Mario’s Dad Shows Off Some Mario-Themed Attractions
Once upon a time, the name Nintendo was synonymous with video games. Even now, it’s a true giant of the industry and a beacon of creativity, especially where hardware is concerned. A ton of classic characters live under Nintendo’s roof, but there are few more iconic than Mario, the plumber who got isekaied to a magical land of mushrooms, princesses, egg-vomiting dinosaurs, and a lot of really big, really angry turtles. It makes sense that Super Nintendo World would be largely based off the Mario games, but we’ll be honest, we didn’t expect it to work as well as it does in the latest Nintendo Direct. The second we saw that warp pipe–and realized it wasn’t a crude photoshop job–we knew we were in for a treat. (Note: we recommend anyone who has trouble with flashing lights to think twice before watching these videos.)
Miyamoto first demonstrated the park’s entrance, a giant warp pipe, and showed viewers around the lobby of Peach’s castle, which contains a painting of Bob-omb battlefield, the first level in Super Mario 64. Then he stepped outside and we got our first real glimpse of the whole park in action. It’s absolutely stunning. The life-size piranha plants make us nervous. Everywhere you look, there’s a moving character, a coin block, or even a maze. Some of these, like the coin blocks, have been worked into interactive activities. He also introduced the Power-Up Band, a wristband visitors can use to collect coins and search for secrets hidden around the park. The band works like an amiibo, so you can keep using it at home.
After that, he took us on a tour of an underground maze level modelled after the iconic 1-2 level from Super Mario Bros, filled with brick blocks that can be tapped for rewards and exploding bob-ombs. One section of the maze is designed to feel as though you’ve turned into mini Mario! It’s quite the experience. But you know what’s better than that? The gift shop–pfft, just kidding, we’re talking about the Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge ride. Which looks fantastic, by the way.
Is this everything Super Nintendo World has to offer? Definitely not–we haven’t seen the details of a Yoshi’s Adventure attraction or a POW Factory, and the park is called Super ‘Nintendo’ World rather than Super Mario World, which means there’s still room for a Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kid Icarus, or Splatoon attraction. Miyamoto even made it clear he was only showing off a fraction of the park. But wow, is that fraction awesome.
Super Nintendo World will open on February 4, 2021 in Universal Studio Japan. It will also come to Los Angeles, Orlando, and Singapore later on.
Are you looking forward to seeing what Super Nintendo World has to offer theme park visitors? Which Nintendo character do you hope is part of the theme park experience? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.
