Super Nintendo World Theme Park Teased In Bizarre New Trailer
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Featured Image Credit: Nintendo/Universal
2020 is the year that Nintendo's massive new theme park at Universal Studios, Osaka finally opens its doors. We've all heard plenty about the park over the last few months, but a brand new trailer gives us our best idea yet of how Nintendo intends for Super Nintendo World to work. Essentially, it looks like much more of an interactive, real-life video game experience than we might have previously expected.
As an added bonus, the reveal trailer is absolutely bananas. Seriously, it's cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. It's several sandwiches short of a picnic. It's a tour de force of strangeness. I can honestly say I had no idea what to expect from the official reveal of Super Nintendo World, but I can say that a music video in which Charli XCX stands atop Peach's Castle and commands a small army of humans to go into battle again Bowser's forces was not something I saw coming.
Check it out for yourself below. I think my favourite thing about the trailer is that it doesn't actually show the real theme park. Not even once. But who needs to see that when you can watch small children desperately trying to outrun a Thwomp that will surely crush them to death?
Like I said, the trailer doesn't show the theme park itself, but it does give you some idea of what to expect. Clearly, the big idea behind Super Nintendo World is to feel like you're exploring a real Super Mario level, which is something I can get on board with quite happily.
The trailer teases two of the park's confirmed rides (Mario Kart and Yoshi's Adventure), but the real stars of this show are the Mario-themed smart wristbands that connect to your phone via a special app. Nintendo and Universal had previously talked a little bit about these wristbands, teasing how they would encourage an extra layer of interactivity with the park. But it wasn't until now that we really got a good idea of what they were talking about.
From the looks of it, the app - combined with the wristband - allows you to explore the park and hit question mark blocks to earn coins and powerups. You know, just like Mario. Without giving anything away, Nintendo also teased that some areas will contain "boss battles" where several players can team up and take on an enemy.
If you're wondering exactly how it works, Bloomberg has shared a video of the wristband in action. As you can see below, visitors will be able to "strike" a block and earn a coin, which is then recorded on your phone. Presumably you'll be able to use your coins and total score in some way to earn prizes or mementos, but Nintendo isn't talking about that just yet.
This "Power Up Band" lets visitors collect coins and battle bosses while exploring the physical environment :calling: Progress will be tracked via a smartphone app #SuperNintendoWorld #任天堂
Read more: https://t.co/YdnKPB9ssA pic.twitter.com/RfYefvo3qF
- QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) January 14, 2020
Beyond that, you can also use app to find your way around the park via a map feature, but... yawn. Who cares about a map when you're in a real-life Mario game? Not me. Super Nintendo World is planned to open just ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics later this year, during which time I suspect it will make sickening amounts of money.
If you find yourself unable to nip to Japan, don't worry too much. There are plans to open another Super Nintendo World at Universal's Orlando Resort somewhere down the line. Sadly, Nintendo has yet to respond to my enquiry regarding a Salford branch.
Topics: Mario
