After a few delays, Universal Studios Japan is about to welcome its first visitors as March 18th marks theofficial opening of theSuper Nintendo Worldtheme park. While investigative fans have been able to unearth plenty of information about the park already, a recent discovery is among the most exciting as it appears that the newest expansion will beDonkey Kong-themed.
A few aerial shots came via Twitter user ttcajaecji07513, showing off the potential area for theDonkey Kongexpansion. It appears to be about the same size as theMario-themedpart of the current park, effectively doubling the entire size with a short tunnel set to connect the two. Last year,dataminers discoveredDonkey Kong-relatedassetsthat hinted at the now-confirmed expansion. Unfortunately, the aerial photos give very little to go on as the current location for theDonkey Kongpark is simply an empty lot without any construction started.
RELATED:Super Nintendo World Theme Park Delayed By Another Year
With the official opening ofSuper Nintendo Worldhaving already been delayed, fans shouldn’t expect theDonkey Kongpark to be open anytime soon. However, the rest ofSuper Nintendo Worldlooks promising. The theme park comes equipped with an app to guide visitors through the park and allows them to interact with various characters and objects from their favorite games. As visitors walk through the park, they will gather keys that are integral to the in-park storyline.
As fans explore the park and gather keys, they will unlock thefinal part ofSuper Nintendo World, a boss battle with the devious Bowser Jr. The requirements for unlocking the ride is reminiscent of theSuper Mario 64system that required players to gather stars before moving on to the next levels—a nod to this idea is included in the Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown ride with fans being greeted by a portrait like the ones in the game. As well, fans of the Bowser Jr. character will get to see brand new art as well as a life-size replica of the character.
Unfortunately, the keys required to enter the Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown ride are built into the Power-Up Bands which are offered at additional cost to admission. This means that only the most die-hard fans will get to experience the ride due to its additional cost, and the added effort of collecting various keys to unlock the experience. For now, it remains to be seen if theDonkey Kongpart of the park will have a similar offering related to the Power-Up Band, but it’s easy to imagine visitors being required to break virtual barrels and collect bananas.
Super Nintendo Worldis now open at Universal Studios Japan with additional theme parks in development in Hollywood, Orlando, and Singapore.
