At SUPER NINTENDO WORLD at USJ, wearing a watch-like band on your wrist lets you experience Mario games using your whole body.
The band is called the “Power-Up Band.”
The editor-in-chief of Happier, who has visited SUPER NINTENDO WORLD more than 30 times, clearly explains the Key Challenges you can play with this band and more.
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD Attractions You Can Enjoy with a Power-Up Band
With a Power-Up Band, you can experience five games called Key Challenges and a boss battle against Bowser Jr.
These experiences are only available to people wearing a band, while companions without one can cheer them on.
If nobody in your group has a band, you cannot even enter the play areas.
You can also hit Question Blocks and various musical-note elements around the area.
Where to Buy a Power-Up Band and How Much It Costs
■How to Play the Key Challenges
Put the Power-Up Band on your wrist.
When playing a Key Challenge, lightly touch the band to the key to start the game.
For games played as a group, touch at the same time.
If you clear the game successfully, lightly touch your band to the key.
Then you will get the key♪
※For Bob-omb Kaboom Room and Thwomp Panel Panic, you touch the game panel.
The Key Challenges do not explain how to play or the rules. There are no instruction boards either.
Basically, they work like old-school games where you figure out the strategy yourself to earn a key.
However, it can be difficult to discover the strategy without trying several times, so if you are visiting with a 1-Day Studio Pass or similar ticket, be sure to read this together with the people going with you.
Easy Mode and Hard Mode
The first time you try a Key Challenge, it is in Easy Mode.
If you clear it, your next play will be in Hard Mode.
If you fail in either Easy Mode or Hard Mode, your next play will be in Easy Mode.
Hard Mode raises the difficulty significantly, making it harder to clear and tempting you to try again and again♪
In Hard Mode, you can tell because a low sound plays briefly when you touch the Power-Up Band, and a crew member may cheer you on with comments such as, “Good luck in Hard Mode♪”
For games played by multiple people, originally the game would switch to Hard Mode if even one participant was in Hard Mode,
but recently it seems the operation has changed so that if even one person is in Easy Mode, the game is played in Easy Mode.
→Sorry if I am mistaken.
※Operations may continue to change without notice in the future, such as around temporary closures or maintenance.
Key Challenge ■ Piranha Plant Nap Mishap
Official name: Stop That! Piranha Plant Nap Mishap
This attraction features a giant Piranha Plant and many alarm clocks lined up around it.
Because you have to run around, it can be a good workout. Be careful—you may end up exhausted.
Clothes that are easy to move in are recommended.
Piranha Plant Nap Mishap: Game Rules
There are 12 alarm clocks around the giant Piranha Plant.
Before the sleeping Piranha Plant wakes up, press all the blue switches on the ringing alarm clocks to stop them.
If you cannot stop them all within the time limit, you fail.
Number of Players
Minimum: 1
Usually: about 3–4 people
Maximum: about 4 people
If only one or two people are playing, a crew member may help.
How to Play
When the game starts, the alarm clocks begin ringing.
The ringing clocks flash red, so hit the blue section above each alarm clock that is glowing red.
If you hit the blue section of an alarm clock that is not ringing, it will start ringing.
Even after you stop a bell, it may start ringing again after a while.
Stop them all as quickly as you can.
Piranha Plant Nap Mishap: Tips for Clearing
When playing with several people, decide in advance which area each person will cover.
There are several alarm clocks on the side opposite the Piranha Plant (the queue side), so you will not clear the game if you only hit the clocks near the Piranha Plant.
If you are waiting in line with people you know, decide roles while you wait—for example, the left side of the Piranha Plant, the right side, near the queue, or midway along the walkway.
When only a few clocks remain, listen for the sound to locate them.
Above all, the key is to move quickly.
Hard Mode
The time limit is shorter.
It feels like the alarms start ringing more often or more quickly.
Notes
Hitting the yellow bell does not stop the sound. It hurts, so be careful not to hit it by mistake.
Even if you know this when you are calm, it seems quite a few people panic during the game and hit it anyway.
I still hit it occasionally and regret it.
