Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo LifeI’m absolutely terrified of roller coasters. The lack of control you have, the speed, high heights, twists and turns - all this makes for something I’ve never been able to convince myself is worth the thrill. It was easy to get over my fear of flying in aeroplanes as there’s always something exciting and extraordinarily worthwhile waiting for me on the other side of the flight. Some things in life I would just never be able to do without flying far away in a plane. However, with roller coasters I couldn't say the same, until now. 'Mine Cart Madness' opened to the public at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka at the tail end of 2024, and is also now in the States at Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida. I’ve visited the smaller version of Super Nintendo World located at Universal in Hollywood, CA, a few times, and managed to ride their Mario Kart ride, Bowser’s Challenge, as well. Lots of Kong, but still needs more Dixie The MK ride is essentially a light-gun game with a heavy Augmented Reality element which forces you to wear 'goggles' making it hard to appreciate the physical environment you're riding through. You can take the 'goggles' off, but you lose the entire point of the ride in doing so, and the animatronic set pieces and environmental elements aren't all that exciting on their own. The game can be confusing at first and, for being a ride themed around a video game that traditionally encourages you to race fast, it's quite slow, too. Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life However, almost none of this can be said about the new Donkey Kong Country ride. I’m a much bigger DK fan than I am Mario, and even though this new Mine Cart ride is pitched as a more traditional roller coaster that sometimes even claims to go off the rails, my curiosity and love for the series had me clamouring to see what it had to offer. I’m thrilled to say it didn’t disappoint, even though it proved to be quite a bumpy ride at times. The queue for Mine Cart Madness takes you through a temple that reminded me most of Millstone Mayhem and Temple Tempest from the original Super Nintendo game. Most of the line is indoors or at least covered and was kept quite cool thanks to air conditioning, also featuring some themed water fountains if you need a drink. Here you’ll also find a few touchpoints for the Power Band that will net you digital collectibles if you’re using the Universal mobile app. The line is fairly simple with not much to see, aside from a surprising appearance from Cranky Kong and Squawks the parrot. Both are completely animatronic and fully voiced and bicker back and forth at each other. Not only do they help pass the time in line, they help lay down the story and what you can expect to see on the ride. Even though I had no one waiting in front of me, I stood here for quite a while and just listened to them chat, like a couple of good pals catching up after a long time apart. Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life Once it came time for me to sit down in my mine cart, I could feel my heart sink into my stomach as I remembered seeing the ride from the ground floor of the park and it going much, much faster than all of the other Nintendo-themed rides created up to this point. I was honestly pretty scared, but my love for the Kongs apparently knows no bounds, and it helped that I had a few pals with me (thanks, Brian from IGN and Marcus from Game Informer for keeping me calm!). The ride itself only lasts a few minutes, so I’ll refrain from spoiling too much as I really think if you’re going to do this, you should go in knowing as little as possible. Things really do go off the rails in some surprising and shocking ways, though. So much so that at one specific point on the ride, I thought it truly was the end for us. If you’ve seen the blueprints or caught the video of Miyamoto taking a tour of the park in Japan, you’ll likely have heard about the ride's big hook. If you've played a mine cart level in DKC, you'll know that platforming is very much a thing even in the mine cart, and that’s replicated here. Mine Cart Madness, never goes upside down (thankfully), but it takes you up and down some steep slopes and twists and turns every now and again, mimicking the feeling of flying off the rails and landing safely back on them. The jumps themselves didn’t feel as pronounced as I was expecting, as it seems to work more as a trick of the eye than your cart being hurled in the air. Honestly, that’s probably a good thing. Also, if you want a more authentic and adventurous experience, sit in one of the front seats if you can. Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life You’ll also meet a few of your favourite DKC buddies, and this alone kept me coming back to Mine Cart Madness for multiple rides. These animatronic set pieces make this ride a lot more fun than the Mario Kart ride to revisit, as it's so exciting to see these chimpanzees in action. There are more than just chimps to see, though, so if you're only familiar with the more recent Country games, there will be more surprises in store. For me, the ride was made even better at night as yellow and blue neon lights add a comforting glow to the experience. You’ll rush through a few indoor sections which make it feel like a dark ride at times too. There’s so much to look at that not once did I feel like I saw everything; if you swing your head around at different points, you may catch a nice glimpse of the park, a dainty splash of a rushing waterfall, or even a few adventurous Pikmin that broken away from the pack. This may just be a kink to be worked out, but every now and then I felt the ride could get quite bumpy. After exiting my mine cart, I heard other riders talk about how unexpectedly bumpy it was for them, too. I can’t imagine barreling down a mine shaft in a rusty rock wagon would be the most comfortable thing in real life, so maybe it’s just all a part of the experience. Something worth noting, though, no doubt. Images: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life What might be a downside for some is the fact that there’s no game element to this ride whatsoever. For me though, this was a huge win. Seeing the detail and quality in these animatronics, even just for a few short moments, is something I'll remember for a long, long time. It sounds silly, but this made me feel closer to the world of Donkey Kong Country than ever before - the Mario Kart ride didn’t leave this big of an impression. It's a huge step up in overall production and an experience I hope every diehard DKC fan can have in their life. As a member of the press, I was pretty much obliged to try it, but I think I finally understand the thrill people are chasing when they willingly choose to ride a roller coaster. If Nintendo and Universal decide to make their next ride even more intense, I hope I’ll be ready for it. Even if it had a name like 'Funky’s Crash Course.' Travel costs for this trip and early access to the park were provided by Universal. Let's use the Lens of Truth Share:0 1 Zion's been crafting videos and photos with our team for over half a decade now. While you'll usually find Zion playing RPGs, platformers, and adventure games, anything with a good story is sure to be right up his alley. For an on brand example: MOTHER 3 may not be recognized much by the Western side of Nintendo, but he still found a way to play it anyways and hopes it makes it way to the West officially so others can enjoy it more easily. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... 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