TLDR: Super Nintendo World is a beautiful, conceptually flawed mess that lacks the cohesion of lands like Wizarding World and Cars Land.
Returned to Super Nintendo World Hollywood (this time with my partner) on August 9th.
We had a fun time in the land (minus Mario Kart, as she thought it was not only an inferior Toy Story Mania, but the AR made her almost hurl and it sort of ruined the day).
On the car ride home, we both agreed that the land is fun, but something about the whole experience felt...off. My original conclusion was that the land is simply just too small and that there isn't enough to interact with. My partner agreed with that, but she felt that the issue with the land was far more conceptually rooted (so this means it goes for the Osaka and Orlando versions too).
She said the plot doesn't make any sense and everything felt forced. I didn't really get what she meant initially, as I thought the concept was pretty simple: We enter the world of Mario and go on a Mario adventure.
But then we decided to compare it to the Wizarding World (WW) and Cars Land. Suddenly, I realized what she meant by the premise of the land being kind of weird.
In those lands, the premise is very simple: You enter the world of those respective IP as a guest. The land itself is just that, a land. You're suppose to explore your surroundings, go to gift shops, experience the smaller attractions and take in the environment. Then when you're ready, you go to the anchor attraction that complements the themes of the rest of the land, and is usually the land's actual story. In Radiator Springs Racers, its the big race of the town and in Forbidden Journey, you're touring Hogwarts as a guest.
In Super Nintendo World, its more complicated. We enter the land not as a guest, but as a player. And unlike the other two lands, the land itself and the E-Ticket have two separate premises, and neither compliment each other. Forbidden Journey is a compliment to the rest of the land, while Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge is doing its own narrative.
To go back to the player thing, it becomes even more weird with the Power-up bands. When we enter the land, we can't even access the land's plot as...we don't have bands. So does that mean we're not players?? And when we do get the bands...what are they supposed to represent? Do they represent support of said character on their journey to stop Bowser Jr? Are we inheriting their powers? Or are we litetally ROLEPLAYING as the characters?
If the latter is so, that means when I get the Mario band, I AM playing as Mario. But then what does that make Mario as a walk-around character? Am I clone of him? And what about Mario in the Toadstool Cafe? If Mario's "ghost" is in Mario Kart, does that mean I'm dead too? With the wands in Harry Potter, you're not going to ask these questions as there is no reason to.
If I'm busy trying to rescue the power-up band, why am I also getting an invitation from Bowser to race him? But on the Mario Kart ride, Mario is already there...so does that mean we're clones of the Power-up band character we're using? No, that doesn't make sense because we're represented as Miis(??). Why do we have to use AR goggles to see Mario and co? Are they litetal ghosts? Mario was real outside, so why is that now I can hear his voice but not see him unless I put on these goggles. Did everyone in Bowser's Castle die?
What is the actual focal point of Super Nintendo World? When you go to Hogwarts, the land builds up to that reveal of Hogwarts, as that's the main event. In Nintendo...what is the main event from a focal point? Is it Bowser's Castle? Is it Mt. Beanpole? If its Mt. Beanpole, that's weird as the main E-Ticket is in Bowser's Castle in all versions of the land. But then again, Peach's Castle is more iconic than both, so why is that regulated to this weird portal entry? I want to VISIT Peach's castle. Its sooooo weird how thet decided to treat her castle. Shouldn't the entrance to the land at LEAST be Peach's Castle???
When we go into the Mt. Beanpole warp pipe for Mario Kart, its...Yoshi themed... This is the equivalent of going into the Indiana Jones Ride Temple and its interior is themed the city of france.
What me and my partner are getting at is that Super Nintendo World makes litetally zero sense. The land has almost no cohesion and weird inconsistents (like the lack of Daisy merch, Peach's Castle not being a ride, Yoshi Island being inside of a mountain). I NEVER asked these kinds of questions in WW and Cars Land because there was no reason too. Of course those (particularly Cars Land) has inconsistents too (why is there a clone of Radiator Springs in a mountain) but there's so little of them, I don't see it as an issue.
Super Nintendo World is absolutely stunning to look at. Its filled to the brim with kinetic engery, has amazing music and fun interactivity. But I feel like the narrative point of a themed land is just as important. And to me, SNW completely fails in that regard.
Sorry for the long write-up. I needed this written down, haha.