Ever since Super Nintendo World opened at Universal Studios in Japan, naturally, I wanted to go. Everything about that section of the park oozed Mario. After a few years of sitting and watching things from the sidelines, I finally made my way down from the Kansai area to Universal Studios in Osaka. I’m definitely not the first person to talk about this and I certainly won’t be the last. Regardless, here is my experience with the park. Let’s get into it.
Note
Before we get started, I just wanted to clear up a few things. I went to USJ and Super Nintendo World BEFORE the new Donkey Kong area opened. There were of number of DK themed pieces of merch for sale, so it was easy to see Nintendo starting to make a big push for the new area. At any rate, I’ll have to make another trek down to Osaka to check that out once things are open. Also, this was my first time visiting USJ and Nintendo World. It was actually the first time in 17 years since I’ve been to an amusement park of any kind, so I was pretty excited!
Getting There
Of course, once you have your ticket for USJ, you can begin planning how you want to tackle getting into Nintendo World. Depending on how crowded the park is, you may need to set up a timed entry pass to get into the area which can be done right inside of the USJ app. You’ll want to do this as early as you possibly can, or you might not even be able to get into that area of the park. For me, I got to the park a bit late, but was still able to get a timed entry into the area around 3:30 p.m. While there were quite a few people, the park wasn’t completely packed, so just beware. Don’t be dumb. Get to the park as early as you possibly can to secure your spot!
Super Nintendo World is located near the back of the park. Before entering, you’ll come across a sign and then a long walkway leading up to a square. Once you reach the square, you are greeted by the huge sign and a warp pipe that will lead you in. Going through the pipe, you’ll then find yourself in the middle of Peach’s castle, complete with paintings on the wall straight out of Super Mario 64. Entering the area alone is magical and really captures the essence of what makes Mario, well, Mario.
Power-Up Bands & Activities
The Power-Up Bands aren’t necessary, but they can really enhance your experience in the park. These are on sale along the walkway and near the entrance to Super Nintendo World itself. During my visit, these ran for ¥4,900 each, or roughly $32 USD with the current exchange rate. The prices have actually increased quite a bit over the years on these. The bands originally sold for ¥3,200 but have creeped up in price probably to take advantage of tourists looking to spend their foreign cash. That kind of sucks for those of us that live and work in Japan, but I digress.
Once you have the band, you can link it to the USJ app on your phone, then you’re ready to go. As many of you are well aware, there are numerous spots throughout the park where you can earn “coins” and also find secret “keys” that will grant you access to special areas. There are a ton of these spread throughout the park, and it’s best to give yourself plenty of time to seek these out in addition to the rides and general shopping. I really wish I would have given myself more time for this.
Not only can you track your own findings via the USJ app, you can also check out leaderboards for the day there as well as on the information screens spread throughout the area. That day, you can see which Power Up Band is being used the most as well as who has nabbed the most coins throughout the day. I totally wasn’t expecting this competitive aspect to be included. The best part is, you can get excited about this kind of stuff or just keep everything to yourself if you like.
General Area, Shops & Rides
After leaving Peach’s castle, the area opens up to a variety of shops and of course, rides. Several of these are located down a flight of stairs while a few others remain up top. But let’s get into the two rides that are currently on offer, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge and Yoshi’s Adventure.
I honestly don’t want to spoil too much for those of you who haven’t been to the park. In terms of the rides themselves, Yoshi’s Adventure is a pretty chill experience that gives you a fantastic view of the Super Nintendo World area. Even the lead up to the ride itself is full of nods to previous Yoshi games, which was fun to see brought to life in the real world. The ride also has some interactivity, in the form of pressing egg colored buttons on the car, however, it seemed like mine was maybe a bit broken - the buttons just didn’t press in at all and seemed unresponsive. Oh well.
The same positives can be said for Mario Kart. So much love and attention went into bringing this area to life as well. There is a fantastic mix of Bower’s Castle and a lot of Mario Kart ideas pulled seemingly right out of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. You’ll see a lot of similar, if not identical, “brands” here and there, a Mario Kart TV truck, details of Bower’s pad and so much more. The ride itself is also pretty cool. Donning a helmet and then an AR faceplate, you take out Bower’s minions who are zipping around on the track. Aiming here is a bit strange at first, but it’s all about just looking at your enemies and then pressing the fire button on the steering wheel. It’s a pretty cool ride and a really creative way for Nintendo to implement this franchise into a real life attraction.
Kinopio’s Cafe & 1 UP Factory
Kiniopio, which is the Japanese name for Toad, has his own cafe with a hearty lineup of food and drinks. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have enough time to check this out, so I’ll have to get to it next time. As for shopping, the 1UP Factory is the main place to grab some exclusive Super Nintendo World merch. It’s not the only, place, though. Several of the shops in and outside of Super Nintendo World sell a variety of goods - plushies, t-shirts, snacks and more. As I mentioned earlier, some Donkey Kong Country merch was already for sale throughout the park ahead of the opening of this new area. This merch is only going to multiply as it gets closer to opening day.
A lot of the merch is pretty pricey, but I did go ahead and throw down on a handful of different snacks, a shirt and a few other things. The DK banana chips were also tasty and I absolutely loved the artwork on the packaging. I just had to have it!
Conclusion
I think this goes without saying, but if you’re a Nintendo fan, you owe it to yourself to visit Super Nintendo World in one of the locations across the globe. There is so much detail and so many nice touches that you can’t take it all in during one trip. It was an absolutely magical experience and I can’t wait to go back again, especially once the Donkey Kong Country area opens. But let’s turn things over to you. Have you visited the park? What did you think? Are you hoping to go sometime soon? Sound off in the comments down below! We’d love to hear from you.
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