Lego and Nintendo have announced a joint product named Lego Super Mario, which combines the toy maker’s playsets with the gameplay of the Mario platformers.
Full details have not yet been released but as teased on social media this week, the central element of the new Lego sets is a smart Mario figure with small screens on his chest and face, able to detect which bricks he is near. It will involve a range of building and collecting play schemes.
Although Lego has collaborated with other video game franchises in the past, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, this is the first time Mario has appeared in Lego form. Lego Super Mario is being described as a product line rather than one-off.
As shown in a promotional video, the interactive Mario figure collects coins in physical game levels created with Lego bricks. It’s also likely that he will be able to interact in other ways, and perhaps collect other items that power-up his collecting skills: we see him collect a heart and panic when placed on a flame tile.
The ability to design these levels in some way promises greater involvement for players. With the smart Lego Super Mario figure, it may be possible to add time limits and sequential challenges to the courses that users make. The concept can be seen as an extension of the Super Mario Maker games, which allow players to design their own levels.
Interestingly, there is no sign of tablet or smartphone interaction. Parents may well approve of this, but it seems unlikely that the Lego Mario technology will not connect to other devices in some way – perhaps via a related app similarly to the recent NFC-enabled Minecraft toys from Mattel. The Bluetooth button on the back of the toy would seem to suggest this kind of connectivity.
This toy-meets-video-game market used to be known as “toys-to-life”, when the Skylanders video game launched in 2011 with its range of related figurines. Since then, there have been many smart toy ideas (including the impressive Lego Dimensions) but few have had sustained success.
The Lego Super Mario sets seem to be aimed at a younger crowd, of around five- to nine-year-olds. This raises questions of how collaborative the interactions will be: will Lego Super Mario be something users play on their own or will it be possible to compete and collaborate with friends who also have their own Lego Super Mario, as with the recent Hotwheels iD cars and playsets?
This is the latest in a recent series of Lego video-game innovations. Last year it released Lego Brawls, a Super Smash Bros-style game, on Apple Arcade along with the augmented-reality video game Lego Hidden Side.
Nintendo’s influence is evident in the marketing of the new Lego sets. Rather than being launched at the New York Toy Fair, the industry’s biggest trade fair, Lego Super Mario has been revealed through digital channels.
More will be revealed nearer to the launch, scheduled for later this year. Particularly important will be the price of the sets and how they work together to offer increased value. As we’ve seen with previous toys-to-life franchises, which have often been flooded with add-ons and accessories, the market is sensitive to cost, especially given that popular titles such as Fortnite are often free to start playing.
