Oh, to go back to a Saturday morning in 1998, watching Pokémon while eating way-too sugary cereal and trying to conceive a convincing reason my parents should take me to get another pack of Pokémon cards (turns out they were a good investment, DAD). I remember wanting, more than anything, for Pokémon to be real. Turns out, kids nowadays aren’t much different.
You may have seen the release of the Pokémon adult LEGO sets to celebrate the 30th anniversary. Fans actually crashed both LEGO’s and Pokémon’s websites when preorders were announced. Turns out, LEGO and Pokémon have an 80% crossover of fans. So it was no surprise to LEGO that the first release of this collaboration was a success. While those sets were great for the nostalgic fans, they were more for display and collecting. It left a gap for those younger fans who may not get as much out of a LEGO set you admire from a distance. Of course, LEGO had a solve for this. They didn’t just make a line for younger fans to adore, they included their SMART Play technology to make a set that really brings the fun of Pokémon to life.
As a fan myself, I had a few main takeaways from the event but my main one was how great of a job they did bringing the battling format fans love from the game to life. More about that below!
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Courtesy Devon Sherer
What Is LEGO SMART Play?
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Courtesy Devon Sherer
Battling is done by bringing two Pokémon close together until battle mode is activated. The SMART Brick will announce this by playing a song that really is reminiscent of the game’s battle songs. To land an attack, bring the Pokémon to the other in quick motions. It can be from any angle on the Pokémon—not just SMART Brick to SMART Brick.
I actually really like that it encourages kids to get up and be more physical. The designers say it was exciting to watch the kids run around the test room and hide behind couches.
I loved that there’s some basic battle how-to in the build instructions but LEGO encourages trainers to test and discover their own battle strategies. In typical LEGO fashion, it’s up to you to really build the whole experience.
3 More Personal Favorite Things from the First Look
Here are the three other features I really was impressed by as a Pokémon fan, LEGO fan, mom and kid at heart.
1. Training and discovery
So it was important that kids could actually train their Pokémon to be stronger in battle. Once the Pokémon are in "Train mode," a song (that sounds like the classic Pokémon game tune) plays, which I love. Depending on what set you get, you can hit targets that trigger reactions or create your own targets.
Now, unlike the games, training doesn't stay with your Pokémon after playtime is done. Once the brick is removed from the Pokémon’s SMART Brick censor, you start over. I was unsure about this feature when I first heard it. When I asked the designers about it, they admitted it was something they struggled deciding on. They thought that younger trainers would get the most play this way, which I don’t disagree with. They also noticed kids were less into the stats and more into getting right into training, battling and playing.
Courtesy Devon Sherer
3. Play isn’t just tied to SMART Play
Look, I love the SMART Play system. I think it’s a beautiful tech addition that inspires imagination and play instead of doing it for kids. But as a parent, I want my kid’s toys to be versatile and, yes, maybe sometimes quiet…so, I also really appreciate that while the SMART Brick system does work with all the sets, you don’t have to invest in the SMART Play system if you choose not to for this series. There’s 10 compatible sets and two all-in-one. This allows for more of the sets to be reasonably priced and more accessible.
If kids want to, they can still play with these sets without the SMART Brick. They need to charge eventually! Play doesn’t have to stop because of that. In the 10 sets that don’t need SMART Play, the designers have come up with some fun storylines for kids to explore through play, like finding Mew with a Pokédrone or battling fires with Squirtle or getting Gangar’s treasure.
SMART Play: Charizard vs. Jolteon Ultimate Battle, $119.99SMART Play: Mewtwo's Lab Break, $69.99SMART Play: Eevee and Lapras's Treasure Hunt, $59.99SMART Play: Drone Search for Mythical Mew, $49.99
(If your favorite Pokémon isn’t in any of the 12 sets you could try to build it now and then invest in the SMART Brick sensor from a similar type of Pokémon. Someone, please make a Psyduck using Squirtle’s ID!)
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Sources:
Siddharth Muthyala, LEGO designerMike Anderson, LEGO designerHence then, the article about i got a first look at the new pokemon x lego line launching this summer here s what surprised me most was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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