The mini-game Piranha Plant Nap Mishap has you and up to three friends slapping the tops of 12 oversized ringing alarm clocks like a mad game of Whack-A-Mole, to repeatedly silence them before they fully awaken the huge Piranha Plant that looms ominously overhead. I’ll come back to the rides shortly, but the most impressive thing about Super Nintendo World is how much fun is on offer even without them.īright yellow Question Blocks are placed here and there, and punching the soft button underneath fills the air with the familiar sound of coins being dispensed. The two rides are based on Mario Kart and Yoshi, and while you might find some hidden Pikmin if you look hard enough, this really is the land of Mario. It’s no exaggeration to say that it feels like being transported into a 3D Mario game.
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(This is a tightly designed experience that focuses mainly on the Mario games and their spinoffs while the word Nintendo is in the title, series such as The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Metroid are not represented at Super Nintendo World.) High above you, platforms sway lazily back and forth, coins spin in place, Goombas plod dopily along, Thwomps slide gracefully upwards and come crashing down, Piranha Plants sway and bear their teeth, and Mario and Luigi pose for photos with guests. Visitors enter the themed area via a warp pipe that leads from the Super Star Plaza in USJ to the inside of Peach’s Castle. It’s hard to imagine even the most casual fan of Super Mario not being delighted by it. Everywhere you look in Super Nintendo World you are rewarded with an eyeful of color and a heartful of charm. And above all, the whole area is packed to bursting with the sense of creativity and attention to detail that typifies the best Nintendo games. There’s plenty to see and do without having to join a long line, thanks to a host of pioneering interactive activities that gamify every moment of your visit. The level of immersion at Super Nintendo World is extraordinary, with a deceptively large, self-contained area sculpted to look like a 3D platform game come to brilliant life and mask any hints of the outside world almost entirely. Its grand opening was last week, just in time to celebrate the little red-hatted plumber’s 35th anniversary. It’s difficult to define the feelings of nostalgia, celebration, and joy I felt at Super Nintendo World, the brand-new area at Universal Studios Japan that is completely dedicated to the wonderful world of Mario and friends.