Video game fans will be able to step inside the worlds of Super Mario and Donkey Kong in a new “Super Nintendo World” theme park experience opening in Orlando, Fla., next year.
The Nintendo experience is part of the planned Universal Epic Universe — the fourth theme park at Universal Orlando Resort. Details revealed Thursday included a splashy video and artist renderings of what to expect.
From “Super Mario Land” to “Donkey Kong Country” visitors will be able to interact with their favorite characters and take part in a number of challenges — to “meld the game world into the real world.”
In “Super Mario Land,” players can punch blocks, collect coins, find hidden elements and track their progress against other guests in the park.
“There’s so many places to look and get engaged, you just get engulfed in it,” Eric Parr, a senior VP with Universal Creative, said in the video below. “We really wanted to create iconic worlds that deeply connect with fans.”
Visitors to the lush jungle of “Donkey Kong Country” can board a “runaway” mine cart on a family coaster that appears to jump the track.
Along with Super Nintendo World, Universal plans “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic,” “Dark Universe,” “Celestial Park,” and “How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk” as part of the Epic Universe.
Nintendo of America, a subsidiary of the Japanese gaming giant, is based in Redmond, Wash.
