The opening of Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Japan is just under a month away, which has led to a significant increase in information regarding the park. Ars Technica has gotten the chance to go hands-on with the park’s Power-Up Bands, revealing a lot of new information on the ways players will be able to interact with various attractions. The Bands work like a slap bracelet, and are meant to be linked with the park’s Super Nintendo World phone app. By using the Power-Up Bands throughout the park, players can earn stamps, coins, and keys, the latter of which unlocks a special attraction.
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By syncing the Power-Up Band with the app, visitors are given instructions on how to earn all of these items. Apparently, touching the Band to various things around the park allows players to collect stamps and coins, contributing to the player’s high score. These interactions can also prompt mini-games. Mini-games have multiple difficulty levels, so players of all ages can enjoy them. Beating these mini-games allows players to earn keys. There are three keys available in total, and two are required to access the Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown attraction. Apparently, Shadow Showdown pits visitors against Bowser Jr. and other villains from the Super Mario franchise.
The park also has a hide-and-seek challenge, requiring players to find certain Nintendo characters with a pair of binoculars. A Pikmin display was sighted at Super Nintendo World last month, and it seems that its presence is directly related to the hide-and-seek challenge. Why Pikmin were chosen for this role is a mystery, as the characters have never interacted with the Mario family outside of Super Smash Bros., but it could just be the influence of Shigeru Miyamoto, who created both franchises.
Through the app, Ars Technica was also able to discover the names of the following mini-games: “Koopa Troopa POWer [sic] Punch,” “Piranha Plant Nap,” “Bob-Omb Kaboom Room,” “Thwomp Panel Panic,” and “Goomba Crazy Crank.” Last but not least, the park’s Note Blocks allow players to listen to various songs from the franchise, including “Ground Theme,” “Water World,” “Bob-Omb Battlefield,” “Main Theme,” “Athletic,” “Underground,” “Slider,” “Airship,” and “Ending Theme.”
All in all, this is a very interesting glimpse into how the park will work! The Power-Up Bands sound like an exciting way for Super Nintendo World to pay homage to Mario’s video game roots. Visitors will get to try them out for themselves when Super Nintendo World opens in Universal Studios Japan on February 4th.
Are you excited to find out more about Super Nintendo World? What do you think of the attraction, thus far? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
