Universal's Epic Universe to debut SUPER NINTENDO WORLD with iconic Nintendo games

May 02, 2024 in "Universal Orlando Resort"

Universal Epic Universe – SUPER NINTENDO WORLD concept art
Posted: Thursday May 2, 2024 8:30am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Universal Orlando has today revealed official details about SUPER NINTENDO WORLD at Epic Universe, which will feature attractions, dining, shopping, and interactive experiences inspired by the Super Mario franchise and – for the first time in the U.S. – Donkey Kong Country.

Developed in partnership between Universal Creative and Nintendo, the land combines iconic Nintendo characters with Universal's theme park experiences to deliver a multi-sensory environment where guests can experience the fun and adventure of Nintendo games in a whole new way.

SUPER NINTENDO WORLD will debut at Universal Orlando Resort in 2025 as one of five worlds at the all-new Universal Epic Universe theme park, which will open in Orlando.

ENTER THE ICONIC GREEN PIPE

It all begins when guests enter the portal to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, which will transport them through the iconic green pipe into the immersive land. As guests emerge from the pipe, vibrant scenery and exciting kinetic energy surround them as they are greeted by the familiar sights and sounds that they've experienced on their Nintendo game consoles – from the towering Mt. Beanpole and majestic Peach's Castle to swaying Piranha Plants, pacing Goombas, spinning coins, Blocks and more.  Inside SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, guests will be able to explore Super Mario Land – where they'll enjoy adventures alongside Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and other characters; and Donkey Kong Country – where they'll encounter thrills featuring Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and other members of the Kong family.

SUPER MARIO LAND

The colorful landscapes of the Mushroom Kingdom come to life in Super Mario Land, where guests can experience:

Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge: Guests are invited to join Team Mario and battle Team Bowser for the Golden Cup in this groundbreaking attraction that fuses augmented reality, projection mapping technology and elaborate environments to bring the fun of the Mario Kart video game series to life in a ride-through experience. 

Guests up for the challenge will enter through Bowser's Castle – where they'll wind its corridors and get a glimpse of Bowser's deceptive plans to stack the odds in his favor – before boarding their kart and heading to the starting line. Then, guests steer through a variety of Mario Kart courses – collecting coins, tossing shells at Team Bowser, dodging obstacles, and more – as they join their favorite characters and compete to help Team Mario win the race.

Yoshi's Adventure: The Yoshi's Adventure attraction will make its U.S. debut when SUPER NINTENDO WORLD opens at Universal Epic Universe. On this family-friendly ride, guests of all ages will enjoy breathtaking views of Super Mario Land as they join Yoshis and travel through Mushroom Kingdom landscapes in search of glowing eggs – encountering many familiar characters along the way.



Toadstool Cafe: At Toadstool Cafe, guests can enjoy a variety of tasty dishes inspired by the world of Super Mario and its characters, including Mario and Luigi-themed burgers, Super Mushroom Soup, Piranha Plant Caprese, Fire Flower Spaghetti and Meatballs and so much more. Guests will also get glimpses of several Toads cooking up culinary creations through various virtual windows as they dine inside the restaurant.

Yoshi's Snack Island and Turbo Boost Treats: Guests can also pick up treats, snacks and beverages at these walk-up dining locations.

1-UP Factory and Mario Motors: Guests can shop for souvenirs, apparel, toys and more inspired by their favorite Super Mario characters and adventures within these retail locations.

Meet and Greets: Guests can meet, greet and interact with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad throughout various areas in Super Mario Land.

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY


At the edge of Super Mario Land, guests will discover an entrance that leads them to Donkey Kong Country, where they'll explore the lush, tropical landscape from the video game series, complete with tall trees, waterfalls, landmarks such as The Golden Temple and more. Here, guests can enjoy:

Mine-Cart Madness: Guests will hop into a mine cart and careen through the jungle to help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong protect the coveted golden banana on this first-of-its-kind family coaster. Utilizing an unprecedented ride system, innovative technology and a unique coaster design, Mine-Cart Madness will send riders on a thrilling adventure where they will experience the jaw-dropping maneuvers that they've seen Donkey Kong and the mine carts perform in the video games – including getting blasted out of a barrel, seemingly jumping over gaps as they speed along a rickety track, and so much more.

