Bowser’s Airship plays a major role in a number of the Super Mario Games, and the LEGO form has been long awaited by many fans. I should not be surprised by its popularity, we saw a couple of versions of the airship submitted in our ‘What Next for LEGO Super Mario?’ Competition. The ‘Bowser’s Airship expansion’ is the largest expansion set seen to date with LEGO Super Mario sets, with over 1100 pieces. It will be officially on sale on August 1st 2021.
This set was sent over by the LEGO Group for review purposes, and its certainly quite a different experience to the other sets I have built and played with for this wave. It will be prices at $USD 99.99/€99.99, £89.99 and AUD149.99
We will take a look at the parts, the enemies, and some of the ‘action aspects’ of the set, as well as a playthrough video.
There have been a number of characters who have prominence in the Super Mario Universe that we have been yet to see: Lakitu, a small Koopa like creature, who spends his life flying in a cloud throwing eggs at Mario, or presiding as MC in Mario Kart is one. One of the new Expansion sets exploits both the two player aspect of the new LEGO Super Mario game, as well as introduces this enemy to the roster of opponent that Mario and Luigi now face.
Last week I had the opportunity to take part in a press briefing looking at LEGO Super Mario’s latest Companion: LEGO Super Luigi. Today we can reveal all the sets coming up in the next wave of releases. Over the next few weeks, I shall present some of what I have learned through playing with LEGO Luigi, in conjunction with the LEGO Super Mario.
The LEGO Group brings 2-player action to the LEGO® Super Mario™ universe with LEGO® Mario™ and LEGO® Luigi™ Let’s-a go! The LEGO® Adventures with Luigi Starter Course, available for pre-order, enables new 2-player interactive play, while brand new Expansion Sets including Bowser’s Airship lets fans level up for even more exciting adventures. Billund, June 22nd, 2021: Today, the LEGO Group has announced a new unique social play experience that for the first time enables children and fans to connect LEGO® Mario™ and LEGO® Luigi™ figures for brand new 2-player adventures in the LEGO Super Mario universe. Perfect for family activities, this exciting feature will encourage even more social play, with two players able to enjoy the universe of LEGO Super Mario at the same time for new brick-built adventures. Once connected via Bluetooth, 2-player adventures with LEGO Mario and LEGO Luigi (or any combination of the two figures) are made possible. Now, children and fans can play as a team, collect extra digital coins by doing in-sync actions like walking, flipping and jumping, or work together to defeat enemies, complete challenges, share rewards or even by changing up the play and competing against each other. The new unique 2-player feature was also shared in a video posted by the LEGO Group and Nintendo earlier today.
“For us it’s all about encouraging continuous creative rebuilding and extended playtime. With today’s announcement, we’re not only bringing LEGO Mario and LEGO Luigi, their friends and enemies to life in new interactive ways for endless fun, we’re also thrilled to expand their play experience and the LEGO Super Mario universe with even more new sets and characters, something we really hope will excite fans”, says Simon Kent, Creative Lead, LEGO Super Mario. The interactive and highly-anticipated Adventures with Luigi Starter Course is the latest extension of the LEGO Super Mario product line, the result of a unique partnership with Nintendo, that has introduced an entirely new way to play with LEGO bricks. Players will be able to get their hands on LEGO Luigi with the LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course, a set that contains elements for both single and dual play from August 1st. LEGO Luigi and LEGO Mario, the fraternal twin brothers, are available as separate Starter Courses – both functioning as entry points into the world of LEGO Super Mario –with the 2-player interactive play available using any combination of the two figures from August 1st. As well as unveiling the new Bluetooth-enabled 2-player mode, the LEGO Group is also introducing four new Expansion Sets, two new Power-Up Packs and ten new Character Packs. The four new Expansion Sets represent highly immersive builds for kids to expand their Starter Courses, and feature elements that are suitable for single play, but also enable dual play, and extra coin collection. Available for pre-order from today is the ‘Bowser’s Airship Expansion Set’. The set gives fans a first chance to build an exciting new level within the universe, taking on the infamous flying ship. Fight off Kamek, a Goomba and a Rocky Wrench then battle with the ship itself! The ship can be arranged in ‘flying mode’ or folded out in ‘course mode’. The other new products introduced today include: Frog Mario and Bee Mario Power-Up packs, which let players change up play and dress LEGO Mario in his playful frog and bee suits; and a Boss Sumo Bro Topple Tower Expansion Set, where kids can use their LEGO Mario and/or LEGO Luigi figure to bring down the Topple Tower – fun for solo play, or for playing with friends and family.
