Super Nintendo World (Osaka)

[Pacific]

Ok,

My verdict on SNW after experiencing it in person is that it’s “kind of cool.” Parts of it are awesome. Finally seeing Nintendo translated to the physical world is fantastic and long overdue because Nintendo is a perfect theme park property. However, it feels like they could’ve done more with it and there’s some missed opportunities. Both rides are also generally disappointing.

Some bulletpoints:

• Mario Kart: It pains me to say, but it is fairly disappointing. It’s super crazy and chaotic but I’m not really sure if it’s in a good way. Almost the entire ride is AR and the physical stuff that’s there is just a backdrop for what’s happening on the AR. There’s so many physical props/AAs in the land outside but I don’t recall seeing any in the ride except for the one chain comp. I also didn’t understand how the “game” works at all, I didn’t understand if you acquire items somehow or if you always have them. Also if anything you can do on the AR has any effect on anything. The queue is really awesome though.
• Yoshi: This just needed one or two more scenes to actually be worth doing more than once. But sadly it doesn’t. Of course I would have preferred that this be a proper traditional dark ride but it’s generally fine for what it is - except that it’s too short and only has one real show scene. Missed opportunity to make this just a little better to make it worthwhile.
• The outer land itself is the most impressive part. Coming out of the pipe and seeing everything for the first time was genuinely kind of breathtaking. So much color and so much going on. I’m curious how the outdoor figures are going to hold up over the years. You can already see some minor weathering on them. They don’t look bad by any means just curious how they’re gonna be maintained over the years. In some places there is no attempt made whatsoever to hide the rods or slots the characters are attached to, I guess they just decided it wasn’t possible or important to try to theme that at all.
• I’m a little bit disappointed at how much of the land is kid-oriented. I know that might sound ridiculous to complain about but almost all of the outdoor stuff is just simple little mini games that only children would ever really be entertained by.
• Toad Cafe: This impressed me more than I was expecting. I’m not really a “foodie” but I thought what I ordered was not bad and the inside is a lot bigger and more detailed than it seems on the outside.

Other stuff:

• Sight lines are still an issue between SNW and HP. I know Universal has never really cared much about sight lines but it’s sad to have seen a “kind of attempt” at fixing this but it doesn’t really work in the end. It’s really obvious that Nintendo is right next door in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts is visible from most of Nintendo
• Back by the Yoshi ride is a jungle themed area which is clearly visually distinct from the rest of the land and even has its own unique background scenery stand up. I’m assuming this is where the DK expansion is planned to go? It’s like foreshadowing.
• I didn’t do the power up band thing.

Hmm, the Power-Up band is a really big component as you can't really interact with much of the land without it. You should give it a go if you visit the park again.

But yeah, Super Nintendo World is definitely a suited up children's area (which isn't a bad thing, we could use more of those).

I really wish they used the AR tech on Mario Kart in a Luigi's Mansion dark ride instead. It just feels way more appropriate and would give context to wearing AR headsets (to see the ghosts and suck them up). But regardless, it's cool they tried to do something unique.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on your visit.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

It sounds like Mario Kart will be quite the divisive attraction.

 

[JawsVictim]

Sounds like this is becoming Universal’s MO: highly immersive, detailed land attached to a lukewarm E-Ticket (Diagon and now SNW).

 

[OrlandoGuy]

• Mario Kart: It pains me to say, but it is fairly disappointing. It’s super crazy and chaotic but I’m not really sure if it’s in a good way. Almost the entire ride is AR and the physical stuff that’s there is just a backdrop for what’s happening on the AR. There’s so many physical props/AAs in the land outside but I don’t recall seeing any in the ride except for the one chain comp. I also didn’t understand how the “game” works at all, I didn’t understand if you acquire items somehow or if you always have them. Also if anything you can do on the AR has any effect on anything. The queue is really awesome though.

Thanks for the review, didn’t think I’d actually see one until it opened in Hollywood!

Curious as to how Mario Kart compares to Toy Story Mania. On one hand, I *personally* was disappointed when I saw the first POV. On the other hand, I mess with Toy Story Mania

So maybe not what I (or a lot of people apparently) were expecting, but still a potentially fun and re-rideable ride.

 

[BatCom]

Thanks for the review, didn’t think I’d actually see one until it opened in Hollywood!

Curious as to how Mario Kart compares to Toy Story Mania. On one hand, I *personally* was disappointed when I saw the first POV. On the other hand, I f*** with Toy Story Mania

So maybe not what I (or a lot of people apparently) were expecting, but still a potentially fun and re-rideable ride.

I like MK a lot more than Midway Mania because at least MK actually tries to integrate the screen material into the physical environment instead of literally just ferrying you from screen to screen like Midway Mania does.

