Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge
Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge (entered on the upper level of Super Nintendo World) is an indoor family ride (slow and smooth) that occurs in two universes: the actual sets you’re passing through and the video competition that's projected into your personal helmet visor. Every passenger wears a helmet, and when you board, you'll find a visor, which clicks into place with magnets for the duration of the ride (4 minutes).
Like the video game series this attraction is based on, the cartoonish settings rapidly change as you "race," passing through water and sky, by a volcano, through baddie Bowser's castle library, onto the Rainbow Road, and more. But there’s also the story that’s projected into the visor. That's where animations of the characters who populate this world will appear, enabling you to see both your cartoonish environment and its virtual population simultaneously.
Before you ride, the rules of the game will be explained to you wordlessly, using pictures and sounds, just like in an old Nintendo game. The aim is to collect ammunition that appears along your path and then fire it at your opponents by pressing a button on your steering wheel. It's harder than it sounds— the bad guys are mixed in with fellow racing characters who are your friends, so it’s easy to hit the wrong racer by accident. The gist is that the bad guys are generally angry-looking and spiky.
If you didn’t grow up with these characters, you may find this world head-spinning, but it's not hard to put aside the game element to enjoy the color and the chaos. It’s mayhem. It’s noisy. There will be lots of of virtual pests flying at your face and jangly music in your ears. You'll feel like you’re trapped inside a video game console, which isn't everyone's bag, and the visor projections aren't always clear or effectively rendered.
That's why there seems to be a strong adult/child divide on liking this ride: If you're headache-prone, once may be enough, but if you're a kid with higher tolerance, you may want to re-ride endlessly. There's no question that Universal's lavish ride budget shows up in what you see.
This ride also links with the optional Power-Up Band, which, if purchased, enables the Universal app to keep track of all your scores.
Kids must be at least 40 inches (102 cm) tall to ride, and if they're under 48 inches (123 cm), they have to do it with an adult. Your cart (two passengers in the front row, two in the elevated back row with clear views) doesn't move very fast and there's only some light rotation here and there.
The queue areas, which are fully indoors in the AC, are some of the best ever made, full of details and expensive set pieces that must have cost as much as some other full attractions. The line also has stairs, and lots of them, but as always, there are elevators for guests who want them—ask staff.
Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge (entered on the upper level of Super Nintendo World) is an indoor family ride (slow and smooth) that occurs in two universes: the actual sets you’re passing through and the video competition that's projected into your personal helmet visor. Every passenger wears a helmet, and when you board, you'll find a visor, which clicks into place with magnets for the duration of the ride (4 minutes).
Like the video game series this attraction is based on, the cartoonish settings rapidly change as you "race," passing through water and sky, by a volcano, through baddie Bowser's castle library, onto the Rainbow Road, and more. But there’s also the story that’s projected into the visor. That's where animations of the characters who populate this world will appear, enabling you to see both your cartoonish environment and its virtual population simultaneously.
Before you ride, the rules of the game will be explained to you wordlessly, using pictures and sounds, just like in an old Nintendo game. The aim is to collect ammunition that appears along your path and then fire it at your opponents by pressing a button on your steering wheel. It's harder than it sounds— the bad guys are mixed in with fellow racing characters who are your friends, so it’s easy to hit the wrong racer by accident. The gist is that the bad guys are generally angry-looking and spiky.
If you didn’t grow up with these characters, you may find this world head-spinning, but it's not hard to put aside the game element to enjoy the color and the chaos. It’s mayhem. It’s noisy. There will be lots of of virtual pests flying at your face and jangly music in your ears. You'll feel like you’re trapped inside a video game console, which isn't everyone's bag, and the visor projections aren't always clear or effectively rendered.
That's why there seems to be a strong adult/child divide on liking this ride: If you're headache-prone, once may be enough, but if you're a kid with higher tolerance, you may want to re-ride endlessly. There's no question that Universal's lavish ride budget shows up in what you see.
This ride also links with the optional Power-Up Band, which, if purchased, enables the Universal app to keep track of all your scores.
Kids must be at least 40 inches (102 cm) tall to ride, and if they're under 48 inches (123 cm), they have to do it with an adult. Your cart (two passengers in the front row, two in the elevated back row with clear views) doesn't move very fast and there's only some light rotation here and there.
The queue areas, which are fully indoors in the AC, are some of the best ever made, full of details and expensive set pieces that must have cost as much as some other full attractions. The line also has stairs, and lots of them, but as always, there are elevators for guests who want them—ask staff.
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