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Nintendo’s Orlando theme park will have Yoshi and Donkey Kong rides

Nintendo’s Orlando theme park will have Yoshi and Donkey Kong rides

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Florida’s upcoming Epic Universe park is getting both Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country on opening day.

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The Super Nintendo World area opening at Universal Studios in Orlando next year will include every attraction from the existing theme parks in Hollywood and Japan — including the first Donkey Kong Country realm in the US. That’s according to Universal’s latest teaser for its fourth Orlando-based park, Epic Universe, which provides some clarity over what guests can expect on opening day in 2025.

Some of the experiences coming to Orlando’s Super Nintendo World include Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, an interactive track ride already featured at the Hollywood park that’s inspired by the Mario Kart racing game series, and a version of the Mine-Cart Madness roller coaster that’s under construction in Japan’s Donkey Kong Country.

Universal Orlando will also host the first Yoshi’s Adventure ride outside of Japan, an interactive family-focused experience that combines ridable Yoshi-shaped buggies with a treasure hunt for glowing eggs. Other interactive attractions, called “Key Challenges,” will also be dotted around the Nintendo-themed land. These mini-game challenges award guests with digital keys that can be used to play Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown, where Universal says “you’ll battle to win the Golden Mushroom back from Bowser Jr.”

Mario-themed food will be available to purchase via the Toadstool Cafe. A menu isn’t available to browse yet, but it seems the offerings will be similar to what Toad is already cooking up over at the Hollywood park. And in typical theme-park tradition, character meet-and-greets can be located throughout the day to grab selfies with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad.

Super Nintendo World is technically one land with two areas. Donkey Kong Country — separated from Super Mario Land by an iconic green “pipe” tunnel — is described as having “a more tropical vibe.” Universal hasn’t provided any further details regarding what attractions this section of the park will contain besides its flagship Mine-Cart Madness ride but says it’ll share more details “in the coming months.”

Nintendo will no doubt benefit from adding a second US-based theme park to its growing entertainment empire, following its (so far) successful jump into movies. We’re also awaiting further information about the other worlds that will feature at the upcoming Epic Universe park. This is the second batch of teasers following a dive into the How to Train Your Dragon-themed Isle of Berk last month, which means the next updates will likely concern the main Celestial Park hub, the Harry Potter-themed Ministry of Magic, or the Dark Universe area inspired by Universals classic monster movies.