After a six month delay, Universal Studios Japan’s Donkey Kong Country themed Super Nintendo World expansion finally has an opening date. It’ll be barrel-blasting open its doors from 11th December, 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 pause to bonk on some bongo drums.
A Donkey Kong themed expansion to 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 spotted on mock-ups long before). At the time, Universal teased it would feature “interactive experiences and themed merchandise and food”, alongside a new coaster – and we’ve now had our best look yet at the finished thing.
Miyamoto toured the Donkey Kong Country expansion in special 10-minute-long Nintendo Direct, beginning by whisking players through the now unsealed warp pipe toward the rear of the Mushroom Kingdom. As park visitors navigate its length, its red brick walls transition to rocks before the pipe opens out into a jungle-themed expanse of swaying palms, faux wooden walkways, and even Donkey Kong’s iconic treehouse. And looming over the whole area is its imposing centrepiece, the Golden Temple, housing a new coaster ride.
Before getting to that, though, Miyamoto spent some time showing off the area’s (admittedly not especially enthralling) other features, including the Jungle Beat Shakes shop where visitors can buy hotdogs and other assorted food; Funky’s Flay ‘n’ Buy, where a range of Donkey Kong themed merchandise can be perused and purchased, plus Donkey Kong’s Treehouse, where patrons can grab their Donkey Kong photos ops.