Photo: Hamilton Pytluk\/Universal Studios Hollywood<\/cite><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Super Nintendo World arrives at Universal Studios Hollywood after it debuted at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka last year, and boasts much of the same scenery \u2014 along with the centerpiece attraction Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge \u2014 though it occupies a smaller physical footprint, as Polygon learned during a press preview of the area. You’ll also have to go to Universal in Japan in order to ride Yoshi’s Adventure, which isn’t in the Hollywood version of the park. However, the expanded Super Nintendo World is scheduled to arrive at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida in 2025.<\/p>\n
Bringing Nintendo’s worlds to life is a watershed moment for an amusement park whose identity was historically intertwined with moviemaking. Universal Studios Hollywood is known for movie-themed attractions like Jurassic World, Transformers, and the world-famous Studio Tour ride, which shows off recognizable sets and practical effects from classic films like jaws<\/em>. This is Universal Studios’ first amusement park section dedicated to a series of video games.<\/p>\n\n<\/aside>\n\u201cHaving a higher level of immersion is where we always want to take it, and going inside of a game is clearly another step up for us,\u201d said Jon Corfino, vice president of Universal Creative, highlighting the importance of \u201cinteractivity\u201d throughout Super Nintendo World.<\/p>\n
The match makes sense. Video games and amusement parks both embody the idea of \u200b\u200bplay; a player\/visitor moves through a space, exploring its secrets, and leaving behind their mark as they move the story forward. That sense of exploration is alive at the park.<\/p>\n
A sense of play<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
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Super Nintendo World tells a classic story: \u201cPeach has had her Golden Mushroom stolen by Bowser Jr.,\u201d Corfino said. Guests play through a series of four minigames, plus one final boss battle, in order to help her win the mushroom back.<\/p>\n
The park delivers on its \u201cgame come to life\u201d promise beyond the spectacular scenery. There are various interactive coin blocks and games speckled throughout the park. And for $40, guests can buy Power-Up Bands that play a similar role to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s wands. Tapping a band in a spot marked with the Mario \u201cM\u201d will trigger an Easter egg or a minigame. There are six bands to choose from, inspired by Mario, Luigi, Peach, and friends. Each of these is also an amiibo, though we don’t yet have information on whether they will work with consoles at home.<\/p>\n
The unique twist is in the band’s points system. Interacting with elements and playing minigames adds points to your total score, much like a tally from playing a Mario video game. Guests’ totals are all synced to the Universal Studios Hollywood app.<\/p>\n
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Cute interactive elements are hidden throughout the park’s nooks and crannies. One spot makes an NES-style Mario from the original Super Mario Bros.<\/em>., pixel art and all, appear in a stone wall (pictured). Hitting the underside of one of the many coin blocks, produces that telltale tinkling sound of a coin collected. (Punch it without a band and it still reacts, but with a different sound.)<\/p>\nOne of the four main minigames in the land asks guests to aim at an enormous Piranha Plant in order to win a key. And in the park’s final boss fight, Bowser Jr. Boss Battle, my group piled into a room with a large screen, each of us standing on top of a number from one to 15. Our shadows were visible against the screen projection, and we were able to play the game by moving: I jumped to hit coin blocks, swatted away Bob-ombs falling from the sky, caught a Fire Flower, and waved my hands wildly to throw fireballs at Bowser Jr. as he flew by. We won the Golden Mushroom!<\/p>\n
Each of these Easter eggs is a joy for Nintendo die-hards, from the nods to particular Mario’s origins to beloved enemy designs that have shown up in numerous games since, like a wobbly Goomba stack. The legacy of the games also extends to the restaurant in Super Nintendo World. Toadstool Cafe is an extension of this playful charm, with screens that show off a kitchen full of bustling Toads \u2014 it seems culinary exploits are Toad’s next adventure \u2014 taking and making your orders. Though the cafe wasn’t formally open yet, just seeing its interior was a delight. <\/p>\n
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
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<\/p>\n Photo: Hamilton Pytluk\/Universal Studios Hollywood<\/cite><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
The centerpiece of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood is its new ride, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. It will be the first of its kind in this park, blending together augmented reality with classic dark-ride elements to create something new. Four people share a Mario Kart car, don AR goggles, and throw shells and bananas <\/strong>to their hearts’ content. They’ll ride through underwater courses, zoom through the clouds, and compete for the Golden Cup. According to Universal, it’s worth going on multiple rides: You might get a different ending, depending on how you play. <\/p>\n\u201cIt is an actual moving ride and you will go through a series of environments where there’s mapping, there are LED screens, there are physical animations with special effects, and there’s AR goggles,\u201d Corfino said. The way that it blends \u201call that together to make it look like it all goes away and becomes one thing is really the art of the whole thing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Photo: Hamilton Pytluk\/Universal Studios Hollywood<\/cite><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
I wasn’t able to test the ride, as it is still undergoing safety runs in the lead-up to opening. But I was impressed by the level of detail even in the queue; the ride welcomes guests with an homage to Super Mario World games \u2014 complete with the classic scores, which immediately took me back to long afternoons trying to prevent baby Mario from floating away in Super Mario World 2<\/em>: Yoshi’s Island<\/em> \u2014 and fluffy, crayon-art-style clouds and trees right out of Yoshi’s Crafted World<\/em>. Another section of the queue takes players through an ice-world-like region, one of the mainstays of Super Mario Bros. level design.<\/p>\n\n
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<\/p>\n Photo: Nicole Clark\/Polygon<\/cite><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Guests then move through Bowser’s Castle, getting an inside look at the mind of Mario’s infamous nemesis and his cronies. There are tons of books scattered about, including self-help for talking to princesses, a guide on the dangers of bananas, and lots of care manuals for Piranha Plants. A portrait of Peach sits in an enormous Bowser-sized throne. If you look closely, you can tell precisely which games are referenced. A floating diorama of a planet is a reminder of Super Mario Galaxy<\/em>, the 2007 paradigm-shifting Mario game that not only put him into a 3D world, but reimagined the idea of \u200b\u200bspace and perspective. The major evolution of Nintendo over the last 20 years is on full display in the park.<\/p>\n