On February 4, 2021, Universal Studios Japan will invite park guests to Super Nintendo World, a new theme park area inspired by the iconic video game brand. The highly themed and immersive land is said to bring to life Nintendo's legendary worlds, characters and adventures, but the primary focus -- at least for the opening -- seems to be entirely Mario-driven. And who better to lead us on a guided tour than Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto?
In the latest Nintendo Direct, Miyamoto takes us on a tour of Super Nintendo Land, highlighting some of the exciting new attractions and activities guests will be able to do. Miyamoto points out from the very beginning that one of the cool things designers had to think about was what the interior of the pipes would look like since guests will be entering the area of the park through a life-size warp pipe. While there were many different ideas, they ultimately went with a more straightforward approach of just some warp lights.
Upon traveling through the warp pipe, guests will find themselves in the lobby of Princess Peach's castle. And from there, they can enter Super Nintendo World, which essentially a life-size recreation of Mushroom Kingdom. There's Mount Beanpole with a flag on top, a life-size Yoshi and Goomba Tower, and more.
One of the cooler parts of the park are "Activities," interactive elements (blocks, puzzles, etc.) that are scattered throughout the land that guests can interact with. Using their Power-Up Band, guests can discover secrets or play games that reward them with coins or keys. Once three keys are collected, a guest can then go on to battle with Bowser Jr.
Of course, this is a theme park, so it wouldn't be complete without an appropriately themed restaurant and gift shop, Miyamoto shows us both as well as a special star-themed popcorn bucket with some very unique flavors. We also get a brief look at one of the park's attractions, Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge.
Overall, Super Nintendo World looks very impressive, but it's odd that it's only Mario-themed. Hopefully, Universal expands on this with additional Nintendo franchises.
Super Nintendo World opens on February 4, 2021. The global pandemic will make traveling to Japan difficult for many, but Miyamoto did confirm Super Nintendo World will be coming to other Universal parks around the world.