The much anticipated expansion of Universal Studios Japan‘s Super Nintendo World has officially opened. The area contains one major attraction; Mine Cart Madness. This new roller coaster contains a few dark ride scenes, making it qualify as a semi-dark ride. The coaster utilises a new type of track to simulate jumping the track as seen in the Donkey Kong Country games.
The new model is patented by universal as a ”boom coaster”. The ride has two sets of track; one fake minetrain-like track and the real vertical style track underneath this fake track. A prototype of the real track has been seen testing at JR Automation‘s (previously known as Setpoint) facility in Utah, USA, with the trains provided by Japanese manufacturer Sansei Technologies.
The fake track makes it possible to simulate jumping off and on different tracks, something that is seen in the minecart levels of the Donkey Kong Country-games. The story of the ride itself focuses on the Golden Temple, where guests are tasked with helping the Kongs to protect the Golden Banana from the Tiki Tak Tribe. This tribe are the main villains in specifically the Donkey Kong Country Returns game from 2010.
The first dark ride scene is halfway through the ride and has the car jumping to a track on the right side before jumping back to the left side to avoid obstacles. This is followed by the cart going outside to engage the second lift. The final two dark ride scenes are at the end of the ride, featuring an animatronic of Donkey Kong slapping the head of Tiki Tong, leader of the Tiki Tak Tribe. We next see Diddy Kong securing the golden banana.
The ride in Japan is the first of two Mine Cart Mandess rides: a clone of the ride will open in the new Super Nintendo World at Universal Epic Universe on May 22, 2025.
