Super Nintendo World recently opened at Universal Studios Hollywood, inviting guests to step through a warp pipe and enter the Mushroom Kingdom. After waiting a long time walk through the world of Mario, fans are wondering: what’s next? Nintendo has a seemingly endless library of beloved games and characters and I wanted to take a look at who we might see in a Universal park next.
Before we get into the actual list, I want to acknowledge the fact that Donkey Kong is already set to come to Super Nintendo World in Japan (and Orlando?) so I won’t be including him on this list. That being said, I am very excited about stepping into a Donkey Kong game in the future.
So let’s take a look at five Nintendo game franchises that should come to a Universal park.
Kirby
This one seems like a no-brainer. Kirby is one of the most iconic and beloved characters in the Nintendo library. The easy answer would simply be some Kirby balloons and probably a whole lot of other merchandise but a simple floating tower type of attraction would make sense as well. One way or another, Kirby should find his way into a Super Nintendo World in the future.
Zelda
This one also seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a bit trickier than Kirby. The Zelda franchise is probably second only to Mario in terms of popularity so it just has to be brought to a Universal park, but what kind of attraction could it give us? Some kind of castle walkthrough is the only thing that comes to mind, but Universal would likely find a way to give us something more ambitious. Maybe they would be willing to give us a spin on a rage room where guests could walk into random houses and smash a bunch of jars in search of rupees. I wouldn’t count on that though. But imagine how much merchandise they could sell by having someone wait at the door to hand you something and say “it’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.”
Starfox
We’re getting into some games here that seem a bit less likely, but boy could Starfox be a lot of fun. Imagine a flight simulator that actually allows guests to “do a barrel roll!” Think Star Tours, but more interactive. These characters may not be as instantly recognizable to as wide an audience as some of the others, but the games lend themselves to easily to theme park attractions that it might just make sense.
Metroid
For another thrill ride option, Metroid is about as far into the action-adventure genre as Nintendo goes. Imagine flying through space and coming face to face with Ridley. Yes, the attraction idea would likely be similar to the Starfox one, but both could work. And while Samus isn’t exactly a household name, I would be hard pressed to find another Nintendo character who could make for a more impressive meet and greet.
Pokemon
Yes, yes. Pokemon is not actually a Nintendo property and there would probably have to be some big negotiations to make this happen. I’ll let more important people than me handle that side of things. At the end of the day, people have wanted a Pokemon theme park experience for a long time and this is our best chance. There are a lot of ways we could go with this one. The most likely outcome seems like an amped up version of the existing Power-Up Band game in Super Nintendo World now, that would allow guests to catch, trade and battle Pokemon and save their progress from visit to visit. A Pokemon Snap attraction would also be a lot of fun, allowing guests to take photos of Pokemon throughout a course, whether they be in AR or even animatronics. And of course, food and merchandise sales would be astronomical. The potential here is endless, now they just need to make it happen.
Bonus…Super Smash Bros
This just makes sense, right? With all of these characters coming together (if they were to come together, that is) this is the logical next step. The beloved game has been pitting our favorite Nintendo characters against one another for years, so let’s do that in a theme park. Some kind of stunt or 3D show would work. Or even better, an AR show that takes place at random times throughout the day in set areas of the land, that guests can watch with a special Super Smash visor (more merch sales) and maybe even bet their in-world coins on who they think will win! Ok maybe that last part is a stretch but again, more limitless potential here.
Super Nintendo World is now open at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan and will be coming to Universal’s Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort.