It's a SUPER Nintendo World

Our little Texas family made it all the way out to Hollywood California to checkout Universal Studios Hollywood.  They recently opened up Super Nintendo World and we just HAD to check it out.

I've been playing Super Mario since the original came out, so I'm a big fan.  Wow!  It was very visually stunning!  Lots of bright colors and backdrops really make you feel like you fell into a Super Mario Bros. game!

Since Universal is building its next big theme park that will include its Super Nintendo World, a lot of this review will give you a good idea of whats to come for Orlando in 2025.  So lets go over our time at Super Nintendo World.

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Now I am not entirely sure how it's going to be setup in Orlando, but in Hollywood they were selling early admission tickets to be able to visit Super Nintendo World.  We of course took advantage of these tickets to get in bright and early.

Before we entered this part of the park we stopped in the shop to purchase a few Power Up Bands.  These cute slap bracelet style bands are used to collect coins and play the mini-games in the land.  

At $40 each I will definitely be saving these for when the park is open in Orlando.  At least they can also be used to unlock some costumes in Super Mario Kart.

While the park was mostly empty we took advantage to play all of the mini-games that used our bands.  I will say that since they are slap bracelets, they had a tendency to fly of my wrist while I was playing the games.

The games are ADORABLE and fun!  Each game you complete gets you a key.  You need 3 keys to be able to access Bower Jr's area and play his Challenge Game.  Each game was designed to mimic some of the mini-games you'd run across in Super Mario.  They were all about timing and hitting blocks at just the right time.  The kids got a real kick out of playing them.

There are also blocks positioned all over the park for you to earn coins on your band.

Inside of Bowser's Castle was the one and only ride.  The Mario Kart ride was really more of a game, but was still really FUN!  The queue was loaded with items from the games and portraits of Bowser himself.

​Imagine 4 of you are hopping into a Mario Kart with your own steering wheel and VR type glasses that let you see the other racers.  You drive around the track collecting coins and trying to hit the enemy racers with shells.

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We donned our Mario hats while we waited to get in our Kart.  Once in the cart you attach the lenses like a VR goggle to the hat.  It was really cute but the game takes some getting used to.  Here was the video instructions for the Mario Kart ride.  It's easy to follow even without words.

Of coarse there were character meet and greets.  The lines were getting pretty long to meet any of the characters.  Their eyes are actually digital, so they would blink occasionally, which made them feel more real.

​You are able to meet Mario and Luigi in one location and Princess Peach in another.  They're just ADORABLE!

The only thing we didn't get to do was eat at the Toadstool Cafe.  It looked really cute, but there was a virtual queue to reserve a table.  Those table reservations disappeared in the first hour of the park being open.  But I look forward to trying it out in Orlando whenever they open.

The whole land itself is really cool.  With only one ride it's not enough of a reason to come all the way out to California for, but still really cool.  The Orlando version is supposed to have at least one other ride, but we will have to wait and see.  If this is the kind of stuff Universal will be putting out soon I will be thoroughly impressed.

The early entry was totally worth it, because after being there for an hour there was already a LOT of people coming in.  I felt crowded and overloaded with all the noise of the games and people around.  I would not recommend being there midday with any child with sound sensitivities.

We had an amazing time at Universal Studios Hollywood.  We used a VIP tour which was great way to see and do pretty much everything all in one day at the park.  Super Nintendo World was pretty small, but very cute and engaging.

It really left me looking forward to Universal's  new park!  Let us know in the comments if you want to know more.  Mouse O'Clock is always happy to help you plan out your next amazing vacation.  We do book more than Disney. lol!

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