Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is a interactive dark ride that uses augmented reality headsets to overlay the real world with computer generated objects, characters, and scenery from the Mario Kart series of games.

At a certain point in Mario Kart’s queue, each rider is given a headset which looks like Mario’s famous red hat. The visor is worn atop the head and is adjustable via a knob on the back. The second phase of preparations happens when you get on the ride itself.

In front of every rider is an attachment, which looks like a face shield. This attachment is the screen that will display the augmented reality images each rider sees during the ride. The attachment snaps on and off with relative ease, and we've never experienced it falling off during the ride.

Deep in the bowels of Bowser’s Castle is the ride’s load area. Each kart can hold four riders, and everyone has their own steering wheel and buttons to play. That’s right, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is also a game. Each rider has the chance to earn their own coins (which are saved to the Power-Up Bands).Riders can still play and receive coins if they don’t have a Power-Up Band, but they won’t be saved after the ride ends.

The ride starts with a brief training session where targets are displayed on the AR headsets. Each rider has a set of turtle shells that can be fired at targets, and the more targets you hit, the more coins you receive.

Just like in Mario Kart video games, shells must first be obtained from the question mark item boxes on the racetrack. To aim you simply look in the direction of a target, and then press a button on the steering wheel.

Coins can also be earned at certain points when the ride will tell you to turn the steering wheel a certain way. When this happens, an arrow will appear in front of you, and you’ll have a few seconds to turn the steering wheel in the correct direction.

It’s all as frantic and fast paced as a race in a Mario Kart video game, so in that way they captured the spirit of the game perfectly. It’s the kind of game that’s easy to understand but hard to master. Everything happens fast, there’s a lot going on displayed on the AR headset, and there’s cool physical sets you’ll want to look at. It takes multiple rides to really master the game and enjoy the scenery. It’s a fun time, especially when you’re with friends and everyone laughs and screams together.