2020 will be a big year for Nintendo, and not just with Nintendo Switch games.
Progress is underway on the opening of Super Nintendo World, the latest addition to Universal Studios Japan. It’s slated to open just in time for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and the latest pictures reveal that it’s getting closer to reality.
The pictures come from Imgur, and, at first glance, there’s not much to see, since a lot of scaffolding is in the way. However, upon closer inspection, you can make out some familiar structures.
In the first image below, you can see the top of what appears to be Mario’s house, complete with a flag on top. (No, it’s not likely you’ll be able to grab onto it and slide down as Mario did. Still, great to see.)
Next up, there’s some work going on for the tower of Bowser’s castle, as it looks similar to what we see in the games.
Here’s a more prominent shot of Bowser’s castle, with a little more of its structure in view. Again, there’s a lot of scaffolding, but it is noticeable.
There’s not much to see here, aside from the apparent Waterworld stunt show. But Super Nintendo World looks to take up quite a bit of space in the park.
In this shot, you can see just how vast Super Nintendo World is. And there’s a sign of that tower again, along with another building that’s in construction.
And Yoshi can’t hide from the spotlight. He is Yoshi, after all. (It’s almost like he’s saying, “Soon.”)
When the park opens in Japan next spring (and Beijing sometime in 2021, with a similar setup), it should draw in Nintendo fans old and young alike. It’s set to focus on two huge rides — Super Mario Kart Ride and Yoshi’s Adventure — and will have additional opportunities to relive moments from the game.
It’s great to see that a deal that’s been in the works between Nintendo and Universal since 2016 is finally taking fruition. Check out the initial groundbreaking announcement in the video below.
