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20% Icy

As we recommended, LEGO Luigi with collaborative play, coming July 2021…

While this is, technically, not a pure Streaming App, Gaming device or Video Game title, LEGO Super Mario does contain unique play features that I wanted to review, here, on AppFlicks.

The LEGO Group continues to blur the boundaries of physical play into the virtual world (or the reverse, in this case). This process began with LEGO Dimensions for Xbox, Wii and PlayStation (plans for AppleTV and iPad never materialized), it continued with LEGO The Hidden Side, which integrated AR on your Android / iOS device via tags baked into the physical LEGO bricks, App-enabled LEGO Mindstorms with Power Functions and LEGO Duplo Stories with the Amazon Alexa.

Today, we have LEGO Super Mario, which uses a combination of QR Codes, with a LEGO Mario “minifigure” who is actually a QR Code Reader, Color Sensor, Accelerometer and Bluetooth transmitter, with an integrated Speaker to hear music, environmental interaction, as well as Mario’s voice and an impressive Built-in LCD display that enables users to see Mario’s expressions via movement of his eyes, mouth and in-game feedback via a HUD on his chest that identifies power-ups, environmental feedback, countdown-timer and score.

While Mario engages with the physical LEGO bricks (colors, height, motion) and the QR Codes, the LEGO Super Mario App, for Apple iOS and Google Android, extends the game play in multiple ways. The App provides interactive instruction on how to build the sets, videos on how Mario should best defeat his advisories and in-game obstacles via physical motion, amount of times to jump on QR Codes and how to make use of different colored brick environments. The App also allows users to keep track of their Mario set collection, share photos with other users, engage with digital, Nintendo video game-like versions of their purchased sets, track their in-game progress, success and achievements with a leader-board.

To date, there are 25 LEGO Super Mario sets and 2 sets of individual Character Packs, totaling 20, mostly unique figures, from the highly popular Mario video games. I have 7 LEGO Super Mario sets, so far, and all 20 figures from the Character Packs.

While the LEGO “brick building” aspect of Super Mario is less flexible than many of their non-Mario sets, which contain higher number of bricks and more diverse parts, I have spent countless hours building and re-configuring more challenging and ever-more engaging game maps / layouts.

How did a LEGO Star Wars fan, who hasn’t owned a Nintendo product since the Nintendo Wii get wrapped up into this? I was given the displayable LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System set as a birthday present. That purely physical set, can also engage, via color sensors within the LEGO Super Mario character, by way of placing him on top of the buildable Television that ‘connects’ to the buildable old-school NES. Me, being me… I couldn’t have one, without the other, so I bought the LEGO Super Mario Starter Kit and it’s all been down or up-hill, after that.

What do I think of LEGO Super Mario? I love it! It’s something new! It keeps me off of my iPhone, MackBook Pro and from watching Streaming Television while I’m making limited use of my iPad Pro as I guide LEGO Mario throughout the game map that I’ve created in an attempt to beat my prior score in under 215 seconds.

I will say this… after all the money I’ve spent on these Mario LEGO sets, I’m considering diverting a bit of my future spend toward getting the next version of the Nintendo SWITCH to play Mario, “for real” if you know what I mean. All this talk of Mario has me even more excited to visit Universal Studios Japan: Super Mario World which opens in February 2021.

Do you own LEGO Super Mario? What do you think of it? What sets, future hybrid experiences do you think are coming next? I’d like to see a Summer 2021 set include a LEGO Super Luigi (or an advisory) who contains the same tech as Mario and for the App to to be upgraded to offer competitive play between the two characters and their users. I think this would add an even more compelling, enjoyable and time consuming aspect to the sets and overall game.

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Until I get my hands on LEGO Luigi this Summer, I give this ambitions hybrid gaming experience 4.5–5 JoulePeppers – it’s Spicy!

ronvining

Welcome, from AppFlicks Chief AuteurX! I created AppFlicks out of my love for all-things entertainment, stints as a music manager, producer and as an advisor to film & game studios, telcos, lux brands, retail, hospitality & theme parks. Thank you for taking part in our streaming community! NOTE: Activity from my account, may also be initiated by AppFlicks Admin.