https://youtu.be/i4Nc9au7FjY

Universal Studios Japan will open their newest park attraction this Feb 2021 — SUPER NINTENDO WORLD! This themed and immersive land will feature Nintendo’s iconic worlds and characters, where guests will be part of the adventures seen in their favourite Nintendo games.

This is the aerial view of the entire land, and it looks almost too fake to be real:

Some of the key attractions are already up on Universal Studio Japan’s website:

Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge

This is a high speed rollercoaster with special effects that include fog, strobe lights and loud noises. The minimum height requirement of 92cm suggests that it’s suitable for smaller kids, and I imagine would probably be similar to the Enchanted Airways ride at Universal Studios Singapore. There’s an interactive element to it where you can apparently steer the wheel, drift, spin and race. And you can also throw shells at the enemy, similar to the actual Mario Kart game on Nintendo.

There’s also an AR headset that resembles Mario’s hat, which is designed to enhance the overall experience, making it feel like you’re really in the video game. Here’s what it looks like:

This appears to be the press conference in Japan introducing the attraction:

Yoshi’s Adventure

You can ride on your very own Yoshi through the Mushroom Kingdom — but unlike Mario in the game, you won’t actually be sitting on top of a Yoshi, but sitting inside one like a car. This ride will likely be similar in style to Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase at USS (but clearly more fun!).

POWER UP BAND KEY CHALLENGES

To participate in this attraction, you’ll need to purchase a Power Up Band. This band will enable the wearer to collect virtual coins and items, and is linked to a smartphone to see the score and inventory (if you don’t have a smartphone, you can access your game data at designated checkpoints in the park).

The idea for this band is to enhance the gaming experience in the park, making it even more interactive and challenging.

Leaving you here with the aerial view of the park:

Yes it looks unreal and almost like a drawing, but look closely and you can spot workers and some construction.

There are rumours that Universal Studios is planning to bring NINTENDO SUPER WORLD to Universal Studios Singapore (and the other Universal Studios theme parks around the world) as well in the future. It clearly won’t be the near future, but while we cross our fingers for this expansion, in the meantime, let’s just keep watching the news for Japan to open its doors to us.