Super Mario 2020 - Rumors & Discussion

[Lyichir]

I really like the new sets that were revealed!

One thing that occurred to me is that the variety in these blind-bags is probably enabled in part by the app-based instructions. Previous blind bags like the Unikitty ones or CMFs were limited largely to figures and stands with very little build variety, since the instructions for all the figures had to be able to fit on a single leaflet. The app-based instructions of these allow for a wide variety of enemies to be built in very different ways, and for a variety of different scenery to be included to help contextualize them. I expect those blind bags to be a big hit, both because of having the lowest price point in the theme as well as offering so many common enemies that even getting multiples of some wouldn't feel like a letdown. In AFOL terms, all of them can function as "army builders", and some like the Peepa or Bullet Bill arguably work even better as part of a larger group than they do individually!

In the larger sets, there's some great functionality to some of them. I particularly love the Pokey set, where you spin Mario on a base attached to a hammer to knock the segments of the Pokey away one by one! The Thwomp and King Boo sets also have neat-looking functions. And the King Boo set and larger fortress also vary things up more by breaking away from the 90-degree grid we'd seen used in all the previously revealed models.

[BigGuy4U]

Eh... Not bad for what they are, but wake me up when they make regular system sets. Also disappointing to hear that the interactive stickers are pre-applied to the pieces which makes some things difficult to salvage if you don't care about the game aspect, though maybe it'll be possible to remove them with some work. The enemy blind bags are a cool idea but again I just don't really like the aesthetic they're going for with the theme right now. For me the highlight is Whomp of all things, I'd say it's actually pretty much perfect compared to how it looks in-game. Banzai Bill came out really good too, although I have no idea why they decided to call them "Boomer Bill". Also surprised to see someone like King Boo appear this early in the theme, and the set itself is kind of interesting since that's actually not how the surrounding area of ghost houses typically look in the games.

[Fenghuang0296]

1 hour ago, Lyichir said:

I really like the new sets that were revealed!

One thing that occurred to me is that the variety in these blind-bags is probably enabled in part by the app-based instructions. Previous blind bags like the Unikitty ones or CMFs were limited largely to figures and stands with very little build variety, since the instructions for all the figures had to be able to fit on a single leaflet. The app-based instructions of these allow for a wide variety of enemies to be built in very different ways, and for a variety of different scenery to be included to help contextualize them. I expect those blind bags to be a big hit, both because of having the lowest price point in the theme as well as offering so many common enemies that even getting multiples of some wouldn't feel like a letdown. In AFOL terms, all of them can function as "army builders", and some like the Peepa or Bullet Bill arguably work even better as part of a larger group than they do individually!

In the larger sets, there's some great functionality to some of them. I particularly love the Pokey set, where you spin Mario on a base attached to a hammer to knock the segments of the Pokey away one by one! The Thwomp and King Boo sets also have neat-looking functions. And the King Boo set and larger fortress also vary things up more by breaking away from the 90-degree grid we'd seen used in all the previously revealed models.

Just2good has a review up of a single bling bag he received for demonstration purposes, the Spiny. Actually, there are instructions on leaflets inside the bags.

But yeah, army building will be fun with these guys. The Spiny is my favourite, it’s so cute! I’m going to get at least three or four of those for the display I’m planning. 

The Pokey is nice. I still can’t pick out a favourite, they’re all very cool. ^^

[Takanuinuva]

http://www.newelementary.com/2020/06/what-new-parts-lego-super-mario.html#more

 

Looks like Mario's arms aren't removable

[Vorkosigan]

I'm pretty excited for these sets. Most of the brick built characters came out well. Seeing everything the overall aesthetic is charming. And the blind bags look excellent. For once I will just buy a group without feeling the bags, because I'm not overly concerned with getting some duplicates. With these and Harry Potter August is going to be an expensive month.

[RedHoodPug]

The more I see of these sets the more I think my son will love them, and to be honest he’s more the target than me. The real trouble begins when he sees that there are several sets and he will want them all!

[Lego David]

I have a feeling that the Blind Bags will be the only thing from this theme that will actually sell. 

Edited June 17, 2020 by Lego David

[SquirrelArmy]

I’m not interested in any of the sets. Too simple for adult fans and I’m not sure what kids think of Mario these days. 
 

