I owe the original Game Boy everything. Had it not been for Nintendo’s gray brick of a handheld, and a copy of Super Mario Land, I doubt I would be writing these words on Gizmodo. It was the gadget that started my lifelong obsession with cutting-edge technology and my passion for sharing it with others. So excuse me for being overwhelmed with emotion and nostalgia when Lego announced it was making a 421-piece brick set version of the iconic Nintendo handheld.
Released on Oct. 1 for $60, the Lego Game Boy is a pretty easy build. Lego says it’s for ages 18+ and up, but there was nothing complicated enough that a 10-year-old couldn’t follow the instructions. (Though, they wouldn’t have any nostalgia for the handheld that came out in 1989.) It took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete, but I think it would have taken under an hour if I hadn’t stopped to shoot B-roll for a social video. (It’s all fun and games building Lego sets after work; this is also work for me.)
Lego Game Boy Lego's Nintendo Game Boy is easily one of the most fun brick sets of the year. 4.5 Pros Easy to build
Pressable buttons, wheels, and switches
Nearly 1:1 replica
Includes lenticular screens and Game Paks
Affordable Cons Building it is over too soon
As I noted in my hands-on a few weeks earlier, the Lego Game Boy is more than just a charming—and almost 1:1 replica—display piece. In addition to the pressable buttons, scrollable dials, and the slideable power switch, you can also pop in brick versions of Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening game cartridges into the Lego Game Boy. Remove the back cover and you get access to swap in three different lenticular screens featuring the two games and the Game Boy’s famous bootup screen featuring the Nintendo logo sliding down.
There are tons of Easter eggs inside the Lego Game Boy that make it more than just a skin-deep recreation. I spoke with Carl Merriam, a senior designer at the Lego Group, and Simon Kent, a design director at the Lego Group, who worked on the Lego Game Boy set to unearth some of its unseen secrets.
Designing the Lego Game Boy
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