Nintendo fans who live near Osaka, Japan have a lot to be excited about, as Universal Studios Japan has confirmed that its 16-bit gaming park, “Super Nintendo World,” is finally opening its doors on February 4 after five long years of development.
The destination, which reportedly cost $580 million, boasts an epic landmark called Bowser’s Castle that not only features a massive caricature of Mario’s archvillain, but an exciting Mario Kart ride with AR headsets dubbed “Koopa’s Challenge.” According to Bloomberg’s Kurumi Mori, riders will even be able to throw shells at one another.
“Every rider is given a slim headset with a visor, presumably for AR,” Mori tweeted. “Each Mario Kart has 4 seats and each seat has a steering wheel. The kart is definitely on rails but riders are given some control. They also collect items and ‘throw shells’ at other karts.”
You can check out a promotional video and gallery of what can be found in Bowser’s Castle below. We’re not sure why Universal didn’t just call it “Super Mario World,” though, since other popular Super Nintendo franchises (e.g., Metroid, Zelda, F-Zero) appear to be absent.
Every rider is given a slim headset with a visor, presumably for AR. Each Mario Kart has 4 seats and each seat has a steering wheel. The kart is definitely on rails but riders are given some control. They also collect items and “throw shells” at other karts. pic.twitter.com/1gchg1qVLX
— Kurumi Mori (@rumireports) November 30, 2020