After teasing the collaboration earlier this week, Lego and Nintendo have unveiled the Lego Super Mario sets, and they basically look like a real-life Mario Maker set up, letting you create mini-Mario “levels” to play with, but in real life instead of on a video game system.
The video Lego and Nintendo released shows two kids playing with the set, the central part of it being the Mario figure itself, which has a tiny screen on his chest to indicate things like coin collecting, damage taken, and a time limit set at the beginning of each level you make.
Other characters seen in the trailer include Goombas, Yoshi, Koopa Troopas, and Bowser Jr. as the big bad of the set. It’s surprising to see Bowser Jr. as the lone villain of the set, but he also is probably an easier character to make with a Lego set than his father, who would probably need to be a set all on his own. The Mario figure seems to recognize when it stomps on or knocks down an enemy, and is rewarded with more coins each time he does it.
Check out the video below:
In other news:
- E3 2020 is Officially Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Concerns
- Horizon Zero Dawn is Coming to PC and Everyone is Happy About This, I’m Sure
- NFL and 2K Are Making Games Together Again, But Probably Not NFL 2K
A few people in the replies to Lego’s Twitter are lamenting the lack of standard mini-figures, but given Nintendo’s involvement, it doesn’t surprise me that the company might have wanted something a little more interactive, and this current Mario set up leans into the strengths of both companies. Lego gets to build sets based on these characters and worlds and Nintendo gets to double down on game side. Basically, RIP to Overwatch, but Mario’s different.
Considering Lego sets are typically pretty expensive, when you add the components that make up the electronic Mario figure, I wouldn’t be surprised if theses sets are on the pricey end, as well. But Lego and Nintendo have yet to say anything about pricing, how they’ll be rolling out all of these pieces, or even a release date. All we know right now is the Lego Mario sets are coming later this year.
With this new Lego version of Nintendo’s mascot, there is another variation of the character that will have to fight the “Perfect” Mario model for character design supremacy. Does the “Perfect” Mario have a screen in his chest that shows when he picks up coins for additional clarity? Didn’t think so.
In other news, the Mario series is actually in a bit of a quiet place at the moment, as Nintendo hasn’t formally announced any upcoming games in the series or its spin-offs. This Lego set was one of the big announcements for “Mario Day” (March 10), and as neat as it is, it does make you wonder what the plumber is up to. If nothing else, Nintendo has an entire theme park based on the Mario world in the works, so maybe he’s just too busy to be in a video game right now.