I ended up riding MK three times. There does not seem to be any real re-rideability aside from getting coins and the two tracks, which seem to have some differences between them (like where and how often you spin out etc.) The winner of the races (Mario or Koopa) I'm assuming is random but I dunno, I'm not sure what would control that.

One positive thing I can say about MK is that the head-tracking aiming system feels very good and natural. Also again want to emphasize that the queue is fantastic.

Hmm, the Power-Up band is a really big component as you can't really interact with much of the land without it. You should give it a go if you visit the park again.

What is there beyond the Bowser Jr. walkthrough and some of the interactive gags?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Sounds like this is becoming Universal’s MO: highly immersive, detailed land attached to a lukewarm E-Ticket (Diagon and now SNW).

Yeah not on board with this Gringotts take.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Sounds like this is becoming Universal’s MO: highly immersive, detailed land attached to a lukewarm E-Ticket (Diagon and now SNW).

I don’t totally agree with Gringotts, haven’t ridden MK but they both seem very good to great. However add in Queues to the highly immersive and detailed part of your argument :grin:

 

[JungleSkip]

Sounds like this is becoming Universal’s MO: highly immersive, detailed land attached to a lukewarm E-Ticket (Diagon and now SNW).

By “lukewarm” you mean by the internet community, right? Because most people who ride Gringotts love it

 

[Jerroddragon]

Yeah, I'm sorry while "we" can have opinions The changes on Pirates with Red...no one cares about but some people online. JW redo in hollywood was lacking...didn't matter it had 2-3 hour lines ALL summer when it opened. Mario Kart will be the same and I have never heard a person not like the Harry Potter stuff in Florida.

So we can pretend like these rides are only kinda liked...but most people go and have a great time and don't think about the attractions like fans online.

Edit: For fun...this is how creators see us fans...lol

 

[Tristan]

Ok,

My verdict on SNW after experiencing it in person is that it’s “kind of cool.” Parts of it are awesome. Finally seeing Nintendo translated to the physical world is fantastic and long overdue because Nintendo is a perfect theme park property. However, it feels like they could’ve done more with it and there’s some missed opportunities. Both rides are also generally disappointing.

Some bulletpoints:

• Mario Kart: It pains me to say, but it is fairly disappointing. It’s super crazy and chaotic but I’m not really sure if it’s in a good way. Almost the entire ride is AR and the physical stuff that’s there is just a backdrop for what’s happening on the AR. There’s so many physical props/AAs in the land outside but I don’t recall seeing any in the ride except for the one chain comp. I also didn’t understand how the “game” works at all, I didn’t understand if you acquire items somehow or if you always have them. Also if anything you can do on the AR has any effect on anything. The queue is really awesome though.
• Yoshi: This just needed one or two more scenes to actually be worth doing more than once. But sadly it doesn’t. Of course I would have preferred that this be a proper traditional dark ride but it’s generally fine for what it is - except that it’s too short and only has one real show scene. Missed opportunity to make this just a little better to make it worthwhile.
• The outer land itself is the most impressive part. Coming out of the pipe and seeing everything for the first time was genuinely kind of breathtaking. So much color and so much going on. I’m curious how the outdoor figures are going to hold up over the years. You can already see some minor weathering on them. They don’t look bad by any means just curious how they’re gonna be maintained over the years. In some places there is no attempt made whatsoever to hide the rods or slots the characters are attached to, I guess they just decided it wasn’t possible or important to try to theme that at all.
• I’m a little bit disappointed at how much of the land is kid-oriented. I know that might sound ridiculous to complain about but almost all of the outdoor stuff is just simple little mini games that only children would ever really be entertained by.
• Toad Cafe: This impressed me more than I was expecting. I’m not really a “foodie” but I thought what I ordered was not bad and the inside is a lot bigger and more detailed than it seems on the outside.

Other stuff:

• Sight lines are still an issue between SNW and HP. I know Universal has never really cared much about sight lines but it’s sad to have seen a “kind of attempt” at fixing this but it doesn’t really work in the end. It’s really obvious that Nintendo is right next door in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts is visible from most of Nintendo
• Back by the Yoshi ride is a jungle themed area which is clearly visually distinct from the rest of the land and even has its own unique background scenery stand up. I’m assuming this is where the DK expansion is planned to go? It’s like foreshadowing.
• I didn’t do the power up band thing.

Thank you for sharing!

 

[belloq87]

"Lukewarm" is an excellent word to describe how I feel about Gringotts.

 

[Mad Dog]

Many online fans, many of who don't even really go to the parks, live in their own little worlds that are not the same world the general public inhabits. I myself, pay little heed to the You Tube warriors.

