First Look At Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge Ride, The Signature Super Nintendo World Attraction At Universal Studios Hollywood
02.06.2022 - 22:13
/ deadline.com
3-2-1 GO! Universal Studios Hollywood today offered the first look at Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, which will be the signature ride for its forthcoming all-new immersive land: Super Nintendo World.
Like its counterpart in Japan, Universal’s first stateside Super Nintendo World will feature Bowser’s Castle, the dungeon of which will house the Mario Kart ride.
The premise is simple, according to the press materials, but designed to be equally challenging to guests of all ages, regardless of gaming experience: “As part of Team Mario, guests will steer through courses underwater and in the clouds to compete for the Golden Cup while collecting coins to defeat Team Bowser and win.”
It sounds similar to the Japanese ride, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, in which each kart carries four team members who race another team on a dual-track course while wearing head-mounted augmented reality goggles.
Along the way, there are piranha plants, sewage pipes and, of course, Bowser. Other key elements are that the ride is repeatable and has a variety of potential outcomes depending on how each team plays.
The press materials call it “one of the world’s largest, most interactive rides” and claim that Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge “seamlessly fuses augmented reality with projection mapping technology and actual set pieces… to debut a ride that’s unparalleled anywhere within the theme park industry.” Power-Up Bands will be a part of the park experience, as well, and are integrated into the Bowser’s Challenge attraction.
Watch the video below for a preview.
Universal Studios announced in March that its first Super Nintendo World in the United States will open at the Hollywood park in 2023. Today’s announcement updates that timeline to “early