The full list of products announced today are:
71391 Bowser’s Airship Expansion Set (available to pre-order today) (99.99 USD/EUR)
71388 Boss Sumo Bro Topple Tower Expansion Set (29.99 USD/EUR)
71389 Lakitu Sky World Expansion Set (39.99 USD/EUR)
71390 Reznor Knockdown Expansion Set (69.99 USD/EUR)
With a new time trial game: how long does it take to collect 50 coins
71392 Frog Mario Power-Up Pack (9.99 USD/EUR)
71393 Bee Mario Power-Up Pack (9.99 USD/EUR)
71394 Character Packs – Series 3 (10 collectible Character Packs, including Galoomba, Parachute Bob-omb, Crowber, Boo, Amp, Torpedo Ted, Bony Beetle, 1-Up Mushroom, Scuttlebug and Swoop) (4.99 USD/3.99 EUR)
All Sets and Packs offer fans limitless ways to expand, rebuild, customize and create their own action-packed challenges and lots of creative fun in a highly-interactive experience that now features 2-player connectivity with LEGO Mario and LEGO Luigi. The LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course and Bowser’s Airship Expansion set are available for pre-order now through http://www.lego.com/supermario-startercourse and http://www.lego.com/preorder-bowsersairship respectively, ready to launch August 1st, 2021 on http://www.LEGO.com and from selected leading retailers around the world. The remaining announced products will be available to purchase from August 1st. The recommended retail price for the Adventures with Luigi Starter Course is 59.99 EUR/USD and the Bowser’s Airship Expansion Set is 99.99 USD/EUR.
It’s exciting to see the way in which the LEGO-Nintendo collaboration is developing: the two player mode rewards cooperative play, and gives you an additional 30 seconds to complete the level.
New Gear blocks, as well as many other scannable objects will present new ways to play with these play sets.
I’ll bring more news later this week regarding the new functionality, as well as presenting reviews of the Airship, Lakitu’s Skyworld and of course the Super Luigi Starter set.
What are you most looking forward to in this wave of sets? Why not leave your comments below, and until next time,
The arrival of new sets and software updates means that there are more ways than ever to extend your play time with LEGO Super Mario. However, these are poorly documented. While the traditional game runs for ‘around a minute’ I have found that it is possible to extend your game play to closer to three or more… Read on for more.
With the recent Christmas Break seeing families open new toys, I hear people talking about how they wish that they could play each game of LEGO Super Mario for longer, so that they can play through more and more of the collection of expansions that they own. True, the 60 seconds offered by the Green Warp Start Tile can be enough to play most levels through, but it is barely enough to play through Bowser’s Castle. Let alone other levels.
So… How can we maximise the time we have to play? And what is the longest time available to play, if all goes well?
Earlier in the year, I was excited to see the release of the LEGO® Super Mario range. If might not have been the collectable minifigures, that many people were hoping for, but I believe that the play system, involving the Super Mario Smart Brick, in conjunction with scannable tiles has resulted in a game that we would only see with LEGO® and Nintendo working together. Judging by the responses we had to the ‘What Next For LEGO Super Mario,’ a number of you were quite inspired too!
Today, we get our first official look at the next wave of sets, set for global release on January 1, 2021.
I love a gift with purchase, and I love a chain reaction.
So, when LEGO offered to send me 41404 Monty Mole and Super Mushroom – the gift with purchase for those who preordered their LEGO Super Mario Starter Sets a little while back, I was quite excited. The set has 163 pieces, and comes with a Super Mushroom, POW Box, Stone Eye and Monty Mole.
This is the largest set in the range: while 71360: Adventures with Mario is the set that everyone will get, 71369: Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle is the set that many will want. Bowser is Mario’s nemesis, and leader of the turtle like Koopa race. And so it makes sense that the flagship set in the theme will involve LEGO Super Mario taking him down.
Even with all the wits and power ups at his disposal to, Mario will still need a little bit of luck to defeat Bowser.
We are rapidly running out of LEGO Super Mario expansion sets to look at (you will be glad to hear). With only 2 regular sets (as well as the power up suits) to go, today we come to 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard. With 431 parts, and costing 49,99 USD/EUR- $AUD 69.99, it offers an interesting play feature, a chance to take on the ghost King Boo, and explore the graveyard. Who knows what treasures are hidden within. Actually, is it a graveyard? I just presumed it was, but looking back at it, I don’t see any actual graves.
This is one if the few sets laid out to be almost an independent cul-de-sac, compared with other expansions. Unlike most of the other sets that we have it runs a little off the grid – with nodes heading off at various angles towards the edges.
Its only a couple of days before the final release of LEGO Super Mario on August 1st 2020. As we continue looking at the Expansion sets, we look at Thwomp Drop. With 393 parts, it is very much a set with a couple of linked action features. Set in the dungeon levels, Mario encounters Thwomp! A living stone who would like to do nothing more than slow him down on his way.
On the front of the box, we see all that is included in the set, along with the reminder that LEGO Super Mario is NOT included in this set. We see a platform, lined with cartoon skulls, riding along a rail, crossing a path of lava. An angry Thwomp, some small platforms and a couple of podoboos complete the picture.
As the official release date of LEGO Super Mario approaches, I thought we would take a look at one of several medium-large expansion sets. The guarded fortress feels like the end scene to almost any game level.
With 463 elements, this expansion feels chock full of play value, and adds some new challenges for Mario to face. Challenges that can easily be incorporated into a layout. We also have three enemies to defeat, as well as the opportunity to loot the fortress for the coins hidden inside. As with all LEGO Super Mario Expansion sets, the 71360 Adventures with Mario set is required for full functionality.
