Super Nintendo World is the Super Mario-themed area inside Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles. Despite being 3 years old, this is still one of the main attractions at Universal. I’d been warned of limited access to Super Nintendo World due to summer crowds, so I opted to pay an extra $35/pp surcharge for Early Access, which allowed us entry at 8 am instead of 9 am. I found this upcharge galling because back in 2000, it only cost $35 to get into Universal Studios itself.
My whole family are Nintendo game fants, so rather than risk not seeing all of Super Nintendo World, I begrudgingly paid for Early Access. On top of this, I also paid for two $45 Nintendo Power-Up wrist bands at a gift shop so my kids could enjoy the interactive attractions inside the park. I’ll leave the debate on the value of this extra fee for later. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Super Mario World is located almost at the exact opposite end of Universal Studios from the main entrance, so you have to walk through it all to get there. We were allowed through the front gate of Universal Studioes a little bit before 8 am, but were held up by staff about half-way to Harry Potter World near the Hello Kitty shop until 8 am. Staff kept folks from running and causing a rush. We all proceeded to the escalators down to the Sound Stage / Studios half of Universal. Walking past the Jurassic Park, Mummy, and Transformers attractions (and soon to be Fast & Furious Roller Coaster), we reached the giant green pipe entrance to Super Mario World.
I’ve been to Disneyland, Disney World, and Universal over a hundred times, so I thought I’d be a bit jaded. Walking through the Warp Pipe and its gates for the first time was refreshingly awe-inspiring. The designers did an exemplary job in creating the feel of a human-sized Super Mario world. Nintendo game music and sounds were everywhere, and the colors and movement were overwhelming.
Super Nintendo World felt both bigger and smaller than I expected. The scale of the structures and rooms made me feel small but the amount of space that the park takes up and the amount of space and activities could be completed in an hour’s time. This is where paying extra to get in early paid off. Most of the rides had less than a 15 minute wait and some less than 5. After general admission and the normal crowds arrived after 9 am, Super Nintendo World quickly swelled up and I could see where waits could get to be an hour or more for rides like Mario Kart.
You can read about Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge in my other article. But for now, we’ll focus on the interactive games, Easter Eggs, and the Bowser Jr’s Shadow Showdown attraction. You don’t need to buy Power-Up Wrist Bands to enjoy most of Super Nintendo World but having at least one member of your party with one allows you to take part in interactive attractions.
Located throughout Super Nintendo World are yellow power-up boxes, just like the Super Mario games. Punching the underside of the boxes with an arm with a Power-Up wrist band earns you a virtual coin (and sound effect!). You can keep track of the coins and keys you earn through the Universal Studios app on your phone or by tapping your wristband at a kiosk near the bathrooms.
These coins earn you points and access to some Easter Eggs, like triggering special audio messages from Mario, Luigi, or Princess Peach if you encounter them at character meetups in the park. Camouflaged on walls in random locations in the park, are key buttons which trigger visual Easter Eggs when you touch them with your wristband. Finally, there are 5 mini-games and the Bowser Jr. attraction, which can only be accessed with a wristband. If you are in a group, if at least one member of your party has a wristband, the rest of your party can also participate.
Near the entrance of Super Nintendo World is Goomba Crazy Crank which requires you to rotate and hand crank at a consistant speed to beat a Goomba. In Piranha Plant Nap Mishap, you have about a dozen alarm clocks which you have to run around and hit to turn off. Koopa-Troopa Power Punch, which relies on timing while hitting an exploding POW box to cause a koopa to hit a coin.
Thwomp Panel Panic is the fourth mini-game, but it is easy to overlook (kind of like secret rooms or warp pipes in a video game). The entrance to Thwomp Panel Panic is unmarked next to the exit for Toadstool Cafe. Inside is an interactive LCD wall that displays a random set of yellow and blue tiles. Tapping the blue tiles turns them yellow and earns you a key.
Once you have earned at least three keys, the staff will let you tap your wristband at the entrance of Bowser Jr Shadow Showdown. This is an AR game where you line up in a room and IR sensors project your shadow onto the LCD wall. You move your body to block attacks and hit flying Koopas and attacking baddies to earn points.
As you exit the Shadow Showdown, you may notice another unmarked entrance opposite your exit. This will lead you up a set of stairs to an overlook balcony. Here you can get a great view of Super Nintendo World and play a bonus interactive wall game, Frosted Glacier.
And that’s it. There is also Toadstool Cafe (a theme restaurant) and the Super Nintendo World gift shop. There may have been additional Easter Eggs we may have missed, but we managed to complete all of the attractions at Super Nintendo World in about an hour. Was it worth an extra $140 ($35/pp) to do it? If you have only a limited time visiting L.A. or hate crowds, it is.
