Super Nintendo World Is Now Open!
Wahoo! Here we go!
It’s no secret that I’ve been excited about the possibility of a Super Nintendo World ever since I knew what a Super Nintendo World was. So … a couple of decades? Yeah, the thought of a Disney-esque Mario land has always been a childhood dream. Attractions based on Bowser’s castle. Food stands that, perhaps, offered that cake Peach is always baking. And, of course, plenty of Mario and Luigi-themed memorabilia.
Believe it or not, such a place now exists in real life! After several delays due to the pandemic, Super Nintendo World has finally opened in Osaka, Japan!
CNN’s Selina Wang reported about the grand opening, and while it’ll be a long while before I ever get to see the park in person, seeing all the pictures and reading about the excitement of attendees reminds me of why this kind of park has been high on my list of things I wanna be a part of.
I mean, you walk through a pipe to get into the park. How cool is that?!
Sisters Mika and Yuko Kobayashi – one wearing a Yoshi headband while carrying a Mario doll – said they became emotional when they first walked into the new park. They’ve been playing Nintendo Games since they were kids, they said. One added that “it’s not an exaggeration to say that Mario raised me.” Sporting a Princess Peach headband, Sakura Konohana said the park “is beyond my expectations. I feel like I’m in the Mario world.”
So how does the park work if there are restrictions due to COVID? First of all, capacity has been limited to 10,000 attendees per day. Also, there are temperature checks at the door, everyone has to wear a mask, there’s hand sanitizer all over the Mushroom Kingdom, and social distancing is enforced between lines. Park workers are on the scene to wipe down things that have been touched by attendees, making attractions safer to interact with.
Speaking of attractions, attendees are also asked not to scream out loud and to, instead, scream in their hearts. I don’t think there are any heart-pounding, multi-story roller coasters, so this is probably more feasible than it sounds.
Wang also reports that attendees can interact with the mascot characters, but they can’t touch them. This means they can, at least, chat with Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad. According to Wang, all of the mascot characters sound the way they do in the video game when they speak. You can also get pictures with the cast, the photo op area being one of the few places where you’re allowed to take off your mask.
While Super Nintendo World does have the kind of theme park rides you’d expect, it’s also a competitive gaming experience (if you want it to be). Attendees can compete against each other, so, you know, you can end your friendship on a whole new level with Koopa’s Challenge, the real-life Mario Kart ride where you race through Bowser’s Castle via augmented-reality headsets. Attendees can also collect virtual coins by purchasing Power-Up Bands. The bands are able to be linked to your smartphone, with coins being collected via, you guessed it, punching question blocks throughout the park.
As to be expected, there’s also plenty of merch you can buy, and like, I have plenty of Yoshi plush but NONE of them are from Super Nintendo World so I’m gonna need to get a hold of them at some point. IGN has a whole lot of pictures of the merch available at the 1UP Factory, along with menu items from Kinopio’s Cafe. The food looks exactly the way I pictured it back when I dreamt up this place as a kid, it’s hard to believe that it looks like that in real life!
There’s no real date for when Super Nintendo World will come to the U.S. Currently, it looks like it might be 2025? Until then (or until a warp pipe is installed in my backyard that takes me to Osaka), I’ll keep looking fondly at pictures of the park in Universal Japan, and daydream about this, potentially, being the beginning of more video game-themed parks.
(Image: screengrab/CNN)
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