Japan's new Super Nintendo World will feature a 'Mario Kart' ride, a coin-collecting app and more
If you’re a gamer between the ages of five and 100 (or even older, we’re not judging), get ready — because your dreams are about to come true.
That’s because Universal Studios has announced the details behind its first-ever Super Nintendo World, which is set to open in Osaka, Japan, this summer.
Details surrounding the park, which will open shortly before the country hosts the 2020 Summer Olympics, were announced through a new website that claims the fantasyland will allow attendees to "feel as if they are playing inside their favorite Nintendo video games."
So what does that mean, exactly? For one, the park will feature "Power Up Bands," which will work with a smartphone app to help visitors feel like they’re a character in a game. The app will reportedly allow patrons to use their arms, hands and entire bodies to collect coins and compete with one another in a series of games and competitions.
"While wearing the band, guests can collect digital coins just like Mario does in the games," a press release announcing the park details stated.
There will also be a “Mario Kart”-themed ride, which will hopefully clarify once and for all what it feels like to get hit with a heat-seeking blue shell.
At the announcement, which took place on Jan. 14, Nintendo described the park as "a life-size, living video game," according to Bloomberg reporter Kumuri Mori, who attended the event.
Information about other rides and attractions are still pretty vague, but there is one more thing we know for sure: More Super Nintendo Worlds are on the way. Universal Studios has announced its intention to open similar parks in Los Angeles, Singapore and Orlando, Fla.
