Super Nintendo World open by Universal Studios Japan

Osaka, Japan (CNN) – Kids and adults, in turn, waited to experience the world’s first Super Nintendo world and its life-size Mushroom Kingdom, which opened at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on Thursday.

Many people wore the iconic red Mario hat, while others from Nintendo were dressed to memorandum from back to back.

Minutes after the contestants were admitted, lines formed to get photos featuring Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad.

Sisters Mika and Yuko Kobayashi, one with a Yoshi headband while wearing a Mario doll, said they became emotional as they entered the new park. They have been playing Nintendo games since childhood. One added that “it is not an exaggeration to say that Mario raised me.”

Sakura Konohana, who has a Princess Peach headband, said the park “is above my expectations. I feel like I’m in the Mario world.”

While participants are allowed to communicate with the characters – who vote in their video games – they cannot touch them due to coronavirus protocols. So, for now, there is no fifting or cuddling. By comparison, Disney parks currently do not allow character photos amidst the pandemic.

Restrictions on Covid-19 at Universal Studios Japan include temperature control at the entrance, mandatory mask wear, everywhere disinfectant, social distance in the queue and signs in front of roller coasters asking riders to shout.

According to park officials, the capacity is limited to 10,000 people a day, or about half of the visitors who are in front of COVID.

Noriko Yoshinaka took the first train from Kyoto on Thursday morning to be at the park on the opening day.

“I’m scared when I take off my mask to eat food,” Yoshinaka said. “But the park seems to use safety protocols, which clean the rides and wipe surfaces every time people touch it, so I feel safe.”

Many fans said they were most excited about Koopa’s Challenge: a real Mario Kart race through Bowser’s Castle. Riders must wear augmented reality headers to see the projections of other characters and the track, as well as to collect coins and toss items.

In addition to regular rides, the entire Super Nintendo World is an immersive game in which guests can compete against other players in the park.

Just like in the video game, visitors can jump up and hit ‘question blocks’ and collect virtual coins. Guests can also purchase Power-up Bands, a wristband that can be connected to a smartphone app, where they can store these virtual coins and keys.

Super Nintendo World cost about half a billion dollars to build and more than six years to develop. The gaming industry – and Nintendo in particular – got a big boost during the pandemic, as people who increasingly locked themselves in turned to Nintendo games for escape.

For Nintendo, this is an important step outside the core business of video games and consoles. The company makes money from its intellectual property and iconic characters, with Nintendo items in gift shops across the theme park.

“They are pursuing a decades-long strategy of moving from a video game business to an entertainment business” by expanding to mobile games, movies, theme parks and merchandise, said David Gibson, an analyst at Astris Advisory based in Tokyo. , said.

This opening comes as the global theme park industry struggles. Theme parks are reopening in patchwork around the world. There are plans to open Super Nintendo Worlds in California, Singapore and Florida. In Orlando, the opening was apparently delayed until 2025.

Last year, Comcast CEO Stephen Burke said Nintendo is one of the biggest potential attendees of any kind of IP. It’s there with Harry Potter. ‘

Super Nintendo World was originally scheduled to open this summer before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Both were pushed back by about a year, and along with the Olympics, Super Nintendo World is expected to attract an influx of tourists and increase economic activity.

At the opening ceremony, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto said he hopes the whole world can visit the park when the pandemic is over.