Universal Studios’ brand-new theme park, Epic Universe, opened its gilded gates to the public last Thursday. This fourth park offers five new themed destinations such as Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, How to Train Your Dragon: Trial of Berk, and Dark Universe, themed after Universal classic monster flicks. For video game fans, the most exciting destination is the Orlando version of the acclaimed Super Nintendo World.
This is the third iteration of Nintendo’s Mario-focused theme park and only the second in the US, following the parks in Osaka and Los Angeles, respectively. However, the Epic Universe variant is the only North American location to feature the Donkey Kong Country Expansion, originally an Osaka-exclusive. I visited Universal Epic Universe during a special media event before its grand opening and spent several hours exploring every inch of the new park. Since we’ve extensively covered the Japan and California iterations of Super Nintendo World in the past, and the Orlando version is identical in size and scope to the Osaka park specifically (if not bigger), this piece focuses squarely on my time exploring Donkey Kong’s US theme park debut.
You can find the DK area towards the back of Super Nintendo World, with a big cave beckoning you to its jungle. It’s been stated that entering Super Nintendo World feels like stepping into a Mario game, and the same rings true when crossing the threshold to DK’s domain. If you love Donkey Kong Country as much as I do, the park is a joy to see as it nails the series’ aesthetic. Bright, colorful recreations of recognizable sights like DK’s treehouse, speakers blasting a rendition of the DK Island Swing theme on repeat, along with copious barrels, crates, and, of course, bananas, check all the boxes of the DKC checklist. The only downside is the lack of Tropical Freeze love; I didn’t see a single snowflake. I cannot abide such erasure.
“Expansion” is an apt label for the area, given its small size. Featuring a single ride, two shops, a few minigames, and a meet-and-greet stage, you’re here for a good time but probably not a long one. Gawking at the sights, my eyes immediately focused on the towering Golden Temple at the end of the area. This marks the home of Mine Cart Madness, a rollercoaster that wraps around half the park.
Having ridden the kid-friendly Yoshi’s Adventure and AR-centric Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge in the main area, Mine Kart Madness is easily my favorite attraction in all of Super Nintendo World. As the line takes players through a golden interior filled with primate statues and wall paintings, you eventually encounter an impressive animatronic of Cranky Kong, who regales visitors about a stolen golden banana caper to his parrot, Squawks. It’s strange hearing Cranky speak English instead of his usual shrill grunts, but it was cool to see a presumably life-sized version of the OG Kong rocking in his chair.
The ride itself is modeled after the fun and infamously difficult mine cart levels from the Donkey Kong Country games. Up to four riders hop in a cart, and after a quick cameo from Dixie Kong, who cheerily greets riders as they pull out of the station, you’ll take a short climb before flying down and around a surprisingly fast trek. It’s an entertaining and appropriately chaotic romp, taking you through a mine shaft and eventually across a raging river. A near head-on collision with Donkey and Diddy early on legitimately made my heart jump. Presentation-wise, I love how the ride features broken track segments a la the games, and I wondered how our cart navigated these sections. The answer is actually quite simple, but I’ll leave that up to you to figure out if you visit.
Mine Cart Madness may not feature steep drops or flip riders upside down, but it’s easily the best thrill ride in Super Nintendo World. I rode it five times. I adore rollercoasters, and I’d classify it as a medium intensity experience; maybe a bit much for very young riders, but older kids or those averse to bigger coasters can enjoy this. However, it is a very bumpy ride, and I can’t tell if that’s by design. One section that saw riders moving side to side between broken tracks had me slamming somewhat unpleasantly against the sides of the cart. It’s a fun ride, but I wouldn’t recommend hopping aboard if you just ate.
Like Super Nintendo World proper, attendees can play mini-games around the park. You’ll need to purchase a Power-Up Band to fully enjoy these activities, which reward coins and achievements for everything you do, tracked on the Universal Studios mobile app. I enjoyed seeking out scattered KONG letters, though they’re relatively easy to find given the area’s small size. A bigger challenge comes in collecting puzzle pieces, which can only be obtained by using the Power-Up Band to scan certain objects bearing the DK seal. These require a sharper eye to spot and are very easy to miss. One balloon-topped barrel with a touchscreen offers a roulette game, with players touching the screen to stop fast-moving icons such as a banana coin, balloon, and even the Mirror Mode item from Donkey Kong Country Returns in a nice deep cut. Getting an icon rewards its sticker on the app, so you’ll need to play multiple times (at least five) to get them all.
The best and most involved game comes in the form of a rhythm challenge. Three pairs of bongos sit in front of a crate bearing the stamp of Rambi the Rhino. Up to three people can work together to hit the bongos to the beat of a song playing through nearby speakers. Even if you’re rhythmically gifted, this can be tough to pull off depending on the crowd noise, which can muffle the music cues. I struggled to hear them with the visitor capacity at barely a fraction of what it likely is now (i.e., hundreds). A pair of lights flashing in sync with the beat and park attendants guiding us help, especially since you can fail this challenge. But if you can stay on beat, you’re rewarded with Rambi popping out of the box to grace you with his horned presence. This game is as fun to play as it is to watch, and the fact that you can lose makes it entertaining to see others attempt to coax Rambi out of his box.
Beyond the ride and minigames, you can meet Donkey Kong at designated times under his treetop home. It’s an impressive and very large mascot suit, and I appreciate that the park employees are more than happy to shoot photos and videos of your interactions with the big lug. I shared a fist bump and a big, hairy hug. I think he liked me.
If your money needs a new home, Funky’s Fly ‘n’ Buy, a shop modeled after Funky Kong’s airplane, offers a nice selection of DK-branded merch (which you can also grab at the Nintendo store outside Super Nintendo World). For those with a sweet tooth or who want to cool down from what will be a scorching Florida summer, The Bubbly Barrel offers a single, exclusive treat: the DK Crush Float. This towering treat consists of banana and pineapple flavored soft serve ice cream mixed with pineapple soda, topped with sprinkles, toffee pieces, and caramel popcorn. It’s served in a waffle bowl, which you can carry in a plastic cup (for $12.99) or in a collectible DK barrel mug ($18.99). I suspect the latter will be the more popular option because you can keep and reuse the cool DK mug. I didn’t sample this treat – I could feel my blood sugar spiking just looking at it – but it looked delicious and seemed substantial enough to (mostly) justify the price. Weirdly, neither shop accepts bananas as payment, which seems like a major breach of the immersion.
It may not be big, but Donkey Kong Country is a very cool expansion to Super Nintendo World. As someone who loves exciting rides more than anything else at theme parks, Mine Cart Madness is an excellent addition, especially if you’re underwhelmed by the Yoshi and Mario Kart rides like I was. Otherwise, it’s another fun recreation of one of my favorite platforming series, and it has the (likely intended) effect of making me more excited to play Donkey Kong Bananza later this summer. I don’t know if or when we’ll get another park expansion (Zelda, please) like this to Super Nintendo World, but Donkey Kong Country is a strong start.
