LEGO and Super Mario are probably two of childhood nostalgia’s most important key pillars. In fact, I’d argue most people have some kind of memory with one or both of them. Recently, the pair joined forces to create LEGO® Super Mario™, the ultimate nostalgia Bob-omb.
To play, you simply guide LEGO Super Mario to the end of the course before the timer runs out and collect as many coins as possible along the way. The timer starts when LEGO Super Mario is put into the warp pipe and ends when he gets to the goal pole. The ultimate goal is to get the highest score possible, which can be compared with others via an accompanying smartphone app.
The actual LEGO Super Mario figure is the brains of the whole thing, using sensors to register hits to enemies, collect coins and recognise the terrain. Jumping on enemies will defeat them and earn you those sweet coins, while special boxes like the question mark brick will offer randomised power-ups or time bonuses.
LEGO Super Mario can safely land on green bricks, blue water bricks and platforms, the latter of which will earn you coins if you use them to traverse the course. Hazards like red lava bricks will put him in a ‘no coin state’, meaning you won’t be able to collect coins for a short time. Of course, this means a lower final score, so you’ll wanna be avoiding all that jazz wherever you can.
Packed with an accelerometer, LEGO Super Mario also recognises the movements he performs and even makes the iconic jumping sounds as he bounces around. Do three jumps in quick succession and he’ll make a series of Nintendo 64-era of wahoos that’ll send waves of nostalgia rippling through your spine. If you take off his pants while he’s on, he’ll also throw out an entirely appropriate “mamma mia”.
There are a heap of different sets you can collect, including smaller mini-games with single obstacles. While there are a number of official courses to set up, you are also free to design and build your own. If you’re looking for inspiration, player-designed courses can be shared via the app, giving you an almost endless stream of replayability. On the other hand, if you reckon you’re a master level designer you can share your own courses and challenge others to beat your high score.
For those looking to dive into the world of LEGO Super Mario, the starter course comes with the man himself, two different enemies (Bowser Jr and a Goomba), a question mark brick a number of platforms and obstacles. From there, expansion sets will add more customisable options for your own courses.
While you might think all of this looks easy, it can really get quite tricky to get into high score territory. To get a better idea of how all of this looks in action, our pals over at Kotaku did a video with YouTubers Camelworks and Lara6683, pitting the pair against each other in a Battle of the Builds. You can check that out on the Kotaku Facebook later this month.
Happy building, mates.
