National Video Games Day is September 12, and playing your favourite game is the obvious way to celebrate. If you want to take that celebration beyond the screen, LEGO has gaming sets tied to plenty of familiar series. The current lineup includes The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, Pokémon, Fortnite, Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Some are larger display sets aimed at adults. Others are built more around hands-on play for younger builders. That range is what makes LEGO’s current gaming lineup interesting for National Video Games Day.
You can recreate Ocarina of Time’s final battle or build a near 1:1 scale Game Boy. Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Sonic bring more hands-on play to the table.
Nintendo Classics Become LEGO Display Builds
If a lot of your gaming nostalgia comes from Nintendo, this part of LEGO’s lineup has plenty to dig into. You can rebuild Ocarina of Time’s final battle or put Mario mid-drift on a shelf. You can even recreate the original Game Boy at near 1:1 scale.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – The Final Battle
LEGO The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – The Final Battle goes straight to the end of Link’s Nintendo 64 adventure. The 1,003-piece set recreates the ruined area around Ganon’s Castle. It’s where Link and Zelda face Ganondorf before his final transformation into Ganon.
The build includes Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf minifigures, plus a large brick-built Ganon and transparent Navi. Game-specific details include the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Megaton Hammer, hidden Recovery Hearts, and movable rubble. A built-in mechanism can also raise Ganondorf from the ruins.
The set is rated 18+ and costs $179.99 CAD. Of all the sets here, this is the one I’d most like to build. I especially like that LEGO chose such a specific moment from Ocarina of Time instead of making a more general Zelda display.
Mario Kart – Mario & Standard Kart
Mario Kart is all about the display. Once it’s built, you can angle Mario and the Standard Kart to make the scene look more dynamic. He can appear to be racing through a corner or sliding into a drift.
The 1,972-piece Mario Kart – Mario & Standard Kart set gives Mario a posable head and arms. The Standard Kart sits on a dedicated stand that supports different display angles.
The set is rated 18+ and costs $219.99 CAD. At more than 12 inches long, it also needs some room on a gaming shelf or display.
This would be my second choice to build. I like that the stand lets you pose Mario and the Standard Kart in motion rather than having it sit flat on a shelf.
Game Boy
If you remember sliding a Game Pak into Nintendo’s original Game Boy, LEGO gets surprisingly specific with this recreation. The 421-piece model is close to 1:1 scale. It includes the +Control Pad, A and B buttons, SELECT and START buttons, volume and contrast controls, and Game Pak slot.
Its buttons can be pressed, but this isn’t a functioning Game Boy. There are no light, sound, or digital play features.
The cartridges are where the recreation gets especially specific. The set includes brick-built The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Super Mario Land Game Paks, plus interchangeable lenticular screens. There’s also a Nintendo start screen.
The Game Boy set is rated 18+ and costs $79.99 CAD. That puts it well below the Zelda and Mario Kart display sets in price.
Game Boy rounds out my personal top three. The interchangeable Game Paks and screens are the details that really sell the recreation for me.
Pokémon and Fortnite Turn Gaming Icons Into Large LEGO Builds
Pokémon and Fortnite come from very different parts of gaming, but both have images that are recognizable almost instantly. LEGO turns two of them into larger builds with Pikachu and Poké Ball and the Fortnite Battle Bus.
Pikachu and Poké Ball
The LEGO Pokémon Pikachu and Poké Ball set has 2,050 pieces and is rated 18+. If Pikachu is what drew you to this one, you also get some say in how the finished build looks.
Pikachu can leap from an open Poké Ball in a battle pose or rest beside the closed ball. Its ears and limbs are posable, with lightning elements referencing Pikachu’s Electric type. The number 25 on the base refers to its Pokédex number.
At $269.99 CAD, it’s the most expensive set covered here. I like that you aren’t locked into one pose with Pikachu. Being able to change the display gives the finished model a little more personality.
Fortnite Battle Bus
If you want something you can move around, the Fortnite Battle Bus is the clearest example here. The 954-piece set is rated 10+ and recreates the bus, its balloon, and interior seating for the included minifigures.
Nine Fortnite outfits appear as minifigures, including Brite Bomber, Adventure Peely, Cuddle Team Leader, Drift, Meowscles, and Raven. The roof comes off, the wheels roll, and the balloon detaches. Smaller in-game items include Slurp Juice, a Grappler, Pickaxes, and Slap Juice.
For me, the minifigure lineup is one of the more interesting parts of the Battle Bus. The recognizable Fortnite outfits connect the build directly to the game instead of leaving you with just a model of the bus.
The Battle Bus costs $129.99 CAD and is also eligible for the digital Operation Brite Starter Pack. If that bonus matters to you, check the redemption requirements and September 30, 2028 expiry date before buying.
LEGO Gaming Sets Built for Hands-On Play
Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and Sonic are natural fits for LEGO in different ways. These sets put more emphasis on play and interaction than the larger adult display models earlier in the article.
Animal Crossing Blathers’s Museum Collection
The 543-piece Blathers’s Museum Collection recreates the museum from Animal Crossing and is rated for ages 7+. It includes Blathers and Lily, but much of the appeal comes from recreating familiar Animal Crossing activities.
You can dig up a missing Triceratops tailbone, catch fish for the aquarium, and collect insects with a net. Hinged walls let you rearrange the exhibition areas. The Roost café and fountain add more familiar details from the series.
I like how much of the actual Animal Crossing museum loop made it into this set. Digging up a fossil, catching fish, and collecting insects fit naturally because they’re already part of the museum loop in the game.
At $99.99 CAD, this is closer to a traditional LEGO playset than the adult Nintendo and Pokémon models. Younger Animal Crossing fans can keep rearranging the museum instead of leaving it in one fixed configuration.
Minecraft Zombie Dungeon
Minecraft is an easy match for LEGO, and the Zombie Dungeon keeps that connection straightforward. The 284-piece set is rated for ages 8+ and costs $39.99 CAD. It recreates a dungeon in Minecraft’s desert biome.
The set includes a Wastelands Wanderer, a slime, and three zombies. You can spin the chamber to send zombies into the dungeon or trigger the rockfall as you play. You also get familiar Minecraft items including a crafting table, torch, chest, armour, and tools.
To me, Minecraft and LEGO are a natural combination, and the Zombie Dungeon is a good example of why. The block-based world already translates easily to bricks, and the moving zombie and rockfall mechanisms give you something to interact with after it’s built.
Sonic: Speedster Lightning
If you want a smaller build tied directly to a current game, Sonic: Speedster Lightning is based on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. The 126-piece set is rated for ages 7+ and costs $12.99 CAD. It’s the smallest and least expensive set covered here.
The blue-and-white race car has wide red-rimmed tires, with space for the included Sonic minifigure behind the wheel. You also get three Gold Rings, and opening the hood reveals a hidden Chaos Emerald.
I like that LEGO tied the car directly to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds instead of giving Sonic a generic vehicle. You can put Sonic behind the wheel, collect the Rings, and uncover the Chaos Emerald as part of the play after the build is finished.
LEGO Gaming Goes Beyond the Screen
What I like about LEGO’s gaming lineup for National Video Games Day is that there isn’t one way to enjoy it. You can build something tied to a game you grew up with and put it on display. Or you can choose a set you can keep changing and playing with after the build is done.
Either way, it’s another way to celebrate the games, characters, and gaming memories that stick with you beyond the screen.
If you could turn one video game, character, or gaming device into a LEGO set, what would you want to build?
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated. Please stay respectful and on topic.