Key Challenge ■ Thwomp Panel Panic
Official name: Match Up! Thwomp Panel Panic
This is a puzzle game where you touch panels shown on a giant monitor to match them.
Sometimes a Thwomp really shakes the ground.
The vibration was so realistic the first time that for a moment I wondered if it was an earthquake, and it disrupts you by scrambling the panels.
Thwomp Panel Panic: Game Rules
Blue and yellow panels are lined up. Touching one flips it to the opposite color.
Match all panels to either one color to clear the game.
If you cannot match them all within the time limit, it is game over.
From time to time, the Thwomp shakes the ground hard and scrambles the panels.
As in the photo above, panel colors change randomly across a wide area.
As shown in the photo above, some panels occasionally have arrows on them.
Touching one of these panels flips both that panel and the adjacent panel at the tip of the arrow.
Some panels have two or more arrows.
Number of Players
Minimum: 1
Usually: 3 players
Maximum: about 4 people
How to Play
With three players, stand on the left, right, and center.
Touch the panels quickly and make all panels the same color.
Thwomp Panel Panic: Tips for Clearing
Before the game starts, talk to the other players—even if you do not know them—and decide which color you will match.
Otherwise, if people are trying to match opposite colors, you will not be able to clear the game.
Because the game often starts with more yellow panels,
experienced players will often choose to match everything to yellow.
Touching an arrow panel also flips the adjacent panel, so try to deal with arrow panels early.
There is a slight delay before the neighboring panel flips, so if you rush and touch too quickly, it may end up flipping differently from what you expected.
Once the panels near you are matched, look around and help elsewhere.
Just before the ground shakes, you will see and hear small stones falling from above, so if only a few panels remain, rush to finish matching them.
Hard Mode
In Hard Mode, there are more panels with multiple arrows.
It also feels like the game tends to start with the colors less closely matched.
The difficulty is fairly high. I often could not clear it when I first started, and even now I sometimes fail.
If you fail to clear it, the blocks break as shown in the photo above.
Notes
The panels can flip even if your leg touches them. (This can happen even if your pants touch them rather than bare skin.)
You often need to crouch to touch the lower panels, so be careful that your legs do not brush against them.
Key Challenge ■ Bob-omb Kaboom Room
Official name: Assemble! Bob-omb Kaboom Room
In this game, you collect pieces of a key that have been scattered around and fit them together like a puzzle to restore the original key.
Sometimes a Bob-omb explodes and blows away the key pieces you have been collecting.
Because the game takes place in a world where you have become tiny, the Bob-omb looks enormous.
Touch the key pieces scattered around you to gather them in the center. Move the collected key pieces and restore the original shape. After some time, the Bob-omb explodes and blows the key pieces away. Minimum: 1 Look around, and when you find a key piece, touch it. Key pieces are also scattered directly behind the Bob-omb, so look around carefully. Once you have collected the key pieces, move them by touching them with your hands. When you have several players, it is faster to assign some people to assemble the puzzle and others to search for key pieces. Once most of the key pieces are gathered, everyone should move the pieces at once and form the key. The outside of the key is rounded, so use the circular outline to judge where each piece belongs. It feels like there are more key pieces scattered apart. The time until the Bob-omb first explodes also feels shorter. I do not know either point precisely, but the difficulty is still at a level where you can clear it if you work at it. I have never failed to clear it. Even when you think you have collected every key piece, you may overlook a piece scattered behind you or one that flew farther into the back. If you are missing pieces, search for them quickly. Official name: Aim! Koopa Troopa POWer Punch This game uses the power of a POW Block to launch a Koopa Troopa and get a key. When you hit the POW Block in front of you, energy is transmitted to the two POW Blocks farther back. If the Koopa shell is at the POW Block at the right moment, the shell pops upward and you get the key. You have three attempts. If you miss all three hits, it