Miyamoto leads fans through Super Nintendo World—and it looks incredible
L-R: Luigi Mario, Super Mario series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and Mario Mario, posing at Universal Studios Japan's upcoming Super Nintendo World theme park in Osaka. [credit: Nintendo / Universal Studios Japan ]
On Friday, Nintendo and Universal Studios Japan took the veil off a years-in-the-making project: the very first Nintendo-themed theme park, appropriately named Super Nintendo World. And who better to introduce this life-sized walk through all things Mario than the character's creator himself, longtime Nintendo developer and designer Shigeru Miyamoto.
The 15-minute video, embedded at the end of this article, revolved largely around the park's introductory moments, which are full of Super Mario melodies and interactive elements. Many of the park's decorations and objects can be interacted with by park visitors who wear a special wristband, dubbed the Power-Up Band, which includes an Amiibo-like NFC chip. Press its sensor near park objects like a Super Mario coin block, and a new virtual item will appear in a synced Super Nintendo World app on your smartphone. Exactly how these virtual items will affect your visit to Super Nintendo World remains unclear, but Miyamoto-san hinted to surprising attractions and hidden interactable panels for park visitors to discover in person. (Additionally, those Power-Up Bands will double as Amiibo for compatible hardware, like Nintendo Switch.)
Only one "ride" received a showcase in the video, albeit a brief one: a Mario Kart race against Bowser. It's hosted inside a replica of Bowser's castle, and visitors will sit in one of a series of Mario-styled go-karts that appear to be linked on a rollercoaster-like track, as opposed to freely controllable. Exactly what visitors will see on that ride remains unclear, but previous news about the ride's augmented reality (AR) elements was reinforced with the first official look at the park's AR glasses, which come attached to a Super Mario hat.
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