The Nintendo Museum held a preview day for the media on Sept. 25 ahead of its Oct. 2 opening. (Teruo Kashiyama)

Photo/Illutration Visitors can operate a huge game controller designed for two players at the Nintendo Museum in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. (Yoshiaki Arai)

UJI, Kyoto Prefecture—Their iconic world and level designs helped cement the company into the bedrock of video game history, but does that design sense cross over into our world? 

That is for players to decide. 

“We have to ensure that 'Nintendo’s unique spirit' is maintained not only for fans but also within the company,” said Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo Co.'s top executive. 

Now 71, the man behind Mario and some of the medium's biggest franchises led the Nintendo Museum's creation. Media previewed the museum on Sept. 25 ahead of its scheduled Oct. 2 opening. 

The site is vastly calmer than the gleeful chaos of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Osaka. Its Uji Ogura plant, built in 1969, was renovated to house the museum. 

A mixture of straightforward displays and interactive experiences lay out the company's history. And, of course, iconic series such as "Super Mario Bros," "The Legend of Zelda" and "Pokemon" are featured prominently.

Visitors start the exhibit in Nintendo's founding year, 1889, with early products such as “hanafuda” (Japanese playing cards with floral designs) and “karuta” (traditional card games based on matching poems or images). 

What follows is a catalog of its transition to other forms of play through board games, home batting machines and light-gun games.

Key memorabilia including the Game & Watch, a handheld game with a small LCD screen that laid foundation for Nintendo’s consoles, and the Family Computer (Famicom) are also on display. 

Now for the hands-on part—there are eight interactive gaming experiences. 

One is the “Shigureden SP.” This giant version of the game “Hyakunin Isshu” involves 100 cards that each have a short tanka poem. Players must snatch the correct card as fast as possible when a poem is read out.

Rather than going old school, the museum's iteration relies on a dedicated smartphone that displays the first half of a poem as visitors search for its corresponding second half among the cards projected on the floor.

Points are awarded based on how quickly players find the cards.

The jumbo-size fun continues with a massive working Nintendo 64 controller designed for two players. A thankfully normal-size batting game in an area themed after a children's playroom is another experience.

Admission requires a reservation for a specific date and time in advance. The entrance fee is 3,300 yen ($22.80) for adults 18 and older.

Junior high and high school student tickets are 2,200 yen and elementary school tickets are 1,100 yen. Children younger than school age may enter for free.

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