Since the very first Mario game, the plucky plumber has harnessed powers from various places. Before wearing sentient hats, Mario would collect power-ups from items dotted about the Mushroom Kingdom. These would bestow him with new abilities which were signified by a change in outfit. These power-ups have also inspired a number of alternate outfits for LEGO® Mario to wear. Most of them have been released as small add-on sets but with the introduction of LEGO Luigi and LEGO Peach, the suits have been provided in much bigger sets and that’s the case with Ice Suit and the Frozen World Expansion set which can be found in.
Ice Mario suit and Frozen World
Set Name: Ice Mario Suit & Frozen World | Set Number: 71415 | Pieces: 105 | Theme: Super Mario | Action Tags: 2 | RRP: £29.99/$34.99/34.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 2 (plastic) + Loose Element | Instructions: LEGO Super Mario App | Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & General Retail From January 1st, 2023
One of the very first power-ups Mario ever used was given to him by collecting a Fire Flower from an item block. This allowed Mario to shoot fireballs at his surroundings and made it easier to take out enemies. It would take almost 25 years for a similar power-up to get an icy counterpart. The Ice Suit or Ice Mario first appeared in New Super Mario Bros. released on the Wii in 2009. Similar to the Fire Suit, its power was gained from an Ice Flower and let its wearer fire icy blasts.
The LEGO version of the Ice Suit is slightly different to how it appears in the game due to the base colour of the LEGO Mario figure. So the colours of the character are flipped, instead of a light blue shirt and red overalls. The overalls are coloured lighter blue along with the hat. It still captures the overall feel of the ice-powered suit. Once it’s popped onto LEGO Mario he gains ice-based powers including the ability to skate on an icy surface and by rapidly tipping the character forward you can shoot an icy bolt.
But the suit is only a small part of the set and it features a couple of buildable characters and a small set of platforms which can be combined with other LEGO Mario expansion sets. There is a small play feature found in the set which revolves around an ice-encased Goomba and a penguin-like for dubbed a Cooligan. Unlike other penguins found in the Mushroom Kingdom, the Cooligans fight back by flinging themselves across the ice. This attack is replicated in the set by a sort of catapult contraption. Slamming down on the small lever propels the penguin at a platform featuring a Goomba which is surrounded by 2 new smaller icy case plates.
The Mario sets have introduced plenty of new elements some of which have started to appear in other sets. This set features an interesting new plate. This 6×6 element has a connection point underneath as any plate would but has a textured surface. It’s similar to a tile as nothing can be physically attached to the top surface, but it features lines to create an icy pattern. I could see it being used in sets beyond the Mario theme.
Overall
The focus of the set is the new suit but it’s nice to have it introduced alongside something a little more substantial than a couple of plate islands. Of course, the additional pieces require a higher priced set but at least it offers a look more in terms of play functions. Please note the Mario interactive figure is not included in this set and other Super Mario sets are required to play.
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This set was provided to BricksFanz by the LEGO Group for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
