In 2023, our tickets for Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan, were bought as a group of 6. It sent a single .pdf with 6 tickets. Unlike at Disney, we could not scan the tickets to our individual apps. We had a group talk the night before about what to do if the first pair to go managed to keep the rest of us from scanning the remaining 4 tickets in that .pdf.
However, we did not have to all enter at the same time! The two who prefer to arrive early did so and were able to scan the .pdf for their tickets at 9 AM. The other four arrived later at 11 AM and were able to scan the remaining 4 tickets in the same .pdf. We did make sure the we did not try to scan any of the same tickets.
The express passes also came all in a single .pdf. On one occasion, when using the express passes, we accidentally showed a used QR code. We simply scrolled to a different one and things went as planned.
Upon arrival, after exiting the Universal train station, one could immediately see whether or not the correct location had been reached.
The music is more annoying to me than the music in Disney, but I think that is a musical preference thing. Universal also has smellier people than Disney did. Bathrooms are inferior to Disney’s and have an odor.
We first went to a haunted house called CHUCKY’S CARNIVAL OF CHAOS. We were given glasses to enhance the experience, which was basically walking through the house and seeing if one felt alarmed by the jump-scares. The slightly-lessen present plot appeared to be about a doll son murdering his doll father?
Then we got in line for delicious strawberry pancakes (JP¥800, or ~US$5.41 in 2023) at the Mario snack shop. There was a surprise of pudding and strawberry jam past the whipped cream, which made it very delicious overall. It also looked very attractive! The shop had some standing tables with a decorated wall, but there was a sign telling people to take photos and promptly move on; it was not an actual eating area.
The Resident Evil haunted house was next: Biohazard(TM): The Extreme + (Leon Route). There is a Claire Route and a Leon Route; our express pass was specifically for the latter. There was more interaction with various “police officers” helping us escape the zombies and even instructing one of the group open a briefcase that contained important things. At the end, we had to shoot a large zombie! I only realized partway through that I could lift the gun from the stand. We are graded on our performance (shooting skills?) and our group got an A. I thought everyone got an A until other people showed B cards. (Later, I saw a discarded card that said you are dead. It is possible to fail!)
The Jaws ride, located in Amity, was a bit funny. The tour guide operator shot the lurking sharks with her fake gun. I do not shoot, but I have an idea of it works after living in rural America, and she was not doing it the right way. As a result, it looked extra funny. I did get very slightly wet, but I was seated on the outside.
Super Mario World required a timed entry ticket, and there is no re-entry once you exit. I also noticed that the bottled water is JP¥50 higher in this area versus other parts of the park.
The Mario Cart ride involved pretending to race while shooting turtles and loot boxes and random enemies. I had the low score of my 4-person car at 75. There are achievements in the app connected to having the high score.
The Yoshi ride’s waiting line had an apple basket that lit up when I put my bracelet near it and an egg box to hit. The ride was very slow, so I am not sure why the attendant warned me that I might lose my hat. Perhaps if it were a windier day? I did take off my hat just in case. There were three eggs that you were to collect by hitting the matching egg button in your car. There was also a surprise golden egg to collect, which I did by button mashing because there was no matching button for the golden egg. It worked, though, because I got the digital sticker!
The Super Mario World experience is enhanced by purchasing a bracelet for JP¥4300 (~US$29 in 2023) that allows you to gather digital coins and digital stickers and opens an additional game after some mini-games. You do not have to hit the buttons with the bracelet! Just hit the button and make sure the bracelet is near, for example, on the wrist you got the button with! The bracelet also gives you access to three mini-games and one extra game after successfully completing the mini-games.
Mini-Game #1 was where you must rotate a handle until an ugly mushroom falls off a green roller. Then, you touch your bracelet to the gold coin to collect a key. Everyone I saw succeeded— except for one child, who they let try again— so I originally suspected it was an auto-win as long as you try.
Mini-Game #2 involved keeping a Venus fly trap asleep by shutting off the alarms as they lit up. My friend and I strategized as we watched and agreed that we would each take a section. It was a lot of slapping fake clocks.
Mini-Game #3 was a timing game that I did see people fail. You have to hit a box at the right moment for the delayed air to push the turtle upwards. The red and yellow POW boxes go from left to right with air sound effects, and I believe you want the turtle to be at the third red and yellow POW box so it can be thrown up.
After collecting three golden keys, there is a special game you unlock access to. There was a machine in front of it where you could check if you were eligible to enter. The game attendant could also check by scanning your bracelet. Once in, there was a thing where you had to jump and hit shadowy ball things. I remembers lot of explosions. (They provided a shelf to leave bags to make jumping and reaching easier.)
Food today was at a cafe was hosted by Chef Toad, who ended up being a diminutive little toadstool. Not knowing the game lore, I was surprised to see how small he was! I had for some reason expected a bigger, burlier mushroom.
We finally exited Mario world to see the lurking zombies/horror creatures roaming, one last attraction, and exit:.
The last haunted house, Universal Monsters: Legends of Fear, was better than the first but still inferior to the Resident Evil one.