is game over. 1 person Hit the POW Block in front of you in time with the shell. In Easy Mode, hit it just after the shell hits the left wall and rebounds slightly (a little before it enters the pipe). The POW should then reach it just as the shell arrives at the middle of the pipe, where the POW Block is. While waiting in line, watch the timing used by other players and see which timing leads to success. The power from the POW Block travels more slowly. Hitting it around the moment the shell emerges to the left of the pipe should work well. Timing is crucial in this game. Do not rush when you hit the POW Block. Official name: Spin! Goomba Crazy Crank A Goomba comes toward you from over the hill, so turn the crank to rotate the ground and keep it from reaching you! Before the Goomba reaches you, spin quickly enough to push it backward and clear the game. If you cannot turn it the required number of times(?) within the time limit, it is game over. 1 person Keep turning the crank as fast as you can. Turn it with all your strength. You do not need to watch the Goomba for the game to work, so face the crank and use your whole body to turn it at high speed. You have to turn the crank a huge number of times to repel the Goomba. It is very tiring… If you are short, it is difficult to turn the crank properly, so children around kindergarten age may not be able to play. Instead, a parent can play while the child joins in as the cheering squad. A crew member may say something like, “Cheer for your dad (mom) so they can do it!” and help make it exciting together with the child. Under certain conditions, Key Challenges award coins and stamps as hidden bonuses. If you want to discover the hidden bonuses yourself, beware of spoilers below. There is no special effect at the moment you earn a hidden bonus, so you may often receive one without noticing. Later, you can check the app to see which stamp you earned and the time you earned it. There are no Power-Up Band Key Challenge attractions that accept an Express Pass. Single-player Key Challenge attractions tend to have longer waits. You can earn stamps for things such as the number of Key Challenges you clear and hidden bonuses you obtain. Stamps become visible when you link your Power-Up Band to the official USJ app. Once you collect three keys, you can enter Bowser Jr.’s lair to the left of the entrance to Bowser’s Castle. Can you successfully recover the Golden Mushroom? The next article uses text and video to explain the inside of the lair with photos and tips for getting a high score. 【Red text】 【Green text】 Make the latest USJ and Kansai event updates
If you can complete the key shape within the time limit, you clear the game.Number of Players
Usually: about 4 people
Maximum: about 4 peopleBob-omb Kaboom Room: How to Play
The piece then gathers in the center.
When you move a piece to the correct place, it joins the surrounding pieces and stops moving.Tips for Clearing
The person assembling the puzzle can touch the nearest key piece located behind them when facing the Bob-omb,
which should make it easier for the people searching for pieces to find those scattered to the left and right.Hard Mode
Notes
Key Challenge ■ Koopa Troopa POWer Punch
Koopa Troopa POWer Punch: Game Rules
Number of Players
How to Play
Koopa Troopa POWer Punch: Tips for Clearing
Hard Mode
That makes it harder to time your hit with the shell.Notes
Key Challenge ■ Goomba Crazy Crank
Goomba Crazy Crank: Game Rules
Number of Players
How to Play
Goomba Crazy Crank: Tips for Clearing
Hard Mode
Notes
Key Challenge ■ Hidden Bonuses
Piranha Plant Nap Mishap
Thwomp Panel Panic
Bob-omb Kaboom Room
Koopa Troopa POWer Punch
Goomba Crazy Crank
■Express Pass
Multi-player Key Challenges tend to have shorter waits and are recommended.Stamps
Do You Need a USJ Power-Up Band? What It Does, Price, and Buying UsedKey Challenge: Bowser Jr. Boss Battle
There, you can control your shadow, throw fireballs and more, and battle Bowser Jr.!SUPER NINTENDO WORLD Key Challenge Map
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, where you can enjoy Mario attractions, is packed with attractions and mini-games.
No. 1: Mario Kart (Bowser’s Castle)
No. 2: Yoshi’s Adventure (entrance is on the first floor)
No. 1: Piranha Plant Nap Mishap
No. 2: Goomba Crazy Crank
No. 3: Koopa Troopa POWer Punch
No. 4: Bob-omb Kaboom Room (inside the dungeon)
No. 5: Thwomp Panel Panic
No. 6: Bowser Jr. Boss Battle
No. 7: Slot
2026 Latest USJ Attraction Guide: Rankings, Thrills, Wait Times, and Fear Levels
easier to find on Google.