What is interesting is the app they are releasing alongside this wave of sets. If we can export our stud.io models into this new app then it will make sharing MOCs so much easier. Isometric style instructions have been fine for years but being able to zoom and rotate the model while building step by step would be a game changer for those wanting to build other peoples creations. 
 

However it all depends on the limit of the software, I can imagine it will only include elements available in the Mario sets but there is potential for the future if Lego give us a new way of exporting our designs. 

[Soupperson1]

I’m really excited that this theme is introducing more parts in light nougat and reintroducing the circular tiles from Friends! I really don’t like it when LEGO use tan to represent skin tone in BrickHeadz/BrickSketches etc. so I hope this is a sign that they’re more willing to recolour in light nougat. :)

[HalfBloodPrince]

The sets look good, but they are way too expensive, who thought mario being in only one set was a good idea tho.

[2lazeetomakeaname]

9 minutes ago, HalfBloodPrince said:

The sets look good, but they are way too expensive, who thought mario being in only one set was a good idea tho.

Would you rather have Mario in 1 set or have all the sets cost $40 more and have him?

Edited June 17, 2020 by 2lazeetomakeaname

[HalfBloodPrince]

1 hour ago, 2lazeetomakeaname said:

Would you rather have Mario in 1 set or have all the sets cost $40 more and have him?

Theres no point in buying a $60 set to combine that with the cheapest set, so i say the second or even better: Mario be a minifigure so hes actually easier to get.

[blurrkup]

I like the blind bags, wish there were more. Will likely get the starter set to get Mario, not fussed about the rest but maybe get the Yoshi set. Only thing I might get other wise is a Tanooki suit if they make one.

[Vorkosigan]

Now that we've seen all the sets of the first wave I'd like to summarize with pictures, and provide my opinions on each.

71360 Adventures with Mario Starter Course 59.99 USD

Obviously, you need to get this one if you want to try the interactivity that drives the design of all these sets. This gives a little bit of everything which is good for a starter set. This one of only two sets that include the warp pipe piece, the other being the Guarded Fortress. It is also the only set with the flying cloud. Bowser Junior is unique but I'm not that interested in him. I don't think the price is bad given Mario seems pretty sophisticated. Regardless this is the point of entry, I have mine on pre-order. 

71361 Character Packs $4.99 USD

I think these are the highlight of the series for many people and I am excited for them. The brick built enemies look quite adorable. The little bits of scenery are really nice both for displaying these and for incorporating into a level for the interactive play. I'm thinking to order 10 on release and follow up from there to complete the set. Certainly it doesn't hurt to have multiples if you're going to incorporate them into a level. 

71362 Guarded Fortress Expansion Set $49.99 USD

To me this is one of the best expansions, along with Bowser's castle. The castle makes for an impressive level finish, the Koopa is good to have and appears in only two sets, and this is the only set with a piranha coming out of a pipe, one of the most icon enemies in Mario. I see this is as a day one purchase. 

71363 Desert Pokey Expansion Set $19.99 USD

A nice smaller expansion. The mechanism to knock the segments out of the Pokey matches fairly well what happens in the game, although I don't know why they couldn't put a shell on the end of the arm instead of a hammer. The only set with a Monty Mole. I am planning to get the two smallest expansions on day one. 

71364 Whomp’s Lava Trouble Expansion Set $19.99 USD

A nice smaller expansion. The Whomp looks great, the Lava Bubble is cute, and a shell is included. I am planning to get the two smallest expansions on day one. 

71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set $29.99 USD

The see-saw mechanism is somewhat odd looking on this. It does include a Koopa, only one of two sets to do so. Seems more like a $20 set. I'll wait for a discount on this. 

71366 Boomer Bill Barrage Expansion Set $29.99 USD

The Boomer Bills look great, and the mechanism is interesting. Shy guy is also unique to this set and looks very accurate. Unless I am missing something, this is the only set that includes a stand alone mushroom power up (instead of a mystery block), but that seems strange. I'll wait for a discount on this.

71367 Mario’s House & Yoshi Expansion Set $29.99 USD

Yoshi looks great and is only in this set. Otherwise though the house and hammock don't do much for me. I'll wait for a discount on this or maybe pass and figure Yoshi will be in more sets later on. 

