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'An astonishing place to explore': Oliver Wainwright previews the trippy Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood

2023-01-25T13:00:00-05:00

Welcome to Super Nintendo World, the closest thing you can get to diving head-first inside a video game and experiencing the likely effects of swallowing one of Mario’s magic mushrooms. For Universal, it represents the first expansion beyond film- and TV-themed rides, and a step up in designing a total environment – with the opening timed to capitalise on the release of an animated Super Mario Bros movie this spring.

The park expansion officially opens on February 17th. Visitors will find attractions like the overpriced Toadstool Cafe, a “sedate crawl” signature race experience (sans shortcuts), cuter small details, and Bowser’s Castle, which apparently includes a self-help library and bomb-making workshop.

Previously on Archinect: Super Nintendo World Hollywood sets an opening date for 2023

Wainwright compared the latter to Kim Jong-Il’s palatial abode, a space he documented somewhat controversially for a 2018 investigation published by Taschen. A Universal Studios executive described its design as being geared to encourage profligate repetition, not unlike a casino's. The Hollywood location follows another that opened in Osaka in 2021 and will be joined by two others in Orlando and Singapore, due to open by the end of 2025.

Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood is taking shape

2022-10-03T15:40:00-04:00

Get ready to enter the “World of Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach” as construction crews work to bring Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood to life. Sky5 captured video of the construction progress Wednesday as crews worked on various aspects of the project, such as the Warp Pipe entrance and Bowser’s Castle.

This latest Universal Studios Hollywood expansion will be the first Super Nintendo World in the United States, following the opening of its counterpart at Universal Studios Japan in 2021. The theme park was conceived in partnership with Nintendo and Universal Creative.

As seen in KTLA’s video coverage of the construction progress, the attraction looks to be shaping up ahead of its expected opening in early 2023.

Previously on Archinect: Super Nintendo World Hollywood sets an opening date for 2023

As per an NBCUniversal press release, one of the park’s main attractions is its “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge,” which is described as “one of the most complex rides ever built within the entertainment industry.” Through the use of augmented reality, guests will be immersed in the environment of Mario Kart, where they will race similarly to the iconic video game.

Super Nintendo World Hollywood sets an opening date for 2023

2022-03-14T11:50:00-04:00

An expansion at Universal Studios Hollywood will bring the spinning coins and floating blocks of the “Super Mario Bros.” video game to the theme park next year, marking the completion of one in just a handful of theme park expansions in the U.S. since the onset of COVID-19.

Park officials have billed the new expansion as a “visual spectacle of vibrant colors and architectural ingenuity located within a newly expanded area of the theme park, featuring a groundbreaking ride and interactive areas, to be enjoyed by the whole family."

Related on Archinect: Super Nintendo World theme park to open in Japan this summer. Image courtesy Universal Studios Japan

Universal’s last comparable expansion came in 2016 to the tune of nearly $500 million, which bought a six-acre plot in L.A. that was later developed into the commercially successful Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The added attraction, which is now set to open within an undetermined nine-month period next year, would constitute Universal's fourth such planned Super Nintendo World, joining an existing facility in Osaka, Japan, and followed closely by identical attractions in Orlando and Singapore by the year 2025.

“They are getting a jump on the market, getting people excited early,” industry consultant Den...

Nintendo is opening a museum in one of its former playing card factories

2021-06-14T17:21:00-04:00

Gaming giant, Nintendo, has announced plans to convert a former factory of theirs in Kyoto into a new museum to showcase the history of the company’s products.

According to a news release, Nintendo has been planning to construct a gallery as a way to share both their product development history and philosophy with the public. Tentatively named Nintendo Gallery, the museum will sit at the site of the Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant and the land surrounding the building. It was originally built in 1969 and was used to manufacture playing cards, later housing a customer service center for product repairs. The factory, however, has sat unused since 2016 after the opening of a newer facility.

Along with historical products, the museum will feature exhibits and experiences. The Nintendo Gallery is expected to be completed by March 2024.

Previously on Archinect: Super Nintendo World theme park opening now scheduled for February 4

This comes after the opening of the new $580 million Super Ninten...

Super Nintendo World theme park opening now scheduled for February 4

2020-12-01T14:04:00-05:00

Universal Studios Japan plans to open its $580 million Nintendo attraction on Feb. 4, finally debuting a long-delayed effort to introduce Mario and other beloved characters to real-world theme park visitors. Super Nintendo World, built on the existing Universal Studios Japan site, is envisioned as a life-sized replica of Nintendo Co.’s most popular games with rides, shops and walk-through activities.

Bloomberg reports that a Mario Kart ride inside a recreation of Bowser's Castle would be one of Super Nintendo World's first attractions.

Image courtesy of Nintendo.

The ambitious half-billion dollar theme park was originally scheduled to open last summer, but the global coronavirus outbreak forced the launch to be pushed back by several months. With the vaccine rollout likely to take well into next spring and summer, it remains to be seen if the February opening is achievable.

If you can't wait that long but are dying to dissect Nintendo worlds and environments, check out Ryan Scavnicky's architectural review of Super Mario Bros.

Super Nintendo World theme park to open in Japan this summer

2020-01-15T14:51:00-05:00

Super Nintendo World, the Mario-themed expansion to Universal Studios, is shaping up to be one of the most interesting and tech-infused theme park attractions to date. The park, launching ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as part of Universal Studios Japan in the city of Osaka, will feature wearable wrist bands called “Power Up Bands” that will sync with a smartphone app and track digital activities while you walk around

After breaking ground on its ambitious high-tech theme park, Super Nintendo World, in 2017, Universal Studios Japan unveiled more details this week about the anticipated destination slated to open in Osaka this summer.

"A life-size, living video game" -- Thierry Coup shows us the new app used to enjoy Super Nintendo World with a wrist band, touting an interactive experience #Nintendo pic.twitter.com/n468l5elnO
— Kurumi Mori (@rumireports) January 14, 2020

While official images of the park's architecture and spatial design are still under wraps, Super Nintendo World's operators already previewed some of the tech features and released a sugary-sweet teaser video featuring pop stars Galantis and Charli XCX.

Video via Nintendo on youTube.

If the upbeat game aesthetic centered around a fictional Italian plumber isn't your thing, another pillar of Japanese popular culture is currently building a theme park dedicated to Hayao Miyazaki's vast universe of worlds and characters: a Studio Ghi...