We recently traveled to Osaka, Japan, for our Street Fighter 6 cover story. While we were in the city, Game Informer video editor Alex Van Aken and I thought it would be a great idea to take advantage of our proximity to Universal Studios Japan to visit Super Nintendo World. Like you, we saw the tour provided by the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto, but we needed to see it for ourselves. And to be quite frank, we are so glad that we did.
It's impossible to fully convey how cool most of our time at Super Nintendo World was. From the moment we exited the giant warp pipe at the entrance, we felt transported into an actual Mario game. Check out the photos from our time at Super Nintendo World to get a sense of how incredible the experience is.
First, we had to reserve a time to enter that particular area of the park. I was unable to do that before the day of our arrival, but I was able to snag an early afternoon time, giving us some time to scope out the rest of the park. After hopping on the Spider-Man ride and grabbing a bite to eat in the Jaws area of the park, our time to enter Super Nintendo World finally rolled around.
After scanning the Universal Studios Japan app to enter, we were able to purchase the wristbands you've undoubtedly seen on past promotional material. These wristbands allow you to participate in various games around the park. If you're on the fence about grabbing one as I was, I highly recommend picking it up, as many of the park's activities are locked behind these.
I chose the Mario band, while Alex picked up the Luigi band. After slapping them on our wrists, we registered them to the Universal Studios Japan app, which tracks our progress as we enjoy the various games and activities. Everything from blocks you hit around the area to minigames you participate in (more on that later) gets added to your profile.
After we got that all squared away, it was time to enter the park. After a brief photo op with the pipes outside the main entrance, Alex and I headed inside through the massive warp pipe. Peach's Castle was the literal light at the end of the tunnel. As you'd imagine, the castle theme from Super Mario 64 plays. On one side, you have the painting for Bob-omb Battlefield, while the other features a picture for Tiny-Huge Island. As you look at them from different angles, however, an image of Bowser Jr. flashes within the frame, hinting at what's to come later in the park.
Emerging from Peach's Castle in Super Nintendo World is a magical experience, as you immediately experience sensory overload in the best way. Immediately, I felt like I was in a Mario video game. Off to the left are Bowser's Castle, an underground area, and a few minigames. There's Yoshi's Snack Island and the main area's shop on the right. Straightaway center, you have Mount Beanpole's Yoshi ride, then down below, you have a photo opp area where I found Mario, Luigi, and Toad, as well as Kinopio's Cafe (Toad's name in Japan is Kinopio).
I decided to explore a little bit before jumping into anything. The park is a relatively small corner of the greater Universal Studios Japan, but it's dense and detailed. I wander around with my eyes scanning every single detail. As good as everything looks in still images, it's even more remarkable in motion. The coins spin, the animatronic characters move realistically, and the speakers pump universally delightful versions of recognizable songs.
After hitting all the blocks I can and registering the coins in the Universal Studios Japan Super Nintendo World app, I finally decide to get on a ride. There are plenty of things for which to wait in line at Super Nintendo World, but only two actual rides. The ride with the shorter line was Yoshi's Adventure. After serpentining through a Yoshi's Island-themed queue, I finally make it to the front. I board the slow-moving Yoshi, taking me through a tour of the highest parts of the park.
Yoshi's Adventure is anything but a thrill ride. In fact, it's barely a step above a people-mover. But with some fun interactive elements and impressive animatronic-based scenes starring the likes of Kamek, Baby Mario, Thwomp, and, yes, myriad Yoshis, I was glad I went on the ride. Still, it was probably my least favorite attraction of the Super Nintendo World experience.
After exiting the ride, I'm starting to get hungry. The wait time for Kinnopio's Cafe was three hours when I went into the Yoshi ride, but I checked with the attendant, and she gave me a 40-minute estimate. Immediately, we jumped in line to sample the best food the Mushroom Kingdom has to offer. While in line, we could play Toad's Small and Big Box minigame with our wristbands and watch as the head chef Toad welcomes us. The menu is full of items inspired by Mario games, including food shaped like Super Mushrooms, Super Stars, Bowser's Shell, and plenty more.
We order a healthy helping of food from Toad, get our drinks, and take a seat in the dining room. As we sit, mini action sequences happen in the "windows" of the dining room. We see Luigi running around aimlessly, the Toads scrambling, and other familiar faces going about their days, all set to the deep well of Mario music. However, the action "outside" soon darkens, and Bowser's airship arrives, scaring everyone away as the thunderstorm approaches.
The food arrived shortly after, and we dug in after a brief photoshoot. We ordered three dishes and two desserts – we tried to order a third dessert, but the cafe was sold out of Peach's Cake. We ordered the Super Mushroom Pizza Bowl with Mushroom Tomato Sauce, the Teriyaki Chicken with Super Star Rice, and the King Bowser's Hamburger Steak with Bread. We rounded out our meal with the Block Tiramisu and Goal Pole Cake. The main course dishes were above average as far as theme-park food typically runs, but the desserts were terrific.