Epic Universe's Super Nintendo World Frenzy Defies Belief
Hop on Board the Updated Donkey Kong Area at Super Nintendo World!
Hang onto your bananas, folks! Universal Studios and gaming powerhouse Nintendo are taking their partnership to the next level with the grand opening of Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe this week. And guess who's joining the fun? None other than the king of the swings himself, Donkey Kong!
io9 was lucky enough to attend the media preview for Super Nintendo World at Universal Orlando. Although Universal's West Coast park already has a version of the land, Epic Universe's iteration gets an exciting upgrade in the form of an entire Donkey Kong Country area. This includes a brand new Mine Cart Madness ride, where you'll swoosh along with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in scenes straight out of the iconic video game.
Steve Tatham, Creative Director at Universal, shared some insights into the park. "The idea behind Epic Universe is we wanted to create a next-gen theme park, a 21st-century theme park," he said. "We use technology that's super advanced. We have prototypical ride systems and the figures, the animated figures, are top-notch."
But don't worry, tech enthusiasts, this isn't all just flash. The story takes center stage, with technology serving as a tool to create a truly immersive experience. Unlike other parks, where gaming aspects might be primarily screen-based, Universal Opted for a more physical approach, encouraging visitors to explore the park to hit benchmarks and collect points using a Power Up Band. The band activates touch points throughout the park, where you can collect bananas, coins, and other objects to unlock secret areas.
"In Donkey Kong Country, you'll see the letter 'K' right there," Tatham explained. "You can spell K-O-N-G when you tap different points. There's bananas, there's coins, there are different objects that you can collect."
The participatory entertainment aspect truly shines as you run through the nooks and crannies of Donkey Kong Country, or play on tangible mini-games like bongo drums. Collect enough points across the entire park, and you'll unlock a hidden boss battle, because what's a video game theme park without a secret boss?
The Epic Universe version of Super Nintendo World is just the latest in Universal's ongoing collaboration with Nintendo. "For Super Nintendo World and Donkey Kong Country," Tatham said, "we worked very closely with the Nintendo partners and Miyamoto-San, who's the creative guru there. He was very involved throughout the entire process." Every detail is carefully vetted to ensure an authentic experience for guests.
Of course, these lands are called Super Nintendo World, and there's a whole lot more to Nintendo than Mario and Donkey Kong. Could we see Link from the Legend of Zelda, Fox McCloud from Star Fox, or perhaps some Pocket Monsters in the future? "Epic Universe will never be done, because there are always more ideas," Tatham teased. "There's always new stories to tell."
Epic Universe opens this Friday at Universal Studios Orlando. So grab your Power Up Band, put on your explorer's hat, and get ready for a wild ride!
In other news, keep an eye out for the latest updates on Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, DC Universe, and Doctor Who. Happy exploring!
- The future of entertainment at Universal Studios is anchored in technology, as evidenced by the upgraded Donkey Kong Country area at Super Nintendo World, recently featured on io9 and Gizmodo.
- The Epic Universe version of Super Nintendo World offers an immersive lifestyle experience, blending video game classics like Donkey Kong with innovative technology that brings those characters into a tangible and interactive world.
- Taking a leap into the future, the Super Nintendo World collaboration between Universal and Nintendo may extend beyond Donkey Kong and Mario to include characters like Link, Fox McCloud, and even Pocket Monsters.
