The current agreement Nintendo has with LEGO has borne impressive fruit for fans of the long-time video game developer. A LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System set will be releasing tomorrow in honor of the console's 35th anniversary, complete with parts to build a CRT television that plays the first level of Super Mario Bros. and a corresponding cartridge to plug into the NES. However, the set contains even more for fans of that classic game.
Hidden underneath the top half of the LEGO NES, just above its 'audio' and 'video' ports, builders are instructed to complete a miniature recreation of World 1-2 from Super Mario Bros., specifically the latter half that includes its secret entrance to the warp room. This discovery was unveiled by GameSpot today, after the news site got access to the LEGO set early for a review.
For those who have never touched the NES game, by jumping over the top layer of bricks in World 1-2 players can access a room beyond the normal level exit with three warp pipes that can skip them ahead to Worlds 2, 3, or 4 — one of many secrets that has led to multiple speedrunning categories for Super Mario Bros. That secret resulted in a tradition of level warps throughout the franchise, such as the warp whistles from Super Mario Bros. 3, so it's cool to see LEGO acknowledge it in this anniversary product.
To say that Super Mario Bros. is iconic for just its secrets would be greatly underselling things, as Nintendo essentially saved the video game industry with the NES and created an empire that lives on to this day. In fact, recently Super Mario Bros. set the most-expensive game sale record at an auction where a sealed copy went for $114,000.
For as great a representation of this history as it is, the LEGO NES set has drawn ire from many potential fans for its price tag. The LEGO Nintendo set will cost $229.99 at launch, which many have found to be outrageous even for something that includes interesting mechanical designs and hidden secrets.
One such interesting mechanic involves the LEGO NES interacting with other Nintendo-themed sets being released this year. A LEGO Super Mario set with eight expansions is also on its way, and the Bluetooth-capable Mario figure can interact with the LEGO NES set, but it's up to each individual to decide whether these elements will make the toys worth their investment.
The LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System releases August 1st, 2020.
Source: GameSpot