After a six-month delay, Universal Studios Japan’s Donkey Kong Country-themed Super Nintendo World expansion finally has an opening date. It’s opening its doors at full speed starting December 11, and if you’re curious to see what’s in store, you can now watch Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto take a tour of the area, with a brief break to play some bongo drums. .
A Donkey Kong-themed expansion for Universal’s Super Nintendo World theme park area was officially announced in September 2021, just months after the opening of its main Mushroom Kingdom-themed area (although it had been seen in mock-ups much earlier). At the time, Universal teased that it would include “interactive experiences and themed merchandise and food,” along with a new roller coaster, and now we’ve had our best look yet at the finished product.
Miyamoto toured the Donkey Kong Country expansion in a special ten-minute Nintendo Direct, beginning by taking players through the now unsealed warp tube to the back of the Mushroom Kingdom. As park visitors travel its length, its war of red bricks turns into rocks before the pipe opens to a jungle-themed area filled with palm trees, wooden shacks, and even the iconic Donkey treehouse. Kong. And above the entire area stands its centerpiece, the new Golden Temple that houses a new roller coaster.
Before all that, Miyamoto spent some time showing off some of his other (admittedly not especially fascinating) items, including the Jungle Beat Shakes store where visitors can purchase hot dogs and other assorted foods; Funky’s Flay ‘n’ Buy, where you can purchase a variety of Donkey Kong-themed merchandise, as well as Donkey Kong’s Treehouse, where customers can take their Donkey Kong photos. Additionally, there is a three-player bongo-themed rhythm game where players must follow flashing lights to wake Rambi the rhino from his slumber inside a box. “If there’s no place to play bongos,” Eurogamer’s Tom Phillips wrote in 2021, “I’ll be disappointed.” Your dreams have come true.
Elsewhere, Universal’s Donkey Kong Country area uses the Power Band system seen in the Mushroom Kingdom portion of the park, and band users can explore their surroundings in search of the iconic Donkey Kong letter blocks, collecting them in the Universal app. All of which eventually led Miyamoto to the imposing Golden Temple, where, as detailed by a pair of Cranky Kong and Sqawks animatronics, guests can ride his Mine Cart Madness roller coaster in an attempt to help protect Tiki’s Golden Banana. Kong.
Unfortunately, today’s Nintendo Direct didn’t show much of the roller coaster, but we do know, thanks to various theme park fan sites over the years, that it features a unique attraction system designed to give users the illusion that your carts are skipping sections. broken track, while the real track is hidden underneath.
You can take a virtual tour of Universal Studios Japan’s new Donkey Kong Country expansion in the video above, and those who can attend in person will be able to do so starting December 11 of this year. Alternatively, the area will be included as part of Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park in Florida, which will open on May 22, 2025.
