A couple of weeks ago, Nightmarish Conjurings ventured out to visit the latest addition to Universal Studios Hollywood – SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. After making a Virtual Line reservation in the Universal Studios app, which yes, you do need to make a reservation currently in order to get into SUPER NINTENDO WORLD separate from the Universal Studios experience, we made our way over to this bright cartoon land adventure experience.

Located next to the Transformers: The Ride on the Lower Lot, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD greets you with a warp pipe and a special photo op before you get your warp on. As you venture into the pipe, you feel the immersion of warping due to the design of the moving lights in the tunnel. From here you transition into Peach’s Castle before entering the world’s open space.

The real magic (and overwhelm) of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is when you step into the light. There’s so much to take in. The details astound and, ignoring the crowds of people, you truly are transported into a live-action video game. The downside to the design is if you struggle with overstimulation or overload, it is a lot of activity to take in.

Across from you as you exit Peach’s Castle is Bowser’s Castle. Here, you’ll find the land’s only ride – Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. We did not go on the ride due to size restrictions, but it is an AR Dark Ride that makes you feel like you’re living out your own Mario Kart adventure in real time. If you have a Power-Up band, there are 1UP games all throughout the walls of the park to help with crowd control.

Pay to Play in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD

While we attended as press, I do have to take into consideration the expenses involved in relation to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. It’s not cheap to go to a theme park. There are the usual expenses involved but SUPER NINTENDO WORLD requires just a little bit more if you want the full experience. In order to play the games inside SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, you need to purchase the Power-Up band in order to play, which runs you roughly $40 per person unless you share the wristband.

Without a Power-Up Band, there’s not much that can be done within the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD outside of photo opportunities and waiting in line for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge which, for the time we were in the world, stayed stuck at a 3-hour wait time. Because the world is newly opened, the line situation is crazy. But, if you haven’t budgeted out to purchase that wristband, there’s little reason to stick around after taking in the park’s design.

There was also a problem when we were there surrounding the actual time it would take to enter the Toadstool Café. First, you must make a reservation to stand in line to enter the Café. At the time, based on the confirmation we received, we did not realize that the reservation wasn’t for the actual restaurant; it was to stand in line to enter. It was only when we were informed at the entrance that it was going to be another 1-2 hours before we’d actually get to eat that we realized there was significant miscommunication regarding the reservation system.

Accessible – Yay or Nay?

The topic of accessibility is of importance to us here at Nightmarish Conjurings. When it came to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. As has made the rounds already, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is inaccessible over a certain weight limit. There is the ability to get an accessibility pass to come back at a later time to help with the long wait time for those with sensory and mobility issues.

That said, the same accommodation was not made for photo ops or lines to access the 1UP games. My colleague uses a cane and cannot stand for long periods of time. When we asked a couple of the park employees if there was a line specifically for those with handicapped passes, we were told no and that we would have to wait in line with everyone else. After seeing a couple of people in wheelchairs waiting in lines with others, we realized that this issue wasn’t an isolated incident.

I’d like to revisit this addition in a few months once the hype dies down to gauge how the experience improves overall. Whether it was just a chaotic day due to spring break crowds and new release jitters, or if this is how the experience is meant to be, we did not have a successful venture on our first trip out. The dazzle and splendor of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD aren’t enough to distract from some glaring issues.

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We may not have leveled up, but that doesn’t stop you from giving it a go. Purchase tickets to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD here and see if you can beat our (not so high) score.