Early in 2019, Universal Studios
Japan and Japanese game maker Nintendo inked an agreement licensing the latter’s
stable of videogame characters to create a new expansion area. This expansion,
called Super Nintendo World, is overall like a “Super Mario Bros.” game come to
life, with themed locations and animatronics of the various creatures Mario and
Luigi encounter in their videogames. Set to open in sync with the Tokyo Summer
Olympics in 2020, COVID-19 caused USJ to hold off on the launch at a later
date. But as the images and videos now flooding the internet can attest, Super
Nintendo World is ready to open soon.
According to IGN, images of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan
being full of park-goers have been making the rounds online. That is odd
considering that the one-ironclad grand opening date of this Thursday, February
4, was axed again thanks to a state of emergency declared since January 14 at
Osaka, where USJ is. Nevertheless, a series of videos were released by fan site
Universal Parks News Today on their official YouTube page, show Super Nintendo
World being busy with people. Yes, they have facemasks on, but were the
authorities really okay with this? What was really going on?
In any case, the theme park area does look pretty exciting, if you are a Nintendo fan from the early days. Universal Parks News Today posted over 20 videos (including that teaser above) showcasing Super Nintendo World and its various attractions in action. There are two major rides based on “Super Mario” spinoff titles, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge and Yoshi’s Adventure; the former actually has augmented reality (AR) elements. Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown is like a giant wall-sized version of classic touchscreen game “Fruit Ninja,” but Mario-fied. The designs and features are all incredibly enjoyable.
There were other things showcased
by UPNT at Super Nintendo World: the musical blocks that played notes when
touched; live shows featuring animal trainers, a searching activity to look for
a Pikmin hidden in the whole area; mascots of Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess
Peach; and the various themed merchandise shops and dining establishments. It
is all so mind-blowing that if what was shown was merely a dry run, one can
only imagine what it will be like when officially open, COVID protocols
notwithstanding. We will have to wait on news for when Super Nintendo World at
USJ officially opens.
Images courtesy of Nintendo Enthusiast.com
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