INTO A

LIVING WORLD

NOSTALGIA

TURNING

Super Mario: VORTEX was conceived as a bold reimagining of how iconic IP can live beyond the screen not as a static attraction, but as a playable universe.

This project was a pitch I authored and creatively directed from the ground up. I led the concept ideation, narrative framework, visual language, experience design, and proposal presentation, shaping how Super Mario could transform into a large-scale immersive destination while staying true to its joyful, timeless DNA.

The challenge was clear:
How do you evolve one of the world’s most recognisable IPs without losing its soul?

The answer was not realism, it was play.

FOR JOY

SPECTACLE

DESIGNING

NOT JUST

At the heart of Super Mario: VORTEX is a simple philosophy:
Mario has always been about movement, discovery, and progression.

Rather than treating Mario as a backdrop, I designed the experience to behave like a game itself, complete with objectives, power-ups, choices, rewards, and replayability. Guests don’t just walk through the Marioverse; they play their way through it.

This thinking shaped every creative decision from spatial flow to interaction design, ensuring the experience feels instinctive, accessible, and deeply emotional across generations.

THE RHYTHM

OF PLAY

The experience is paced like a Mario level rising, rewarding, and always moving forward.

ANTICIPATION

DELIGHT

CURIOSITY

CHALLENGE

JOY

at the
threshold

TRIUMPH

in celenbration and release

through recognition

via branching worlds

through
interaction

in collective victory

MARIOVERSE

THROUGH THE

TIME WARP

Bowser’s interference has fractured time, pulling multiple Mario worlds into a single Vortex anchored within Tokyo Tower.

Guests are recruited into the mission guided by Toads to restore balance by moving through warped realities and reclaiming order through play.

This structure allowed the experience to:

Be easy to understand for first-time visitors
Deeply rewarding for long-time fans
Flexible enough to support multiple worlds, tones, and play styles

The story doesn’t overpower the experience it enables it.

The story is simple, accessible, and playful by design.

TURNING WORLDS

Dynamic Environments

Eras of the Mario Universe

Day & Night Experience

Hidden Interactions

Character Interactions

INTO PLAYGROUNDS

Indoor Mario Kart

Obstacle Course

Interactive Game Technology

GAME

KONG'S KINGDOM

BLUE

SHROOM

MUSHROOM

KINGDOM

RETAIL & F&B

PRINCESS PEACH

SKY CASTLE

WONDERLAND

OF SHROOMS

KOOPA'S

KING CASTLE

WARP ZONE

FLOWERLAND

RACE DK

SPATIAL

MECHANICS

MAIN DECK

TURNED

Top Deck

VIP & ELEVATED PERSPECTIVE

RED BUILDING

MAIN

EXPERIENCE

TOP DECK

VIP

START OF

THE EXPERIENCE

The Top Deck introduces a different mode of engagement.

Rather than more content, it offers distance, perspective, and exclusivity, allowing VIP guests to experience the world from above. It also introduces operational flexibility supporting premium experiences without disrupting the main flow.

Rather than compressing everything into a single plane, I designed the experience as a stacked journey using elevation, transition, and separation to control pacing, anticipation, and payoff.

Main Deck (M1)

THE THRESHOLD OF PLAY

The Main Deck marks the start of the experience.
This is where guests cross from the real world into the Mario universe. The space acts as a calibration zone orienting visitors before the experience accelerates.

Red Building
THE CORE EXPERIENCE

The Red Building houses the main body of play.

This is where the Mario universe fully unfolds, where game mechanics, interactions, and multi-world exploration live. By separating this zone architecturally, the experience gains scale and intensity without overwhelming the guest too early.