Guests have caught more video of the new Donkey Kong roller-coaster called “Mine Cart Madness” testing at the Super Nintendo World expansion in Universal Studios Japan. The coaster’s name and the Donkey Kong Country expansion’s spring 2024 opening were announced earlier this month, soon after video of coaster testing began to surface.
Donkey Kong Mine Cart Madness Testing
L.C.A. Studios shared aerial video of the coaster on X (formerly Twitter). These clips give a clear view of the mine cart-inspired ride vehicles moving along the fake track. You can watch the video below:
The cars are essentially on arms attached to a sideways track, moving over the flat fake track so it can look like the carts are jumping over gaps, as Universal Creative demonstrated with concept video. The real track shouldn’t be visible to riders.
Sections of the ride are also visible and can be heard from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. So far, no riders have been spotted in the mine cart vehicles.
See more clips of Mine Cart Madness in L.C.A. Studios’ full YouTube video below (the video is in Japanese, but English captions can be turned on).
We also previously shared video of prototype cars being tested.
Super Nintendo World held its grand opening on March 18, 2021, with construction on an as-of-then-unannounced expansion starting in July. Universal Studios Japan officially announced the Donkey Kong expansion in September 2021. Roller coaster track was lifted in the work zone in December 2021.
The “Donkey Kong” expansion is expected to also house a meet-and-greet, interactive games, snack stands, and a small shop. It will have all-new merchandise, including two Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong Power-Up Bands.
Rumors (largely substantiated by construction photos) suggest that the Donkey Kong roller coaster will make its way to Universal Orlando Resort as part of Super Nintendo World inside Epic Universe. The new park is expected to open in 2025.
Read our full guide to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and our full guide to the Universal Studios Hollywood version of the land (which will not feature the Donkey Kong expansion).
The “Donkey Kong Country” video game series launched in 1994 with “Donkey Kong Country” and today includes five mainline games. The series itself is inspired by “Donkey Kong,” a 1981 arcade game that introduced both the titular gorilla and Mario to players.
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