71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt Expansion Set $69.99 USD

To me this is the worst looking expansion. The 2D houses just look weird. It'd be nice to get Toad, and the bridge with the Cheep Cheeps is probably the best part. Wouldn't mind the treasure chest either. I don't really care about Toadette, I'm not familiar with her. Overall what I like doesn't add up to nearly $70, or even a discount from that, so I'll pass on this. 

71369 Bowser's Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set $99.99 USD

One of the best expansions I think, but unsurprising as it is the largest set. The castle looks great with the imposing Bowser statue. Bowser himself is impressive and fairly accurately realized. It's also nice to get Dry Bones, and a smaller Boo. I definitely want to get this one, but being the largest set I'll wait for a discount. 

71376 Thwomp Drop Expansion Set $39.99 USD

Twomp looks great, as does the skull platform. The mechanism looks interesting and you get two more Lava Bubbles. Still I'm thinking I'd rather get the two $20 sets than this, so I'll wait for a discount. 

71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard Expansion Set $49.99 USD

I've never really been a fan of the Haunted House areas in Mario games. This looks suitably spooky, but doesn't really match the interior environment of the Haunted House levels. The only set to get Swoops and it has 4 of them, but that isn't a big draw to me. I wouldn't mind getting King Boo, but I'll probably pass on this one. 

71373 to 71370, Power-Up Packs $9.99 USD

It has been discussed at length that these are pricey for what you get. The body pieces are unique molds and three of the hats are different molds from the base Mario. But it is still $10 for about 10 pieces in each one. I'm mainly interested in getting the Fire Mario but will likely wait for a price drop. 

Well that is my perspective on these sets, I am definitely excited for the theme but don't want to go too overboard as there are a lot of other great sets coming out in August. I hope to see ice, underwater, forest, and other interesting locales in future waves, as well as more chances to get some characters. I like the idea of the interactive elements more than some people clearly do, even though it is not really a game but a sort of imagination augmentation. It'll be fun to see how levels can be customized. I expect my 3 year old son will quite enjoy playing with the talking Mario, probably in ways that don't align with actual Super Mario gameplay at all, but that's just fine. 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Vorkosigan

[PGBQW]

Just saw Just2Good's video playing a "level".

 

Idk, I was kinda hopeful it would be better than it looked like in the box, but watching someone trying to play with it really shows me how weird this whole theme is.

 

Like, I guess that its aimed for children, but since you have to smash a lot of stuff with Mario (and lets face it, children arent known for being delicated) you're gonna destroy the level before actually finishing it.

[Flak Maniak]

Did Lego send Bowser's Castle to any influencers? I know they sent Just2Good various sets, but not all of them. Did the others get sent to anyone?

I don't think the theme's core gimmick is for me (or for any of us, really). It's very much for the five-year-olds, which is fine. I hope they enjoy it. I still have some concerns that it's too goal-oriented, which I don't think synergizes with the freeform nature of "swing a figure around in your hands". I think that maybe they should have focused more on just establishing the interactive features for freeform, imaginative play, as opposed to some goal-driven "levels" thing.

Anyway, I hope I'm not TOO tempted by Bowser's Castle; I gotta say that Bowser and the giant Bowser statue are lookin' good! But man with all the other big sets I'm gonna get this year... Gotta resist Bowser's temptation.

[BPK2300]

On 6/18/2020 at 8:35 PM, PGBQW said:

Just saw Just2Good's video playing a "level".

 

Idk, I was kinda hopeful it would be better than it looked like in the box, but watching someone trying to play with it really shows me how weird this whole theme is.

 

Like, I guess that its aimed for children, but since you have to smash a lot of stuff with Mario (and lets face it, children arent known for being delicated) you're gonna destroy the level before actually finishing it.

I think I fall into this mindset, as well. It's just looks like an odd way to "play"

[PGBQW]

9 hours ago, BPK2300 said:

I think I fall into this mindset, as well. It's just looks like an odd way to "play"

I just really dont get it.

 

I guess you have to get as many coins as you can in the stablished time.

 

BUT, no one's checking you, so nothing keeps you from cheating.

Then, the only reason to play the levels following the rules would be by using your imagination, which abolishes the whole point of the Robot-Mario.

 

This is specially notable with the suit upgrades, particulary the Flying and Cat Mario (the Fire and Builder Mario kinda make sense, I guess), since the only thing that keeps you from not flying/climbing its deciding not to because you dont have the suit.