POWER-UP BANDS

Guests can level up their fun in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD by purchasing a Power-Up Band, a wearable for their wrist that allows them to enhance their play throughout Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country. With the Power-Up Band, guests can collect digital coins by punching Blocks and playing interactive activities, collect digital stamps on attractions, earn digital keys to unlock an exclusive showdown against Bowser Jr., and discover other hidden surprises. Guests can also access Leaderboard screens in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD to see where they rank amongst fellow guests.

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rd8056 days ago

My takeaways: 1) A ton of trees and surrounding brush by the entrance 2) Some walkways in the lands themselves -- Potter, Monsters, DK all look like they have a ton of progress 3) DK looks VERY colorful -- a lot has been done there Exciting flyover!

Haymarket6 days ago

Footage from bioreconstruct yesterday.

Gusey7 days ago

True, but I think a Summer opening is looking more and more likely.

ToTBellHop7 days ago

The sweepstakes isn’t guaranteeing that the winner will be there for the grand opening so I see no reason to believe this contest must end before the park opens.

Gusey7 days ago

Sweepstakes end 6/30/2025, potential July opening?

wdwfan4ver7 days ago

I do know Celestial Park for sure is part of phase 2 expansion. I saying for sure due to construction for 2 dining locations is happening right now, but is not supposed to be done when Epic opens. Also I know that a special event stage is rumored for Celestial Park as part of Epic Universe's Phase 2 expansion.

trr17 days ago

FYI https://x.com/bioreconstruct bioreconstruct @bioreconstruct https://epicuniversesweepstakes.com

some other guy8 days ago

Crazy Larry's Used Saucer Lot counter-service with themed coverage for the seating area of various legacy "flying saucer" style spaceships, Forbidden Planet, Mars Attacks!, Day The Earth Stood Still, War Of The Worlds, etc

WDWFREAK539 days ago

Using the MIB theme, you could have a closed off area like Diagon where it looks like a normal city, but when you walk through MIB HQ, the alien world opens up. EDIT: Not to mention, they could use Metroid.

Andrew259 days ago

Universal does have a "Sci-Fi City" land at their Singapore park with Transformers and Battlestar Galactica attractions. You could also thrown in Terminator & Mad Max into possible IPs. However, they really only have 2 plots of land that can handle a full land, and one of them is rumored to be saved for Lord of the Rings & Potter expansion. The other plot of land (between SNW & Monsters) is rumored to hold Luigi's Mansion & either a mini-land or small Celestial Park expansion. Honestly, just save any Sci-Fi IPs for USF's World Expo area as Men In Black can be tied to a Sci-Fi area.

rd8059 days ago

I'd be cool for an all out space port kind of feel, but I also think multiple IPs could flesh out a full port. Does Uni have any other sci-fi that could be interesting in the same place as Star Trek? Picturing something like the best part of SWGE (Millennium Falcon sitting & humming out front an attraction). What Tomorrowland could be with cool futuristic movies? lol

J45469 days ago

Borg taken over HHH ... I'm into it

some other guy9 days ago

I haven't checked into it in a while, but isn't there a weird mess of rights split between the older series-es, the movies, the flaretrek movies, and the post-flaretrek serieses? they should just bring back the Star Trek Experience from Vegas where you walk out onto the bridge of the 1701-D

rd80510 days ago

Yup i'm very excited for the shows -- Uni did great with Bourne, an IP I couldn't really care less about? And the show was very entertaining! I also haven't been able to get to Cali for Nintendoland, so odds are that this will be my first time even stumbling through some of the activities & walk thru's. I do anticipate i'll have the power up band lol.