Nintendo has announced that it will be opening its first Super Nintendo World in the US. This comes after the successful launch of the theme park at Universal Studios Japan last year.
Universal Studios Hollywood tweeted the announcement on Thursday and said it would be opening in 2023 and that there would be Nintendo-themed merchandise available in its gift shop, but offered no other details.
What to expect at Super Nintendo World
In March 2021, after months of delays owing to the pandemic, Nintendo’s first theme park opened in Osaka, Japan. It featured a Mario Kart ride in Bowser’s Castle, a ride based on the green dinosaur Yoshi, a Princess Peach castle and Mario-theme restaurants.
"We perfectly recreated the world of the game," said Ayumu Yamamoto, Universal Studios Japan's marketing communication manager at the time, to AFP. "You'll find life-sized piranha plants and Bowser, and you'll see what it is like to be Mario. It took almost a year longer than we had expected to open this place, and we are really glad."
Scroll through the gallery below to see more of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan.
Augmented reality goggles attached to a plastic red visor are used in the Mario Kart ride, one of the park's main draws that promises to bring the racing game to life.
The ride follows a track around the foreboding castle of Mario's enemy Bowser, an evil turtle, but each seat has a steering wheel and players can collect and shoot items at opponents.
Music from the popular Mario games plays throughout the park and a smartphone-linked wristband allows visitors to collect virtual coins by punching blocks, just like the Italian plumber.
A history of Super Mario
The first Super Mario Bros game came out in 1985 for Nintendo's NES console.
The platform game, in which Mario runs and jumps past obstacles to collect coins and save Princess Peach from the evil Koopa turtles, was based on the Mario Bros arcade game released earlier.
Since then, Mario has appeared in myriad formats, including games featuring racing, football and golf.
— Additional reporting from AFP
