In a special Nintendo Direct, Shigeru Miyamoto shared new details about the Super Nintendo World theme park set to open early next year at Universal Studios Japan. The sneak peek showed off a range of creative design choices that bring the Mushroom Kingdom to life in clever ways.
It has been several years since Nintendo first announced its partnership with Universal Studios to build themed lands at theme parks worldwide. Several iterations of Super Nintendo World are in construction, but the first to open will be in Japan, in February 2021. While fans had a good sense of the area's general layout thanks to leaked aerial footage of Super Nintendo World, Nintendo itself withheld many details about it until now.
Miyamoto's 15-minute tour began at the land's entrance, which depicts the inside of the Mushroom Kingdom's iconic green pipes for the first time. From there, he arrives in Peach's castle, which is adorned with paintings from Super Mario 64. He then walks around a forest area straight out of the opening level of a classic sidescrolling Mario game before walking through an underground labyrinth. Finally, Miyamoto walks through Bowser's Castle, which serves as the queuing area for the Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge ride. Sadly, he ends the broadcast before boarding the ride itself.
Super Nintendo World includes interactive gameplay by using special wristbands Power-Up Bands, which are roughly the size of a smartwatch. Visitors can punch blocks and perform other signature Mario activities, which the Power-Up Bands record and relay to a smartphone app. If visitors obtain three virtual keys through completing specific activities, they will be able to engage in some kind of final battle against Bowser jr. Interestingly, the Power-Up Bands will serve as amiibo, although it is unclear how this would work or impact gameplay. If they are anything like the famously unorthodox Super Mario amiibo cereal, though, they won't have major in-game impacts.
Miyamoto also revealed themed shopping and dining opportunities, including a shop called 1-Up Factory and a restaurant called Kinopio's Cafe. Given that Kinopio is the Japanese name for popular Mario mainstay Toad, it should be no surprise that the restaurant is full of Toads, and includes an array of foods featuring mushrooms and Mario iconography. 1-Up Factory will include some exclusive Mario merchandise, including a unique walking doll in Mario's likeness called TOKOTOKO MARIO.
It's worth noting that a small portion of the park's Nintendo content is already open. Although it is located outside the Super Nintendo World section, the Super Mario Cafe and Store has already been delighting visitors for a few months. While the dining and shopping space is less heavily-themed than counterparts inside Super Nintendo World, it includes colorful menu options such as fruit pancake sandwiches shaped like Mario and Luigi's red and green caps.
Super Nintendo World will open on February 4th, 2021, in Universal Studios Japan. Fellow Super Nintendo World complexes are currently in development in Hollywood, Orlando, and Singapore.