The younger, often overlooked, brother to Mario now has his own LEGO set, but how does it compare to Mario’s?
Adventures with Luigi is the latest expansion in the LEGO Super Mario franchise, giving kids (and kids at heart) the chance to play as the iconic video game characters away from the screen.
9News went hands-on with the new set to see what’s new and how it compares to the Mario version.
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Super Mario Bros, the original game, sold over 40 million copies, it only made sense to get the plumber brothers back together in LEGO form.
The Luigi starter course comes with LEGO Luigi, Pink Yoshi as well as baddies, Boom Boom and Bone Goomba – 270 pieces total.
With a couple of helpers on hand, the set only takes about 20 minutes to put together.
At first glance the new Luigi model looks the same as Mario, but on closer inspection Luigi is slightly taller, his hair is styled differently, he’s seemingly combed his moustache and his mouth isn’t as wide – all of that plus he has green overalls.
LEGO lovers can now go head-to-head, connecting the Lego brothers together enables two-player action. Much like the actual game, LEGO builders and players can now compete for the highest score.
If you’ve already got Mario handy, he will require a little update before he can enjoy all that Luigi has to offer. You can do this by downloading the Lego Super Mario app and connecting Mario via Bluetooth.
The app is also the place where you’ll find the instructions on how to put it all together, and it’s very interactive – the 3D steps allow you to see where each piece belongs by using your finger to rotate the design on screen.
A scanner at the bottom of Luigi, the same as Mario’s, recognises colours and the LEGO barcodes across the course.
There are a few new pieces for the characters to interact with, although it’s all starting to feel the same. Once you start adding new sets and expanding on the course it gets messy.
The new spinning see-saw for Luigi to take out Bowser’s henchman is a highlight, gears and rods make up the structure that has three interactive points.
Luigi has similar mannerisms and responses as Mario while interacting with the world, such as falling asleep when laying him down, although it’s seemingly harder to get Luigi to sleep than Mario. Perhaps this just proves Mario is the harder working brother?
There’s definitely a few bucks in LEGO releasing a playboard with in-game world maps on them to keep with the video game theme and add a bit more authenticity to the sets. Much like they did with the LEGO Friends series.
All that’s missing now is a LEGO Princess Peach (and Toad of course), but I’m sure it’s all just a matter of time.
LEGO Super Mario: Adventures with Luigi hit shelves on Monday and retails for about $90.
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