Super Nintendo World (UOR) - Reviews, Photos & Media

[rhino4evr]

I think Disney is about to find out , that the kids would rather go to Mario world and “Dragon world “ than fantasy land.

 

[GAcoaster]

I think Disney is about to find out , that the kids would rather go to Mario world and “Dragon world “ than fantasy land.

There will be no shortage of princesses, but Epic will have more appeal to traditionally masculine boys.

 

[Brian G.]

 

[DarkMetroid567]

There will be no shortage of princesses, but Epic will have more appeal to traditionally masculine boys.

There is a Disney IP that’s huge with boys, but the location it’s going in is ruffling some feathers.

 

[Mad Dog]

Cute family attraction. Not everything has to be a D/E ticket. Has always reminded me of the Seuss Trolly at IOA.

 

[Brian G.]

 

[Jake S]

Cute family attraction. Not everything has to be a D/E ticket. Has always reminded me of the Seuss Trolly at IOA.

the height requirement (while i understand it’s necessary!) stinks, though, and limits just how broad that family is.

 

[saint.piss]

I'll give them credit for the Epic version, it's very plus size friendly. SLoP at USH utilizes the same ride vehicles and not very many plus size peeps fit on that one, same in Tokyo. Not sure what they changed but for the Epic Universe version anyone can fit. As long as it goes down even a little bit you're fine. Very happy they improved that.

 

[Hockeyman55]

Epic by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

Epic by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

Nintendo by Mike Sperduto, on Flickr

 

[Cwoolboy]

Super Nintendo World offers everything a fan of Nintendo could want or ask for. You truly feel like you have entered into the world of their video games. The two main entrances both force you upstairs, one by escalator, the other by a flight of stairs. While trekking those two flights of stairs to the entrance is not fun, I actually prefer the second entrance as it's much moodier and atmospheric.

Once you exit Peach's Castle, you are immediately bombarded with an onslaught of external stimuli. The land is bursting with kinetic motion, everywhere you look something is moving or making noise and there is a close to infinite amount of interactive elements to discover and play with (including multiple blocks to bop with your hands or your head, if you're feeling brave enough). It's overwhelming, but undeniably effective and immersive. There's even a mini-land attached to Super Nintendo World themed to Donkey Kong Country.

Donkey Kong Country isn't particularly big, but it is well-themed and the music that plays throughout the area is an absolute bop. Super Nintendo World will try to convince you to buy a Power-Up Band, a wearable accessory similar to a MagicBand that allows you to unlock mini-games throughout the land, track your score on Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, and compete with friends/family. A Power-Up Band costs approximately forty-eight dollars. In order to use the band in Donkey Kong Country, you have to purchase a Donkey Kong Country add-on accessory.

YOSHI'S ADVENTURE

What a delightful little ride. It's essentially Epic's version of the Seuss Trolly Train Ride, but so much better than it's predecessor. First off, the queue is adorable as heck and the music that plays throughout it is very nice. The story is that we are joining Yoshi for an egg hunt. When you find an egg on the ride, you press the corresponding egg button on your ride vehicle.

The Yoshi vehicles are VERY slow moving, and the ride feels like it could be a little bit longer. It basically exists to give guests a relaxing aerial view of Super Nintendo World, but there is one interior show scene and multiple animatronics throughout. I've heard people complaining about this one, but I can't agree. I found it to be incredibly relaxing and pleasant.

 

[GA-MBIT]

I will always love Super Nintendo World. I was destined to love Super Nintendo World since I was a kid at age six drawing pictures combining my two favorites things: Orlando theme parks and my Nintendo console. There's a lot to love here.

But man, the more time you spend in the place, the more weird design decisions you notice, the more that the gameplay kinda doesn't work at all, and the more you realize that the land really sells a negative perception to the average day guest. This land is an absolute wonder, and it's also an absolute mess.

I don't have time to get into every little nitpick here. But I have enough time for a lot of 'em haha! Here's some lightning round bullet points..

Spoiler: Bathrooms, and Vertical distances

• Why is there only one bathroom in the entire land? I know the land is decently small, but that condensed size is only within horizontal space. You are making a considerable vertical trek going anywhere in Nintendo World, whether exercising on the famous Epic Universe staircases or using one of two elevators which are hidden yet always crowded. It takes forever to get anywhere here, bathroom included. Not even an extra washroom in Toad Cafe? Why do I have to basically go to Donkey Kong Country and back to wash my hands before eating? And even when you know the general location of the bathrooms, they're really hidden and tucked away behind a merch cart!

Spoiler: Unclear inconsistent Power-Up Band gameplay

• Guests don't understand the bands at all. You need them to play some games, but not all of them. But sometimes the TM's won't let guests without bands play those either. And you hit Blocks with the band, but you tap the band for the Key touchpoints, but you don't need to do either for the screen Key games? And you can just hit the blocks with your hand and be fine, but you need to directly tap to get other collectibles? But you can just use your hands for screen games. As previously established, you can hit blocks with your hand and as long as you're wearing the band it'll be fine. But don't hit any screens with your hand! How's a rando guest supposed to actually know what they're doing at any given moment? Every touchpoint looks the same and gives the player no actual indication on what you're supposed to do for that specific touchpoint.
• It also is decently difficult to even find the Power-Up Band part of the app if you don't know what you're doing. It's under like 5 different prompts before you can finally scan your band and see your progress.

Spoiler: There are (almost) no exits.

