Super Nintendo World delivers on the ultimate Mario Kart fantasy
Super Nintendo World, which opened Friday at Universal Studios Hollywood, is a deeply immersive and interactive simulacrum of Mario’s world. Walking through a Warp Pipe immediately transports visitors into the Mushroom Kingdom, a brightly colored set wrapping around that section of the park to create the illusion of being inside a game. Koopas move back and forth along the green hills designed to look like classic Super Mario Bros. levels. Stacks of Goombas teeter back and forth, and large Thwomp blocks thwomp — though safely out of the way of any park visitors.
The gem in the park’s crown is Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, a dark ride that uses augmented reality to drop visitors into the classic racing game series. The one attraction in Universal Studios Hollywood’s Super Nintendo World, Bowser’s Challenge has the accompanying chaos of taunts from competitors, shells flying everywhere, and a vehicle that’s prone to a little tailspin when hitting an obstacle.
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On the ride, four people share a kart, and zoom together on a track through a series of worlds that mimic Mario Kart’s most famous settings. A Pokey meanders through a desert world, Ty-foos blow at riders during their time flying through the skies, and things get a little twisted as riders get a taste of Luigi’s haunted mansion. And no Mario Kart session would be complete without a trip down the looping track of Rainbow Road.
These practical effects seamlessly blend with AR, which riders experience through a Mario-themed visor and accompanying goggles. Peach, Toad, Yoshi, and others are the competition, throwing shells and causing a ruckus. As the ride goes on, players break virtual, multicolored question-mark boxes to receive shells, which can be to
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