Plus, the noises are hilarious.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Earlier this year, Lego introduced the first sets featuring its Smart Brick tech. But now that the Star Wars line has been out for a while, the next batch of blocks featuring Pokémon is already on the way. After getting a chance to go hands-on with some of the upcoming collections before they officially go on sale this weekend, it really feels like Lego is hitting its stride when it comes to capitalizing on the promise of techy interactive world building.
Similar to the Star Wars line, the Lego Pokémon Smart Play collab is split into two kinds of builds. There are all-in-one sets that come with one or more Smart Bricks. There are also Smart Play-compatible sets that can interact with others, but require you to source the Smart Brick from a different build. However, the big difference for this Pokémon line is that when playing with the pocket monsters, Lego is leaning much more heavily into the franchise's video game roots.
For example, when you put a Smart Brick inside one of the Pokémon, it makes sounds and reacts to other compatible devices just like you'd expect. And if you leave one alone for long enough, it will even go to sleep — blissfully snoring away. Alternatively, if you put two Smart Brick-enabled Pokémon next to each other, they will talk and react, almost like a scene from Pokopia come to life. But the fun doesn't end there.
If you hold two Pokémon and bring them together as if they were running into one another repeatedly, they will battle, with Lego's Smart Bricks taking into account things like type advantages and each monster's HP. And at the end of a skirmish, the loser will even faint. Of course, just like in the game, if you want to heal a monster, you can give it a potion to restore its health. Meanwhile, if you're dead-set on being the very best, you can use the Smart Brick-comptabile training equipment available in some of the sets to boost your Pokémon's stats.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
This level of interaction has a big impact on the way you play with these Lego sets. Compared to the Star Wars line where you often feel more like a director acting out or recreating a scene from the movies, the Pokémon collection has managed to distill the essence of the games and translate that experience into buildable blocks. It's weirdly magical, especially if you're a younger aspiring trainer.
Then there are the various sets themselves. As you might expect, the initial lineup consists of a lot of Pokémon from the original 151, but there are also some fan-favorites from later generations like Garchomp, Bidoof and the Gen. 9 starter pack. Some sets depict iconic scenes from previous movies, like Mewtwo's Lab Break, while others are simply a handful of 'mons just trying to have a good time.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
I also really appreciate some of the extra touches Lego included in these sets. You can build a Smart Play-compatible sandwich so you can feed your Pokémon and keep them happy. Or you can let Squirtle ride around in his buggy while vroom vroom noises come out of the Smart Brick. But what really puts this collab over the top are details like Mewtwo coming with a little Lego Masterball, or the tweaked Smart Tags that feature a portrait of every support Pokémon — including their Pokedex number.
Speaking of the sounds, in addition to noises while battling and various reactions, each Pokémon also has a unique cry. That said, it doesn't quite resemble the 8-bit yells we heard back in the Game Boy era, or the modern sound bites we get from current titles. The Lego Pokémon Smart Play cries are their own thing and they are pretty funny as long as you don't care about accuracy.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
My one small critique is that in the process of bringing Pokémon into the Lego world, the company has leaned heavily into a very rectangular look for a lot of their faces. For some Pokémon, like Geodude and Bidoof, that approach works great. But for others like Jigglypuff and Jolteon, you end up with a bit of an uncanny valley. Then there are some of the more bespoke designs, like Lapras and Charizard, that look spot on (aside from the neck joint on the latter), whereas Mewtwo's face seems to be missing a piece or two.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
But after half an hour of playing with a number of the upcoming Smart Play Pokémon sets, I came away impressed at how Lego managed to take one of the most popular franchises in the world and put its own spin on things. Sure, it's different from both the classic games, movies and shows, but it's still fun in its own right. And with sets ranging from as low as $15 to as much as $120, there's a wide assortment of builds to suit your taste and budget.
The Lego Pokémon Smart Play line goes on sale on August 1.
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