• The land will trap you inside of it if you don't know where the exact exit is. The dense labyrinth of paths is fun for me, but also 100% leads to a ton of average guest confusion. This is made way worse by the fire exit sign above the Underground Level tunnel. I've seen so many tired, sweaty families walk in ready to leave the maximalist sensory environment of Super Mario Land, only to loop back around to the middle of the land again confused and dazed, unsure of where they went wrong; before realizing you have to go back through an unmarked Peach's Castle exit if you want to leave from the top floor.

Spoiler: Mario Kart Madness: Bowser's Showdown

• There are two attractions. One is an E-Ticket, and the other is an incredibly low-capacity upcharge interactive game. One is called Bowser's Challenge, and the other is called Bowser Jr Showdown. They are both located inside of a big castle, and they are right next to each other. The first one that guests see is the one that has a constant 5 minute wait, and then they have to be turned away for not buying a $45 gadget and are pointed towards the ride with a constant 70-120 minute wait. Regardless of the validity of any of the experiences once you understand them, that experience is far, far more common and is honestly really not great.
• In the same vein, there are two different rides. One is called Mario Kart and the other is Mine Kart. I believe they chose the correct name for both attractions, but that is an unfortunate situation especially for non-English speaking guests.

Spoiler: Blinding Binoculars

• The binoculars are really fun and cute, and a really cool thematic addition! ... Until you get randomly get hit by the light of a thousand suns when a guest using one at mid-day shines it at just the right angle to reflect the Florida sun directly into your retinas! God, it's actually dreadful!!

Spoiler: Yoshi's Adventure

• Why is Yoshi so short? I wish that ride had anywhere the length of the Suess Trolley or a Peoplemover. It's cute and I do enjoy it, but it's definitely not the best version of itself.
• The fact that a ride like Yoshi regularly gets to 50-70 minute waits is a crime, and it's a sign of poor design at a number of levels.

Spoiler: Goomba hates toddlers.

• Why is there nothing for little kids to do at Nintendo World? You couldn't have made a DK Treehouse playset or a Yoshi Garden toddler park or something? The $45 interactives do not cut it for this at all. Speaking of...
• The Goomba Crank game has you forcibly spinning a pretty heavy solid wooden crank for a couple seconds. This is a task that most people above the age of 10 can do without issue, but this is almost impossible for little ones. Which leads to their parents helping push the crank for them. Which would be fine, except that the crank is perfectly toddler-head height!! So parents who want to win a Key for their little child end up slamming a heavy wooden block into their head instead! Why is it designed this way? I've honestly seen this from my spot in line multiple times! It's legitimately crazy to me!

Spoiler: Rain and the SNW pavement don't mix

• The painted floors don't hold traction the best to begin with, so when it's raining, walking around SNW is a genuine hazard. I've seen so many people eat it out there, some far worse than others. I'm out here doing the NES Castlevania Belmont walk cycle to not bust my head open.

So ... would you believe me if I said Nintendo World itself is my favorite attraction at Epic?

Sometimes it's easier to get out the stuff that really aggravates you than the stuff that you love. After enough time in a place that I'm passionate about, those little quirks can add up, build interest, and take over the initial joy and wonder I found in it to begin with. It's good to get some of these thoughts out there; having these out there cements them as my honest thoughts about the place, while also allowing them to clear out of my head a little bit so I can enjoy it all a bit more fully, with a more balanced perspective. I'll hopefully be back here to discuss the things the land really delivers with at some point in the future.

In order to use the band in Donkey Kong Country, you have to purchase a Donkey Kong Country add-on accessory.

I don't believe that's true haha. Every Power-Up band works with every touchpoint.

 

[Jake S]

I remember the first time I did this land in Japan, I felt overwhelmed but chalked that up to traveling and being hungover. Then I did this land in Hollywood and thought it was mediocre, but chalked it up to it being an abridged version of the full thing. Now I've done the full thing in Orlando and have come to the conclusion that the land stinks. I didn't care for any of the rides, I don't like how it all looks and it's the best example of the one-way-in and one-way-out philosophy failing (imo, obviously).

I've been playing Nintendo games since I was a kid and I've got no desire to go back in here. Happy for everyone that digs this land, but it just didn't work for me.

 

[GA-MBIT]

I remember the first time I did this land in Japan, I felt overwhelmed but chalked that up to traveling and being hungover. Then I did this land in Hollywood and thought it was mediocre, but chalked it up to it being an abridged version of the full thing. Now I've done the full thing in Orlando and have come to the conclusion that the land stinks. I didn't care for any of the rides, I don't like how it all looks and it's the best example of the one-way-in and one-way-out philosophy failing (imo, obviously).

I've been playing Nintendo games since I was a kid and I've got no desire to go back in here. Happy for everyone that digs this land, but it just didn't work for me.

In a lot of ways, the land is actively hostile and grating. It's overwhelmingly kinetic. It's constantly too loud. The crowds never die down. The entire front section is devoted to an upcharge experience that isn't really mentioned in much marketing, so by the time an average guest gets to the actual attraction (which has no clear signage itself) they end up unsure if they can even ride or not without paying for a Band. 2 of 3 rides have awful capacity and terribly long lines with grating queue music, and the third ride which doesn't have those issues as bad just plain stinks. It constantly asks you to climb tall staircases and backtrack throughout the complex, within a park already lousy with stairs and backtracking.

I completely understand someone not enjoying Nintendo World at all.