[Vorkosigan]

51 minutes ago, PGBQW said:

Then, the only reason to play the levels following the rules would be by using your imagination, which abolishes the whole point of the Robot-Mario.

I don't think the usage of imagination negates the purpose of the interactive Mario. Sometimes users will play with it according to the "rules," and try to get a high score. Sometimes they'll pretend things go wrong, Mario gets foiled by enemies etc. Other times they'll "cheat" or even turn Mario off and just do whatever. All are legitimate ways to play with it. 

 

51 minutes ago, PGBQW said:

This is specially notable with the suit upgrades, particulary the Flying and Cat Mario (the Fire and Builder Mario kinda make sense, I guess), since the only thing that keeps you from not flying/climbing its deciding not to because you dont have the suit.

I don't think you are correct that nothing prevents you from flying and climbing. Mario has gyros / accelerometers and reacts to being spun on a platform based on how much you spin him, and reacts differently if he falls off. I expect he will get "dizzy" or otherwise apply some mild penalty for flying/climbing when he doesn't have the right suits. Of course it won't be a full proof prevention of cheating, but it is not a complete free for all either. It is guided play.  

Edited June 23, 2020 by Vorkosigan

[PGBQW]

6 hours ago, Vorkosigan said:

I don't think the usage of imagination negates the purpose of the interactive Mario. 

---

I don't think you are correct that nothing prevents you from flying and climbing. Mario has gyros / accelerometers and reacts   

Well, fair enough.

On a second thought, I totally agree on the first point, you really dont have to choose a legitimate way to play because they all are.

Also, Mario having movement limitations makes sense (now that you point it out seems pretty obvious, since you have to rotate Cat Mario to climb), so I guess we'll have to wait and see how it works.

 

(Btw, not trying to be negative or anything, just pointing out a few concerns to see the possiblities of the theme).

[BigGuy4U]

I will say the gimmick doesn't interest me at all but I don't get the concerns about "cheating", just because the rules for play aren't necessarily enforced that doesn't mean kids won't follow them.

[ThousandMoon]

I really struggle to envisage this theme being a success. My 6 yo is utterly obsessed with Mario these days (has a great collection of Jakks Pacific figures), and indeed he absolutely loves Lego (dinosaurs and consequently the Lego Jurassic theme were his first true love haha!). However, he thinks these sets and the characters just look "lame" - no interest in them at all. My 11 yo nephew - also a huge Lego fan thinks they look like "Crappy Meal toys".

I'm a collector of minifigs primarily, so naturally I'm disappointed not to see traditional minifigs. I appreciate this theme is directed at young children and that Lego are trying something new, and I suppose time will tell as to whether they'll be popular, but I just can't help feeling this theme's deviation away from classic Lego to some Duplo Screwball Scramble acid trip is an epic fail :~/

[BrickG]

If I could get the characters minus all the fluff I'd maaaaybe consider buying a few. The character designs aren't bad are are pretty LEGO (but like everyone I'd prefer regular minifigures). The game looks like the sort of game I wouldn't even like when I was a kid. However I was an odd kid. Played D&D and stuff at 7 rather than lame games. :P

Edited June 26, 2020 by BrickG

[BrickBob Studpants]

If you’re interested in whole boxes of the character packs, MinifigureMaddness now accepts pre-orders  Just keep in mind that they’re selling bundles of 3 boxes  

[Vorkosigan]

On 7/7/2020 at 10:20 AM, Lego-Freak said:

If you’re interested in whole boxes of the character packs, MinifigureMaddness now accepts pre-orders  Just keep in mind that they’re selling bundles of 3 boxes  

Thanks for the tip, the price is not bad but 3 boxes is just too much. 1 box would be nice. 

 

On another note, something strange is going on with the Starter Course on Target's website. They had it up for preorder after LEGO sold out (and before LEGO started having preorder again without the special freebie). So I preordered it there. Then less than an hour ago I got an e-mail saying my preorder date had changed, to today! I looked at the page for the item and it now shows sold out. So I'm wondering if they put it up for sale early by accident. My preorder hasn't shipped, but it shows delivery estimate of July 15th. Very weird, I'm just keeping an eye on it. https://www.target.com/p/lego-super-mario-adventures-with-mario-starter-course-building-kit-71360/-/A-78929934