How Do the Power-Up Bands Work at Epic Universe's Super Nintendo World?
Gain at least three keys with your Power-Up Band and you can take on Bowser Jr. at Epic Universe's Super Nintendo World.
How fitting is it that the park in Universal's Epic Universe that's based on a video game, Super Nintendo World, has a secret level? The Mario-themed land, one of five parks that make up the new Universal Orlando destination, transports visitors into the Mushroom Kingdom. But, if they want to defeat Bowser Jr., they're going to need to retrieve secret keys hidden throughout the park. And to do that, they need a Power-Up Band.
Here's everything you need to know about Super Nintendo World's Power-Up Bands.
SPOILER ALERT: This article will contain light spoilers for Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe.
The Power-Up Bands, which are a separate purchase from admission to Universal's Epic Universe, come in a variety of colors and patterns, each based on classic Super Mario or Donkey Kong characters like Yoshi, Princess Peach, Toad, and of course the mustachioed plumber himself. The silicon bands, which work kind of like slap bracelets, have a QR code that syncs to the Universal FL app. Once you've set up your profile, you can use the band to start gaining points and power-ups throughout Super Nintendo World — and to gain access to Bowser Jr.'s hideout.
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You can gain points throughout the land by doing things straight out of the games, like punching the Question and Music Blocks that "float" throughout the park. These points accumulate and can be used to unlock stamps for your game profile on the app, and you can compare how you're doing to friends and other parkgoers that day on a leaderboard. A sound or light will go off when you've done something to gain points in this way. So, once your band has successfully interacted with something in the world, you're good. Although we understand if you wanna keep going. Punching the blocks truly never gets old. Don't forget you can also gain points and accolades within the app by going on the many rides within the park. For example, if you gain a high score in Mario Kart you can expect to unlock a stamp in your gamer profile.
But the most exciting part about Power-Up Bands is the hunt for keys. There are five activities, all of which are marked on a map of Super Nintendo World that comes with the Power-Up Band, and parkgoers who have purchased a Band can complete these games to earn keys. The five games are Goomba Crazy Crank (“Turn the crank to make the ground spin fast enough to make a Goomba fall backward, winning you a key”), Piranha Plant Nap Mishap (“Run back and forth, tapping multiple alarm clocks to put the huge Piranha Plant back to sleep”), Koopa Troopa POWer Punch (“Hit a POW Block with perfect timing to send a Koopa Shell up the pipe and knock over the Koopa Troopa”), Bob-omb Kaboom Room (“Gather fragments of a key from around the room and assemble them before the giant Bob-omb goes kaboom”), and Thwomp Panel Panic (“Are you fast enough? Try to flip every tile on the wall to be the same color and win a digital key”).
If you complete at least three of these and earn three keys, you'll gain access to Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown, a chance to infiltrate the villain's lair and attempt to recover a stolen Golden Mushroom. We won't spoil exactly what happens when you try to take on Super Nintendo World's boss, other than to say it's recommended for ages 5 and up. If you want to battle Bowser Jr. you need to get those three keys first.
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Feel free to wear your Power-Up Bands in other parts of Universal Epic Universe — though it's worth noting that they cannot be worn on rides that require you to go through a separate metal detector, like Stardust Racers. Fortunately, there's plenty of free lockers to safely store them and all your other belongings until you're done.
