we can get for now.
