It was a few hours ago, on the night of Friday 18 to Saturday 19 December 2020, at exactly midnight, that Nintendo broadcast a special Nintendo Direct since it was not dedicated to a video game, but to the discovery of Super Nintendo World, the amusement park which ended a few weeks ago and which had been the subject of stolen aerial photos. Located in the Universal Studios Japan Park in Osaka, the Super Nintendo World is a concentrate of the entire Mario universe and it is Shigeru Miyazaki himself who took care of the visit.
For a little over 15 minutes, we stroll alongside Mario’s dad who explains to us that the discovery and visit of the park will be done using a connected bracelet, which will work in conjunction with a dedicated application. This bracelet, which we can keep after visiting the park, will allow us to identify the different activities present in the park, such as approaching an interactive block, typing under it (as Mario does in the game) and thus recover a part which will be displayed directly on the smartphone application. Nintendo knowing full well that visitors will also be collectors, know that there are 6 different connected bracelets, each representing one of the mythical characters of the Mario universe.
By creating this theme park, Nintendo wishes to immerse the player in the world of Mario, with a very faithful reconstruction of iconic Mario levels, such as the lobby of Peach’s castle in which we can hear music from Super Mario 64. Other areas allow the visitor to interact with the elements of the scenery, such as the Koopa Troopa activity where Shigeru Miyamoto gives us a demonstration. You must first activate your presence with the connected bracelet to launch the challenge, which consists of tapping on the Pow block at the right time so that the others opposite raise the green shell and thus hit the block on which the pad is located. key. There are several types of activities in the park and by obtaining a minimum of three keys, it is then possible to access a special activity: facing Bowser Jr.
Continuing his visit, Miyamoto-san introduces us to the basement levels, again dressed in well-known sound themes. The atmosphere is darker and among the mazes, you can find M “Mario” logos that can be activated with the connected bracelet. There are of course other areas to discover, but Shigeru Miyamoto leaves visitors with the surprise of discovering them for themselves when they come. Also, it is on the side of the official store that Mario’s dad invites us to go and discover all the goodies and official products that have been made especially for the park.
There is indeed a large quantity of exclusive derivative products, such as t-shirts or stuffed animals, but above all an articulated Mario figurine which has been presented in detail. This figurine which responds to the name of TokoToko Mario, able to walk by pushing the red shell attached to the back and which serves as a mechanism for walking. Important note: the TokoToko Mario figurine does not need batteries or any battery to function. Miyamoto explains that these are the same teams that develop the games that took great pleasure in making this unique toy.
We also discover a popcorn box exclusive to the park, created by Universal and which takes the shape of the star from which we pick the popcorn. There is also Toad’s restaurant, the Kinopio Café, dressed entirely in Toad’s universe and which also offers themed dishes. We will note the Mario Burger, the Super Mushroom Pizz Bowl or desserts that respect the universe of Mario. There too, a lot of objects are interactive with the bracelet, making it possible to recover gold coins.
Finally, Miyamoto-san ends this visit with Bowser’s castle where we can participate in a kind of “kart race” since it is actually a rollercoster in which we will put on augmented reality glasses for us. give the feeling of driving a kart through the large alleys of this impressive and iconic castle too.
The Super Nintendo World will open its doors on February 4, 2021 in Japan in Osaka, taking into account the health crisis of course. Miyamoto is aware that it is complicated for tourists to come and discover the park in these times of restrictions, but tells us that other countries will host the Super Nintendo World, such as Miami, Los Angeles and Orlando, but also Singapore, cities which already house a Universal Studoios park.
