[REVIEW] LEGO + Nintendo = LEGO Super Mario Play Experience!

Adult geeks and kids alike are bound to get super excited when we hear two of the most famous toys and entertainment companies, LEGO and Nintendo coming together to launch the all-new LEGO Super Mario experience.

I am excited for sure, having grown up playing with both the original Super Mario video games on Nintendo and the physical LEGO bricks when I was a kid. My son Asher is excited too because there has been a revival of retro-games like Super Mario of late on mobile games and he also enjoys playing with physical LEGO bricks.

Earlier in June this year, the LEGO Group revealed the full product portfolio for its LEGO Super Mario experience. Fans can expand on the LEGO Super Mario range announced in April with a whole new range of Expansion Sets, collectible Character Packs and Power-Up Packs.

The new LEGO Super Mario range reinvents the way people interact with Super Mario in the physical world, giving fans the chance to build Mario’s house, search for treasure hidden by Toad and defeat a Koopa Troopa in the Guarded Fortes, all in the real world.

To kick-off the fun, you would need a set of the Mario Starter Course which was released earlier this ear alongside two Expansion Sets. The Start Course is key to unlocking the entire play, being the only set to feature the interactive LEGO Mario figure that collects coins in game levels created with LEGO bricks.

Check out this video of our unboxing and play experience with the Mario Starter Course:

After you are done with the Mario Starter Course, it is time to expand the adventure. All sets come with their own series of unique challenges and characters for fans to play with, or play against friends. In addition to the Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set and Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion announced in April, the Expansion Set line-up includes: the Guarded Fortress Expansion Set, the Mario’s House & Yoshi Expansion Set, the Toad’s Treasure Hunt Expansion Set, the Desert Pokey Expansion Set, the Whomp’s Lava Trouble Expansion Set and the Boomer Bill Barrage Expansion Set:

Additionally, there are also ten collectible enemy characters that are available in blind bag Character Packs, adding that extra layer of excitement. Each pack comes with a buildable character and action tag to play with – it could be a Paragoomba, Fuzzy, Spiny, Buzzy Beetle, Bullet Bill, Bob-omb, Eep Cheep, Blooper, Urchin or Peepa.

Every Expansion Set and collectible Character is made to be used with the Adventures with Mario Start Course for an enhanced play experience. The entry point set features seven action bricks for different interactions with the LEGO Mario figure, which has LCD screens in its eyes, mouth and belly to display instant reactions to movement, colour and action bricks.

Earlier in May, a series of Power-Up Packs were also launched, including Cat Mario and Builder Mario – to help boost gameplay with a variety of suits for LEGO Mario that each reveal new features and powers:

To complement the LEGO Super Mario experience, a free LEGO Super Mario app is created by the LEGO Group as a supporting feature to further enhance the physical play experience. It keeps track of scores to encourage continuous rebuilding, as well as providing digital building instructions with zoom and rotate viewing tools to make building easier, suggestions of other creative ways to build and play, and a safe forum to share ideas with friends.