New Nintendo Direct Shows Off Donkey Kong Country in Japan
Nintendo held another Nintendo Direct today, but this was a short one, and it wasn’t really about video games, much to the chagrin of fans expecting an announcement on the next iteration of the Nintendo Switch. No, this eleven-minute presentation was all about Super Nintendo World, the Nintendo-themed area of Universal Studios Japan. Shigeru Miyamoto, a representative director for Nintendo and a former game designer who created some of the most beloved video games of all time – Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Starfox, The Legend of Zelda – took Nintendo fans and theme park enthusiasts on a guided tour of the newest section of Super Nintendo World. After a brief stop at a store called The 1-Up Factory, Miyamoto brought fans through a tunnel where, as he notes, the wall design changes “from blocks to rocks,” which leads from Super Mario Land to the new area, Donkey Kong Country. The rest of the Nintendo Direct is Miyamoto demonstrating the various rides and attractions of Donkey Kong County, such as a mine cart roller coaster, a conga drum game (the reward for winning this is a rhino popping out of the wall), a series of lettered blocks that you can scan on a Donkey Kong Power-Up Band (which records it in the Universal Studios Japan app), eateries, playgrounds, and lots of bananas and banana-flavored food. You can see the presentation below:
The final moments of the Nintendo Direct are what make it relevant to Americans who aren’t planning on traveling to Japan anytime soon: this will apparently be the layout of the Super Nintendo World that’s coming to Universal Orlando as part of the Epic Universe. That won’t happen till next year, while Donkey Kong Country will open in the Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Japan on December 11, 2024. Recently, Universal announced that the grand opening of Epic Universe will be on May 22, 2025, so Stateside parkgoers will be able to see Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country in Florida next summer, along with the other worlds of Epic Universe: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. In fact, the Donkey Kong Country found in the Super Nintendo World of Universal Studios Japan looks almost exactly like the one that’s coming to Epic Universe in Universal Orlando; today’s Nintendo Direct was like a live-action version of the computer-generated tour of Super Nintendo World in Epic Universe that came out earlier this year, which you can see below:
It makes sense that they’d have the Japanese one ready to show off live, as it’s further along and ready to debut in a month. And while it’s not really my scene, it looks like a lot of thought went into Donkey Kong Country, with the design of the site mirroring the look and feel of the Donkey Kong video games, especially the park’s namesake. I like the nod to the original Donkey Kong in the mural on the wall that’s designed to look like a cave painting. Obviously, these parks are geared towards kids, and it looks like it’ll be a lot of fun for them, but some of these old-school references are aimed at adults to make them smile while the kids are playing. (Super Mario Land has similar references, like the 8-bit King Koopa showing up on a cave wall.) The conga game being designed for three people is a good way to get families playing together. However, I have to say that the food looks awful; I get that they want to keep it in the Donkey Kong wheelhouse with all the banana and avocado flavors, but I hope they have some basic burgers and stuff, too. All in all, Donkey Kong Country looks like it’ll be a hit internationally.
Let us know what you think of the Donkey Kong Country Nintendo Direct in the comments!
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