Lego Super Mario starter kit, Bowser castle expansion revealed

Nintendo and The Lego Group will launch the Lego Super Mario line on Aug. 1, the companies announced Tuesday. Pre-orders for the Lego Super Mario Starter Course — which is the base for the Lego Super Mario world — opened today. The starter kit will cost $59.99, and Lego is offering a Monty Mole & Super Mushroom expansion set for those that pre-order. The starter kit includes 231 pieces.

The Lego Super Mario Starter Course is essentially at the center of the new line, which lets players build levels and move Mario through them to defeat different enemies. The Mario figure has built-in screens, a speaker, and an accelerometer to give the set it’s game-like feel. Players will be able to build onto the starter kit with different expansion sets, two of which were revealed on Tuesday: the Piranha Power Slide Expansion Set and the Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion set. Details on the Monty Mole & Super Mushroom expansion set, included with starter kit pre-orders, remain limited.

Nintendo showcased the two expansions in a video posted to Twitter. The Piranha Plant Power Slide is a smaller kit for $29.99, which adds the iconic plants to the Lego world. Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle kit is exponentially larger and more involved — it’s a boss battle, after all — and will cost $99.99. In previous videos, Lego and Nintendo have shown off other characters, like Bowser Jr. and Yoshi.

Lego said the full line is launching on Aug. 1, but pre-orders are only open for the starter set.

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