A new Lego NES set delivers heady vacuum tube nostalgia in brick form
We already know all about Lego's Bluetooth-powered dive into the world of Super Mario, but now that sprawling set is going to have some thematically appropriate company. The Lego Nintendo Entertainment System is now confirmed (after a Monday tease), and it's coming on Aug. 1.
As you can see in the photo above, the set isn't just a brickified NES console. There's also a controller — complete with cord and chonky plug — and Super Mario Bros. cartridge, as well as a TV from the days before screens were flat and high-def.
Just like the Super Mario sets, which are also out Aug. 1, this one consists of a bit more than snapping pieces together. Inside the Lego TV, you piece together a visual of World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros. Spinning a crank on the side of the TV moves the scrolling scene along, creating the impression that the level is playing out in front of you.
In an especially neat twist, the powered Mario figure from the Super Mario starter set can actually interact with the Lego NES. If you scan an included "action brick," just like the ones found in the other sets, Mario "reacts to on-screen enemies, obstacles, and power-ups just as he would have" in the original.
Lego released a brief video featuring some of this in action, and it gives a sense of how Lego Mario interacts with Lego NES:
If the complexity of the Super Mario sets didn't make it clear already, this NES set definitely does: Lego and Nintendo are tapping directly into the nostalgia of longtime fans, including the older ones who may be raising Lego-age kids of their own.
The NES set seems like more of a showpiece than the Super Mario sets, which are geared around letting bricklayers set up their own Super Mario courses. Though with the way that scrolling level fits into the Lego TV, it's not hard to imagine "expansion packs" that cover additional levels, or even other games. (This is pure speculation, to be clear. But it sure seems like something that could happen!)
The $230 Lego NES set arrives in Lego stores and on Lego.com on Aug. 1, with a wider release bringing it to other retailers sometime in 2021.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
