Southern California theme park fans were taken by surprise yesterday morning when Universal Studios Hollywood opened its new themed land Super Nintendo World to guests for an unannounced technical rehearsal.
I was thrilled to be on the scene to cover all the fun and excitement coming out of this fully immersive area dedicated to the Nintendo brand and– more specifically– the Super Mario Bros. video games I grew up on. Check out the 12-minute video below for an overview of what Universal Studios Hollywood guests can expect when they explore Super Nintendo World.
Watch Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood [Land Tour]:
I was fortunate enough to be on hand at Super Nintendo World just as the first guests were being allowed into the land, and it was pretty amazing to be there for that moment, and even the brief few minutes beforehand as I got a look around without any other visitors.
In the embedded tweet below, you can watch the moment when guests (who had been waiting just outside the area’s entrance) first started flooding into Super Nintendo World.
Naturally the first thing I did after that was board the Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge attraction, which I did not get to ride during my advance tour of Super Nintendo World last week. There’s a lot to say about this attraction, but my first impressions were that it certainly has a lot going on. In addition to being a dark ride with physical sets, the action also plays out in front of riders on augmented-reality goggles that they wear on their heads attached to visors shaped like Mario’s hat. During the ride, guests acquire items from question-mark boxes (much like players do during the video games) and can throw shells at opponents, which also appear on the AR goggles. There’s a bit of a learning curve to this experience, but I feel like after a handful of visits I will be much better able to fully appreciate what it takes to master Mario Kart.
As you can see by the embedded Twitter video below, the wait for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge steadily increased during the day as more locals found out about the technical rehearsals. It went from a virtual walk-on in the morning to 130 minutes by the afternoon, at which point the attraction did stopp admitting more guests.
Another fun activity to participate in around Super Nintendo World takes place in the Universal Studios Hollywood app. I picked up a Power-Up Band (available for $40 plus tax in the land) and connected it to the app, which then allowed me to rack up coins, stamps, and achievements around the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s pretty fun to wander around hitting blocks and finding hidden secrets, and I imagine it will take me a while to collect all the stamps, making return visits all the more enticing.
And what theme-park land would be complete without costumed characters? Mario and Luigi are available for meet-and-greets, as is Princess Peach.
The Mario Bros.’ entrance got some notice on social media yesterday for their difficulty walking (presumably due to limited visibility through the masks), but by the end of this day of technical rehearsals it seemed like Universal had figured out a somewhat better way to bring them out into the land.
Princess Peach’s entrance was less awkward.
Partway through the day I went live on the Laughing Place YouTube channel for a nearly 90-minute tour through Super Nintendo World.
Watch LPTV Breaking News: Super Nintendo World Opens for Technical Rehearsals:
Now let’s take a photo tour through the land, starting at the entrance, which welcomes guests with a brightly colored sign, a green pipe photo op, and a warp pipe directly to the Mushroom Kingdom.
At the end of the pipe, guests will arrive inside Princess Peach’s castle from Super Mario 64, complete with moving paintings.
But the most awe-inspiring moment has to be stepping out through the gates of the castle and into Super Nintendo World itself, which has some jaw-dropping views (currently marred by a giant crane doing construction in the background, but that won’t always be there). If you turn around after entering the land, you’ll find the facade to Peach’s Castle just behind you.
Exploring Super Nintendo World can be a fun attraction in and of itself. There are plenty of nooks and crannies throughout the land to be investigated, most of which contain hidden surprises and blocks to punch.
Here’s a look at the area that contains a giant, sleeping Piranha Plant, which is part of one of the interactive experiences around Super Nintendo World. Unfortunately this wasn’t working for most of the day yesterday so I haven’t had the opportunity to experience it for myself just yet, but I’m sure they’ll get it up and running by the official opening date.
Next to the Piranha Plant are vending-machine kiosks that sell Power-Up Bands. The variety of slap-bracelet bands includes designs inspired by the characters of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Toad, and Yoshi.
Another interactive minigame involves knocking out a Koopa Troopa using a green shell and some POW blocks.
The climax of Super Nintendo World’s overarching story (which involves helping Peach retrieve her Golden Mushroom from Bowser Jr.) can only be accessed by acquiring three keys from the other activities. Once inside, it’s a pretty fun interactive game projected on a giant wrap-around screen.
Two of the questions we’ve gotten most often about Super Nintendo World are whether there’s anywhere to sit and whether there’s any shade. Well the photos below should answer those questions– there are toadstools both large and small that serve as both seating and shade around the land.
The centerpiece of Super Nintendo World also serves as the entrance to Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. Unfortunately due to the attraction stopping entry around mid-day, I wasn’t able to go back through the queue and get more photos and video.
And yes, there are indeed restrooms in the land as well. I love the mural above the men’s room sink.
Here’s another interactive experience that involves a great-looking animatronic Goomba, which you need to knock off a rotating hill by turning a crank.
And this is the gazebo in front of which Princess Peach has her meet-and-greets.
One of the other very cool features of Super Nintendo World is the ability to venture up to the second level, both in the queue for the Mario Kart attraction and via a separate set of stairs that lead you up to the “Frosted Glacier” area of the land. This overlook provides some very unique perspectives of the Mushroom Kingdom, plus viewfinders that use AR technology to add additional characters and movement to the already-kinetic landscape.
Once evening started to fall on Super Nintendo World, I managed to snap a handful of photos of what the land will look like after dark before all guests were escorted out as the first technical rehearsal came to an end.
In the embedded video below, you can see how the exit pipe brings guests out near the Jurassic World restrooms in Universal Studios Hollywood’s Lower Lot. Overall, I had a really wonderful time exploring Super Nintendo World during its very first day open to guests, and I’m definitely looking forward to future return visits as whatever remaining bugs continue to be worked out and the land approaches its official opening date.
Super Nintendo World is currently undergoing technical rehearsals at Universal Studios Hollywood, followed by Team Member and Annual Passholder previews. The land will officially open to all guests on Friday, February 17th. For additional information and to purchase advance tickets, be sure to visit Universal Studios’ official website. And stay tuned for more coverage of Super Nintendo World here at LaughingPlace.com, including photo reports from the Toadstool Cafe restaurant and the 1Up Factory gift shop.