Let’s check out the Donkey Kong Country at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in Osaka, Japan. This new Nintendo franchise themed park sector in Universal Studios Japan officially opened on December 11, 2024 as an extension of the Super Nintendo World we visited last year, expanding Super Nintendo World by some 70 percent.
Entry to Donkey Kong Country Similar to how you enter the world of Super Nintendo world it is a standalone park sector which you enter via a short themed-cave tunnel system This tunnel brings you into a tropical themed world, tad different from Mario-themed Peach’s castle previously.
On some background and history, back in 2021, Super Nintendo World debuted at USJ. Plans for a Donkey Kong-themed expansion were revealed later that year. It was meant to open in spring 2024, but it got delayed for fine-tuning. Finally, the grand opening took place December 11 2024, with a full celebration featuring Miyamoto, USJ’s CEO, Mario and Donkey Kong mascots.
You step in Donkey Kong Country through a stone-like tunnel and find yourself in a lush, lively jungle space. It takes a slice similar to how you enter the world of Super Nintendo. The sound of rhythmic jungle beats and bright, swinging tree canopies greets you here. You had just entered Donkey Kong Country at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. Moreover, the sector has a toony jungle theming inspired by the different worlds of the Donkey Kong franchise.
Park sector theming
You can bask in the detailed Jungle theming, such as tropical forests and a stone temple in the distance, surrounding you are dense greenery, drums beating, and bananas everywhere. It is befitting of a You feel a tad like you had wandered into the video game. The designers worked closely with Nintendo’s team, including Shigeru Miyamoto, to nail that immersive vibe.
Throughout the Donkey Kong land, there are several interactive elements and play areas similar to Super Nintendo world. As you first wander through that tunnel, the ambience and tempo shift. Park theming here is mix of cartoon elements well as real plants and fauna.
The Golden Temple here looms and is well-lit at night too. It is a mysterious vibe, though a rather photogenic spot too. Here, the Golden Temple stands at the end of the jungle path. It looks like it came straight out of Donkey Kong Country Returns game. Also, the zone offers a great balance of thrill rides, family-friendly playful games, local food, immersive scenery. It is tad a bit wild, a bit nostalgic, and altogether a clever blend of IRL and video game spirit.
Minecart madness roller coaster
Furthermore, the main highlight here is Mine Cart Madness ride, a family-friendly coaster housed inside the Golden Temple. This is the only ride here in this new park sector. You would notice the Golden stone temple in the distance, where it is home to the space housing this park sector key ride attraction.
Additionally, within, you ride in a cart a custom-built roller coaster by JR Automation, Setpoint and ART Engineering for the track elements. You ride in a Minecart themed cars arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 4 riders per car. Minimum height is 107 cm; guests between 107 and 122 cm need a guardian. There are also single rider queues with a notable 20-30% shorter wait time than the regular queue, which can take upwards of at least 70 minutes for the high-capacity ride.
Moreover, the queue lines are lined with DK murals, and animatronics of Cranky Kong and Squawks, and artifacts. Everything spells “D-K” here, scattered around the area. It’s a clever mix of physical play and tech. It does set the mood leading to the ride. Also, on boarding the ride, restraints hold you down via lap bars which are more comfortable than shoulder restraints.
Notably, you can bring bags onboard the Minecart ride as the ride does not have any inversions. The ride lasts around two minutes. You start off with a hill climb boost taking a nod at the DK barrel blast. Thereafter, you race through the jungle to protect a Golden Banana from the Tiki Tak Tribe.
Here, expect barrels, broken rails, some drops with airtime, fake jump and fake water splashes over a water body. Also, the coaster uses a “boom coaster” mechanism to simulate track-jump stunts. This side mounted hidden track system with fake tracks gives the illusion that your cart is jump and running off the tracks Those who are sharp can notice that the ride cars have a separate swing arm which attaches to the rail carts via a side track and connecting arm.
Donkey Kong Country Interactive Games
Just like with Super Nintendo world, Donkey Kong Country is full of Interactive Games & Hidden Easter Eggs. Here, you can find fun mini-games scattered around the environment. You can use your Power-Up Band to interact with elements around the park too and record your progress.
Moreover, there is a three-player bongo drumming game (a nod to Donkey Konga). Here, you can follow and beat drums to light patterns to get Rambi the Rhino to appear from a top crate. Also, at times of the day, the park does meet and greet sessions. Here, you can meet DK himself. He is tall, wide, and entirely in character. You snap a photo and feel a kid-like thrill.
Also, you can also find points of interests such as Donkey Kong tree house home, true to the game and the tiny Funky’s Fly ’n’ Buy gift shop themed into a crashed jet. It is stocked with exclusive DK merchandise, from barrel-and-tie ticket holders, ties, plushies, funky straps to vibrant power-up wristbands. You can also meet Donkey Kong near his house great photo op, and you feel oddly proud standing next to that iconic large Gorilla dressed with a tie.
Food and drinks here are offered on food stands. The Jungle Beat Shakes sells banana-themed bites, it’s banana-sweet, creamy, and a little weird. Also, the DK Crush does Sundaes with avocado drizzle sauce. Notably, there isn’t any themed sit-down restaurants here like Kinopio’s Cafe at Super Nintendo World.
Wrapping up
Accessibility wise, I find this park in a park design tad quite of a bottleneck to access this new zone, having to piggy back from the main Super Nintendo world which is already always very crowded. Also, this limits the time you can spend here considering that your entry time slots into Super Nintendo World are already very limited, and now are shared between two equally overly- packed sectors. Crowds leaving Donkey Kong world will spill back out into Super Nintendo world, adding to the crowds. It might be more logical to branch out this Donkey Kong World with it has own park entry to spread the crowds.
All in all, that wraps up our visit and explore of Donkey Kong Country at Universal Japan. The new park sector adds a ton of value to the already popular Super Nintendo World. As you walk in, you are in-game, but in real life. The area has strong visual impact where you can ride a coaster with surprises, play, snack, shop, and mingle with characters. It manages to feel curated but not too staged, like a lived-in game world.
