LEGO Super Mario 64 Set Is More Than Meets The Eye

We've seen several different Super Mario LEGO sets launch over the past year or so, but none of them are quite like the Super Mario 64-themed set that was revealed today. The new set – officially called the LEGO Super Mario 64 ? Block set – is quite a bit more intricate than the Super Mario sets we've seen in the past, but it's packing a lot of nostalgia and what appears to be a pretty cool design.

When constructed, the set resembles one of the "?" blocks from the Super Mario franchise. Neat though that may be on its own, every good ? block has something hiding within, and this set in particular has a few items of note inside it. When fully constructed, the ? block opens up to reveal four miniaturized scenes based on stages from Super Mario 64.

With the block opened up and everything on display, the set looks pretty cool. The four stages depicted in the finished set include Peach's Castle; Bob-omb Battlefield; Cool, Cool Mountain; and Lethal Lava Trouble. Those are four of the most memorable and iconic levels from Super Mario 64, though we can't help but shed a tear for the lack of Dire, Dire Docks and Tick-Tock Clock.

In any case, the set also comes with a collection of microfigures that can be placed in each scene. The microfigures include Mario, Princess Peach, King Bob-omb, Chain Chomp, Big Bully, Mr. I, Lakitu, Mother Penguin, and Tuxie, the baby penguin that needs to be reunited with its mother in Cool, Cool Mountain. LEGO Super Mario and LEGO Luigi can also be used with this set, so if you have previous Mario sets, those characters will have some degree of interaction with this as well.

All in all, it seems like a fun set to build, despite the somewhat ironic fact that ? blocks weren't in Super Mario 64 until the Nintendo DS remake. The LEGO website says that this is for builders aged 18 and older, and with 2,064 pieces, it's probably going to be a complex build. The LEGO Super Mario 64 ? Block set is launching on October 1st, 2021 with an MSRP of $169.99. From launch until the end of 2021, it'll be available exclusively at LEGO's website and LEGO stores, and then beginning in 2022, it'll be available at other retailers.