Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Universal Studios Japan to open Super Nintendo World
Super Nintendo World will open at Universal Studios Japan on March 18, the company announced Monday.
The theme park’s new land will include Mario Kart and Yoshi-themed rides, attractions and other experiences. Its opening will kick off the 20th-anniversary celebration of the park, located in Osaka.
“Super Nintendo World is full of iconic elements straight from Mushroom Kingdom! Immerse yourself in the exciting world of Mario,” the park’s website says.
The land will include an interactive play experience in which visitors will jump and punch “? Blocks” and collect virtual coins that are monitored through a (separately purchased) Power-Up Band tied to smartphones that keep track of their scores. Key Challenge attractions will encourage players to collect keys, gather character stamps and more “using their entire bodies in dynamic activities,” a news release said.
Nintendo is an intellectual property that will be incorporated in Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe theme park, a project that is ramping up after parent company Comcast paused work for pandemic purposes in July.
That area, built on 750 acres a few miles from Universal’s current footprint, will include a theme park, hotels, restaurants, shops and an entertainment center. An opening date has not been announced.
The opening of Super Nintendo World in Japan was delayed a couple of times. Work began in 2017 with an eye on debuting before the 2020 Olympics in Japan. The pandemic pushed that back to February 2021, but another wave of COVID-19 infections postponed that plan. Universal Studios Japan annual passholders were allowed to visit the area as of Feb. 4.
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