Super Nintendo World set to open February 4th with AR ‘Mario Kart’ ride

Universal Studios Japan announced today that the opening date of its ‘Super Nintendo World’ will be Thursday, February 4th, 2021. The Osaka-based theme park will feature a Mario Kart-themed ride including augmented reality headsets. Guests will be able to wear them and drive through the course with endless excitement and thrills.

“Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge” will allow guests to grab the steering wheel and feel that they have entered the game world as Mario and Luigi as their carts slip through the incandescent race drifting and spinning through the course. During the life-size race, guests will be able to throw the swords they got from the item box to repel the enemy and will compete for first place with Mario and Princess Peach to advance the course.

This special grand opening date will mark the 20th anniversary of Universal Studios Japan’s Osaka theme park.

In the Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge and other park games, many cutting-edge video technologies such as augmented reality, projection mapping, screen projection video, special effects such as steam, and famous scenes of successive games are reproduced and elaborately combined in the live game’s course. The world of “Mario Kart” is created in part by Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo Co., Ltd. and representatives from the creative team of Universal Studios Japan Nintendo.

“Koopa Castle” was also unveiled for the first time. The majestic castle is surrounded by stone walls, adorned with spiky, pointed iron fences, thick and heavy steel doors, and a huge stone statue of Bowser that will intimidate visitors with his massive presence. The world of the game is faithfully reproduced with unique and profound structures that capture the excitement of the world making visitors feel that they are actually in the game. The augmented reality infusion within the gaming experience of the park optimizes the enjoyment for guests. The interactive AR features include flying, hitting blocks, collecting coins and items, while using your whole body like Mario. Guests’ collections of points translate to the real world. Guests can use a smartphone app to link a power-up band, which can be purchased in the park, to see the coins they’ve collected by hitting the question block in the app.

“In the depths of Bowser Castle, Nintendo and the creative team of Universal Studios have teamed up to recreate the world of the popular series “Mario Kart,” which sold over 150 million copies. Guests will be able to wear headsets and drive through the course with endless excitement and thrills,” stated Universal Creative Director Thomas Galati.