Super Nintendo World opens on February 4th with AR Mario Kart rollercoaster

Universal Studios Japan has announced an gap date for its long-awaited Nintendo-themed area. The Super Nintendo Land zone leave open at the Osaka theme park happening February 4th, 2021.

That's actually a bit in the first place than expected — last month Nintendo said that the project would agaze in leaping. A themed cafe and merchandise store give birth already wide in the bigger Comprehensive Studios Japanese Archipelago park.

USJ and Nintendo have also provided inside information on what is sure as shootin to be unrivalled of the parking area's flagship attractions: a Mario Kart-themed rollercoaster. It's housed inside a reconstructed Bowser's castle and makes use of AR and projection mapping technology, with riders donning Argon headsets shaped like Mario's cap:

Bloomberg got an early attend at Super Nintendo Worldwide, including the Mario Kart ride, and noted that the green is coiffur to be encourage expanded with a Donkey Kong-themed area:

The cars do get steering wheels, and multiple vehicles can race alongside from each one new, but it sounds like the ride itself is on track. It's not secure that you win the cannonball along — there's an element of throwing power-ups from item boxes, and the experience testament be different each time you ride, according to USJ.

The park says it's working with health administration officials to see to it a safe environment for visitors and stave, and is presently operating at 50-percent capacity. COVID-19 cases wealthy person been rising in Osaka recently, with a record count of 490 positive tests reached on one day last week. Nippon has largely avoided strict lockdown measures to date stamp, however, relying connected contact tracing and unreal-universal mask-wearing to mitigate the pandemic's impact.

The opening of Super Nintendo World wish be closely watched equally a model for the theme park industry, which has been smasher hard by COVID-19. Last week the Walt Disney Company announced plans to lay off 32,000 employees, mostly in its parks sectionalisation.