Walking through the green warp pipe at Universal Studios Hollywood and emerging into Super Nintendo World is a surreal experience. There, in a kaleidoscope of oversaturated colors gorgeously lit by the Southern California sun, Super Mario’s 32 bits spring to life. With oversized piranha plants chomping away, giant gold coins spinning, Koopa Troopa turtles sauntering along, and a menacing Thwomp crashing down, there is a riot of motion. Long relegated to the digital realm, it’s startling to see the video game franchise so beloved by legions of fans jump from the screen to physical reality.
But what really makes Super Nintendo World vibrant are the guests who have come to play. Punching question blocks, jumping to nab power-ups, throwing shells, and engaging in a variety of other activities throughout the land, visitors fill the space with an infectious energy—and that’s how designers created the new land.
“If there is a more interactive land, I’m certainly not aware of it,” says Jon Corfino, vice president, Universal Creative. “People come through and their minds are blown because of all the activations. I think we’ve opened up the door for theme park attractions, because this is the first time guests are actually inside a video game.”
Transitioning from Digital to Tangible
Perhaps the most mind-blowing feature at Super Nintendo World is Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, the ride-through attraction that sends passengers on a deeply immersive gamer’s journey. Corfino says that when the land was first being developed, the popular Mario Kart was a natural choice to turn into an attraction. So, when he and the Universal Creative team brainstormed ways to design the experience, augmented reality (AR) seemed like a perfect fit. According to Corfino, Mario Kart is the first major attraction to incorporate AR at such a high level. Because there was no precedent, he says the company’s advanced technology group had to develop a sophisticated system first and then integrate it with the rest of the attraction.
To get to Mario Kart’s loading platform, guests make their way to Mount Beanpole and then wind through an enormous queue hidden inside Bowser’s Castle. (For Nintendo newbies, Bowser is a hulking, fearsome creature and Mario’s nemesis.) The castle’s chambers are packed with engaging artifacts from the game franchise. Climbing up to the building’s second level, guests get a great bird’s-eye view of the land when the queue heads outdoors.
Before boarding, passengers receive an adjustable visor that looks like Mario’s signature cap. Once seated in the four-passenger vehicles, they attach a transparent face shield to their visors that cleverly and easily mounts using magnets. This is where the attraction’s groundbreaking magic happens.
Using AR technology, question blocks, characters, and other virtual imagery appear on the face shields while allowing guests unfettered views of the real environment around them. The face shields also serve as pointing devices. To score points, guests turn their heads in the direction of targets and toss shells at them by pressing buttons mounted to their steering wheels. They can also rack up points by turning the wheels when prompted.
As striking as the AR technology is, there is a lot more going on beyond the visors, including projection mapping, high-resolution video screens, animated characters, practical sets, and sensory effects. It all conspires to make guests feel as if they are truly embedded in a Mario Kart game.
“The real art of this attraction, and really any attraction we do, is how everything comes together in a way that doesn’t become about the technology,” Corfino says. As an example, he says that passengers see creatures around them that then are directly in front of them on their AR shields and finally disappear into the scenery. “The lighting doesn’t change; the animation doesn’t appear to change. It all just happens seamlessly and naturally,” Corfino adds.
Because the ride is so interactive, Mario Kart is quite different from other attractions Universal Creative has produced. Not unlike an actual video game, the basic premise may stay the same, but guests’ varied actions affect the experience—not to mention their scores—on subsequent ride-throughs.
Off-Ride Connections
The interactivity and the ability to alter outcomes extends across the tricked-out Super Nintendo World. While they are not required to participate in most activities, wearable Power-Up Bands that are available for purchase enhance the experience. The bracelets can pair with guests’ mobile phones via Universal’s app to keep track of earned points and help navigate the challenges. There are five games (along with copious punchable question blocks) spread around the land that culminate with Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown. The finale is a boss battle inside a castle lair that encourages guests to engage in Wii-like movements to hit, jump, and dive to interact with shadowy objects.
If all the jumping and punching makes guests hungry, they can retreat to Toadstool Cafe for highly themed dishes such as a Mario Burger (complete with the plumber’s mustache seared into its brioche bun) and Super Mushroom Soup served in a toadstool bowl. Many items on the menu, which, according to the backstory, were crafted by Chef Toad, include nods to mushrooms.
“It either looks like a mushroom, tastes like a mushroom, or draws inspiration from the Mushroom Kingdom,” explains Julia Thrash, VP, executive chef at Universal Studios Hollywood.
She notes that with the ubiquity of social media, the visual appeal of the food was just as important as its taste. For example, there is a Piranha Plant Caprese that combines a basil stem with tomato slices that are dotted with mozzarella bits to creatively capture the Mario staple in edible form. The dish also illustrates the importance of storytelling at the restaurant.
“We want to tie the nostalgia of the games into the food,” Thrash adds. “We’re trying to evoke an emotion through food for fans.”
Distinctly Hollywood and Beyond
The new land in California follows the first Super Nintendo World that opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2021. With more space available in Asia, the original land has an additional attraction, Yoshi’s Adventure, and is configured differently. Instead of entering at the ground level, as they do in California, guests in Japan proceed through the warp pipe into the land’s upper level. The Japanese park is expanding its Super Nintendo World with a new area themed to Donkey Kong that is scheduled to open in 2024. There are also Nintendo lands under construction at Universal Studios Singapore and the new Epic Universe being built in Orlando, Florida.
Universal Destinations & Experiences’ Super Nintendo World themed lands are developed in partnership with the game company and with the direct input of its game director and self-proclaimed father of Mario and Luigi, Shigeru Miyamoto. That level of access has allowed Universal Creative to tap into Nintendo, which Corfino characterizes as best in class, and create rich, authentic experiences that resonate with fans.
“Games are different from films,” Corfino says, referring to the source material that usually serves as the theme for the Universal Studios parks. “It breaks the paradigm a bit. I think Super Nintendo World is next level for us. It’s a wide-open horizon and we’re excited about the future.”
As for the future of the Hollywood park, which shares space on a constricted, built-out property with its legendary studio’s backlot, soundstages, and offices, might there be an expansion in the works for its Super Nintendo World?
“Anything is possible,” teases Corfino. “One can never tell what’s going to happen.”
