While we already know that Nintendo has teamed up with Universal to create a Super Nintendo World theme park, we now know more details about the project. This information comes from a trademark filing found on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
While the majority of the filing is what you would expect, there are a few clues about what attractions are under development. Perhaps the most obvious is the line in the filing that goes “management or arrangement of kart racing.” This means there’s probably going to be a real life Mario Kart racetrack to test your skills on! That being said, it’s probably safe to assume the turtle shells, banana peels and squids shooting ink will be kept to a minimum.
Looking through the rest of the filing, there seems to be hints Nintendo will include an arcade in Super Nintendo World. This isn’t too surprising, and would honestly be a bit of a missed opportunity if there were no video games to actually play in a theme park devoted to video games.
Interestingly enough, there could also be a gaming experience built into the park itself. There are a number of references to providing games for smartphones and through telecommunications networks. There is also a line about renting a handheld gaming apparatus. Could Nintendo include special experiences that require you to have a smartphone or 3DS? It’s possible there could be exclusive DLC items shared through NFC devices (think an amiibo you have to go to instead of one that you buy).
The rest of the filing is all basic things you’d expect to see at a theme park. This includes toys and costumes of Nintendo characters, live performances, the use of Nintendo music, and so on.
So now that we’ve talked about what could be coming, what do we want to see? Let’s break it down: every good park has a roller coaster, a high-concept ride and a few other, smaller rides. F-Zero could be the inspiration for a fantastic roller coaster. You already have cars racing incredibly fast on loopy, twisty courses. It makes sense to turn the car into a train and let everyone get to feel like Captain Falcon after a big race.
As for a high-concept ride, this means something that incorporates visuals and sounds into the ride. Think along the lines of the ride through Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park or the Toy Story ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If it were up to me, I’d make a ride where you join Samus hunting for metroids. Players would get some kind of weapon and blast away while running from Ridley and all the other Metroid creepy-crawlies. You could even get a score during the ride and compare with your friends who did best at the end.
It would also be cool to see a big park area designed to be a real-life Super Mario Bros. level. Guests would be able to climb up and down on blocks, jump on goombas, go in and out of warp pipes and more. There could even be a flag to grab for as you exit the area.
You know there’s also going to be all kinds of Nintendo-themed food, so expect to see a Donkey Kong smoothie stand, or something involving fruit. A restaurant could also be a good way of tying in a franchise that wouldn’t work well for a ride, like Animal Crossing or Fire Emblem. Of course, expect plenty of candy stars and mushrooms as well.
So what do you think? Are you excited about a real-life Mario Kart ride? What other rides or experiences would you like to see at Super Nintendo World? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
