Today is a very exciting day for both theme park enthusiasts and video game fans out there. Because after months of building anticipation, Universal Studios' Super Nintendo World is finally open to the public. Plenty of folks traveled to Universal Studios Hollywood to be there for the very first rope drop (see the reviews here), experiencing the immersive new world for themselves. But there's a downside to this excitement, and first day footage of Universal’s Mario Kart ride shows a lengthy Bowser’s Challenge line. Mama Mia!
One of the most exciting parts of Universal's Super Nintendo World is the new VR ride Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, which allows guests to experience a Kart race IRL. And as such, the line for the ride on opening day has been understandably quite long. CinemaBlend's Dirk Libbey was there to see it all, and took a video that showed the line wrapping around the entire ride. Check it out for yourself below:
Line for MarioKart currently reaching back to the land entrance pic.twitter.com/irjerweBHpFebruary 17, 2023
Talk about a long line. The wait eventually reached a whopping 100 minutes, although it'll no doubt be thrilling to even be in the queue for the ride. But given how long fans have waited to experience Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, it makes sense that opening day would bring in big crowds. After all, theme park enthusiasts have likely already experienced the rest the park has to offer already. And who doesn't want to be one of the first people experience all Super Nintendo World has to offer?
While a line that goes all the way to Super Nintendo World's entrance seems like a logistical nightmare, that didn't last long. As Dirk Libbey shared, eventually the crowds were able to be shuttled into the show building itself, rather than creating traffic in the land as a whole. As he shared:
The line has now fully entered the show building, after almost an hour, so the land is a bit more open pic.twitter.com/blZ6QuhkK4February 17, 2023
Since it's the first day that Super Nintendo World is open to the public, it's definitely understandable to hiccups like this to occur. While the employees have been trained and previewed the new land for the press, the gates are officially open. And now anyone at Universal Studios can go on their own Mario Kart ride... even if they have to wait a bit. But hey, that's what Nintendo-themed snacks are there for!
It should be fascinating to see what both theme park enthusiasts and more casual fans ultimately think of Super Nintendo World. It certainly seems like an immersive experience, where you can play a variety of games and interact with aspects of the world. Although Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge is the only actual ride in this exciting new part of the park.
Both Disney and Universal have been making exciting additions to their theme parks, which are becoming more and more immersive. And now on top of the Wizarding World attractions, Universal Studios Hollywood has the beloved characters from Nintendo, and some A+ merchandise. Let the competitive games begin.