 

[JawsVictim]

By “lukewarm” you mean by the internet community, right? Because most people who ride Gringotts love it

It’s more my opinion of Gringotts and the reception of MK from theme park enthusiasts I follow from Japan, although Gringotts does catch a lot of flack online.

Let’s put it this way: I visit Diagon every trip but rarely ride Gringotts. And I love dark rides and coasters - I ride Mummy every trip. For me, Gringotts doesn’t cut it. I once overheard a random group of tourists sum up my feelings exactly: the first drop is amazing, but the rest of the ride is anticlimactic and overuses screens. And this was in line for F&F - man, do I wish I could have overheard their reaction to that ride!

Just noticing people who’ve ridden MK have similar feelings. Amazing land. Amazing queue. Lukewarm E-Ticket.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Gringotts is a divisive ride in my social circle, and most of my friends aren't avid theme park goers. I feel like my friends who go to parks more often are positive on the ride compared to others who visit infrequently.

Ironically, friends who are more positive on Gringotts tend to dislike Kong and vice versa. I might be the only person who enjoys both of the "hot take" rides

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

MK looks far more enticing *to me* than Gringott’s. But I hope the two other anchor dark rides at EU (Monsters and whatever’s planned for Wizarding World) are well received with the online fan community.

 

[JungleSkip]

It’s more my opinion of Gringotts and the reception of MK from theme park enthusiasts I follow from Japan, although Gringotts does catch a lot of flack online.

Let’s put it this way: I visit Diagon every trip but rarely ride Gringotts. And I love dark rides and coasters - I ride Mummy every trip. For me, Gringotts doesn’t cut it. I once overheard a random group of tourists sum up my feelings exactly: the first drop is amazing, but the rest of the ride is anticlimactic and overuses screens. And this was in line for F&F - man, do I wish I could have overheard their reaction to that ride!

Just noticing people who’ve ridden MK have similar feelings. Amazing land. Amazing queue. Lukewarm E-Ticket.

I think those guests in line with you were far from the norm. Gringotts is an exceptionally well loved ride for the GP.

I don't see MK being any different.

MK looks far more enticing *to me* than Gringott’s. But I hope the two other anchor dark rides at EU (Monsters and whatever’s planned for Wizarding World) are well received with the online fan community.

I honestly could not care less what the online fan community thinks. We're a fickle, whiny bunch that often doesn't realize how good we have it. As long as I go and have fun, that's all I care about.

 

[GAcoaster]

MK and Gringotts both have huge issues among the "fan" community-- they were hyped up in the minds of fans to the point they can NEVER live up to expectations. The GP will always appreciate them much more than the theme park fans who always want longer, faster, more no matter what.

 

[belloq87]

Anecdotal evidence isn't worth a whole lot, granted, and I'm not arguing that most people who ride Gringotts don't enjoy it, but I went on my last trip with some "normal" guests (i.e. not plugged into the fan communities), and after a day that already included Transformers, Revenge of the Mummy, Minion Mayhem, Race Through New York, and Simpsons, their reaction to Gringotts was basically a shrug.

And no, I hadn't polluted their mindset with my own opinion of the ride ahead of time! They had no expectations walking into it.

 

[Pacific]

I like MK a lot more than Midway Mania because at least MK actually tries to integrate the screen material into the physical environment instead of literally just ferrying you from screen to screen like Midway Mania does.

I ended up riding MK three times. There does not seem to be any real re-rideability aside from getting coins and the two tracks, which seem to have some differences between them (like where and how often you spin out etc.) The winner of the races (Mario or Koopa) I'm assuming is random but I dunno, I'm not sure what would control that.

One positive thing I can say about MK is that the head-tracking aiming system feels very good and natural. Also again want to emphasize that the queue is fantastic.


What is there beyond the Bowser Jr. walkthrough and some of the interactive gags?

Well sheesh. I mean, I viewed them that way too (suited up Toontown activities) but they're at least visually stunning.

 

[Nico]

I like MK a lot more than Midway Mania because at least MK actually tries to integrate the screen material into the physical environment instead of literally just ferrying you from screen to screen like Midway Mania does.

I ended up riding MK three times. There does not seem to be any real re-rideability aside from getting coins and the two tracks, which seem to have some differences between them (like where and how often you spin out etc.) The winner of the races (Mario or Koopa) I'm assuming is random but I dunno, I'm not sure what would control that.

One positive thing I can say about MK is that the head-tracking aiming system feels very good and natural. Also again want to emphasize that the queue is fantastic.


What is there beyond the Bowser Jr. walkthrough and some of the interactive gags?

The band is linked to the app where you get badges for different levels/challenges in Mario Kart. That may be why it doesn’t seem like it has re-rideability when you don’t have the band. That’s good to know.