The Super Nintendo World portal in Universal Orlando's new theme park Epic Universe is the only portal of the four (five, if you count the central hub, Celestial Park) that is essentially a dupe of an already existing area, although a plussed-up one. There is a Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Emerging from the portal's escalator/tunnel and into this world you are bombarded with colors, movement and music, as though you're in a video game. I'm not a gamer, so, as with Isle of Berk, I come to this with limited knowledge of the IP. But I found it very appealing.
My favorite ride here was "Mine-Cart Madness," a "Donkey Kong"-themed roller coaster with a newly patented ride system called a "boom coaster" that — spoiler alert — creates the illusion of jumping over tracks that have been broken. It's really a lot of fun.
"Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge" is an augmented reality dark ride/game in which riders wear AR glasses. This was a confusing ride for me — because of the game play, you're looking at and trying to shoot virtual items that your AR glasses are showing you, and I felt that distracted me from looking at and experiencing the actual ride I was physically moving through. Was I just playing a video game while I happened to be sitting in a cart? But I will say the queue for "Mario Kart" is elborate, exetensive, fun, and funny.
"Yoshi's Adventure" is a gentle, gorgeously colorful omnimover outdoor ride that hits way above its weight. I think small children (34" and taller) will adore this ride. Riders can win the game if they find three colorful eggs throughout the ride, and I'm embarrassed to say that even though it's intended for very small children, both I and my friend failed. I'll offer the excuse that we were distracted by the captivating figures and sets.
This land makes you feel like you're not only in a fantasy world, but that world is in a different dimension than ours.
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I attended a press event at Universal Epic Universe at the invitation of, and at the expense of, Universal Orlando Resort.
