With the grand opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan just two months away, Nintendo shared a special Direct presentation offering fans a sneak peek at the immersive new land.
The 15-minute presentation was hosted by Shigeru Miyamoto, “Mario’s dad” and game director/designer at Nintendo. During the Direct, Miyamoto strolled through the land, showing off some of the unique details and interactive elements, the land’s retail and dining locations, and teased a bit of what guests can expect when visiting the new land.
Starting out, we got to see the inside of the warp pipe, which serves as the entrance to the land. The warp pipe then exits into the lobby of Peach’s Castle, where, if you’ve got a keen ear, you can hear music from “Super Mario 64.”
Heading out of Peach’s Castle, Miyamoto shared a demonstration of just how the Power Up Bands will work when interacting with the land.
Guests will be able to track their progress in the park by scanning a QR code on the back of their band. As an added bonus, the bands work like Amiibo on the Nintendo Switch, so you can keep the fun going after you’ve returned from the Mushroom Kingdom.
There are many interactive elements that can be found in the land, called “activities,” where guests can earn coins and keys to complete challenges. Many of these activities have moving parts, as well, that really add to the overall kinetic energy of the land.
One of the areas to explore is an “underground level,” filled with hidden surprises and visual trickery to make you feel as though you’ve turned into Mini Mario! Just watch out for the Bob-ombs.
Up next on our tour of the land is 1-UP Factory, the merchandise location for Super Nintendo World. Here you’ll find a variety of souvenirs and more themed to Mario & Friends, as well as one special toy: Tokotoko Mario!
This adorable creation is a unique Mario toy that requires no batteries to move. All you have to do is push him along with his attached Koopa shell and he’ll do the rest!
We also got a look at the popcorn bucket available in the land, as well as two special flavors that will be available: Caramel Peach and Mushroom!
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Next up is the land’s restaurant, Kinopio’s Café (Kinopio is Toad’s name in Japan). The entire establishment is run by Toads, with Chef Toad at the helm! Guests can see them working away in the kitchen preparing the various meals that can be ordered – all specially made in the Mushroom Kingdom.
The dining area is very evocative of the toads, with toadstool tabletops and whimsical shapes. “Windows” to the toads’ kitchen are everywhere for those wanting to take a look behind-the-scenes.
Two of the menu items are the Mario Burger and the Super Mushroom Pizza Bowl, which both feature mushrooms.
Finally, we got a quick look inside Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, the main attraction in the land.
While we didn’t get to see how the attraction actually works, we did get a look at the queue and load area, as well as the AR goggles riders will wear when aboard the attraction.
Unfortunately, the Direct came to a close after that, though Miyamoto assured viewers that other versions of Super Nintendo World would be comping to Hollywood, Orlando, and Singapore, should guests not be able to make it out to Japan right away.
We can’t wait to see what this land has in store for us when it opens on Feb. 4, 2021! What are you most excited to experience for yourself? Let us know in the comments!
You can check out our video breakdown of the Super Nintendo World Direct below:
