Super Nintendo World tour review details the rides, food, and mini-games
Super Nintendo World opens at Universal Studios Japan on March 18 but these videos will help you get there now
A YouTuber has provided an in-depth look at Universal Studios Japan's new Super Nintendo World.
Super Nintendo World opens this week in Universal Studios Japan, but if you can't make it to Universal Studios Japan, you should at least get the details on exactly what magic awaits you at the newest theme park. Thanks to GameXplain, we've got several in-depth videos that paint a colorful picture of what you can expect at the Mario-themed amusement park, and we didn't even have to buy a plane ticket to Japan.
There's a nearly nine-minute tour of Super Nintendo World that will make you feel like you've actually stepped into the park. It's clear that you'll be immersed in a Super Mario style-world as soon as you head towards the park's entrance, as you walk into via a lengthy Warp Pipe that has lights running the length of it to give the impression you're actually warping into Super Nintendo World.
As soon as you get out of the pipe, you're immersed in the colorful, vibrant world of Super Nintendo, with Bowser's castle looming on the horizon and Super Mario's signature terrain surrounding you. It's interesting how low-lying much of the environment is - Princess Peach's castle isn't that tall, and neither is Mt. Beanpole. That could be intentional, to help you get the same perspective as the famous titular plumber himself.
GameXplain also released a lengthy review of Super Nintendo World, which will help you decide if you need to start planning your Japanese vacation. You'll need to purchase a wristband in order to access the park's minigames, and you'll have to pick a character whose team to be on. You can choose from six characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi and Toad, and your wristband design will reflect that character.
Scattered throughout the park are a collection of minigames that park-goers can enjoy, from rotating a crank to try and keep goomba from falling onto a coin, to getting a giant piranha plant to go back to sleep by turning off a ton of alarm clocks in its vicinity. It's clear that this park takes interactivity to an entirely new level, with myriad chances to interact with the environment rather than just looking at it.
Then there's the rides, which include Mario Kart: Bowser's challenge, which has a queue that'll make waiting in line hurt a lot less, as it's a tour through Bowser's castle. The ride itself is a rail shooter, not unlike the Men in Black game at Universal Studios Florida, but you're not in control of the kart itself. You can, however, toss Koopa shells at other racers, which will be a blast, and there's an AR headset that will bring the action to life even more. Yoshi's Adventure is more of a Haunted Mansion-style ride, and is an overall relaxing experience, which you may need after walking through a crowded amusement park for hours.
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There's also a café featuring dozens of Mario-themed items, including Super Star rice and teriyaki, and a Princess Peach cake. Thanks to this collection of videos and the 15-minute Super Nintendo World tour we got last December, it's clear that this will be the amusement park for any Nintendo fan to visit when it's safe to do so.
Until you can check out Super Nintendo World, here are the best Switch games to play from the comfort of your home.
Alyssa Mercante is an editor and features writer at GamesRadar based out of Brooklyn, NY. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.