When the SMART Play concept was first revealed, it caused a ripple of excitement. But since the first official sets were revealed earlier this year, the mood towards SMART Play swiftly shifted. Some have heralded the interactive play system as the next evolution of LEGO® play, while others see it as yet another attempt to digitise it. But whereas previous attempts to unite digital and physical play, such as VIDIYO and Hidden Side, required the use of a smart device to work, SMART Play is purely focused on the bricks. The ‘digital’ aspect of the SMART Play system is completely enclosed within the special elements it uses.
Those elements include a SMART Brick, a 2×4 brick packed with sensors, lights and speakers. SMART Tags, which are unique 2×2 tiles that activate certain actions. Plus SMART Minifigures, which provide similar markers as the tiles for SMART Bricks to interact with. Beyond those special pieces, the SMART Brick can recognise colours and motions. It’s clear the technology has evolved from what was created for the LEGO Super Mario sets. The inner workings of the Interactive Figures have been refined and miniaturised to fit within a 2×4 brick.
SMART Play was introduced with a series of Star Wars-themed sets. Much has been said about the interesting design of the sets. Similarly, the upcoming LEGO Pokémon SMART Play sets have gained the same ire, although early indication suggest they are a better fit for the concept than Star Wars. All of these sets have been designed to offer the best play experience, whilst also taking advantage of the SMART Play elements. However, that doesn’t necessarily make for a great LEGO set. Yet, hiding SMART bricks within sets to disguise them would create a barrier to play. It’s far simpler for kids to easily pop out the special bricks to place in another build than it would be to dismantle a set and then use instructions to rebuild it. And this is the biggest issue: the SMART Play sets are designed for kids. They haven’t replaced original playsets, nor have they stopped the countless 18+ sets from being released. In terms of Pokémon, only a few weeks ago, five new 18+ sets were announced, without a SMART Brick in sight.
LEGO fandom had a wonderful period around the release of The LEGO Movie. The success of the film brought a new level of admiration for the brand. It also helped to show the importance of playing for kids and adults alike. But with a bigger fanbase comes a bigger spread of opinions. It hasn’t taken long for some of those opinions to become the supposed voice for all. Long before Star Wars was paired with SMART Play, some LEGO Star Wars fans have used every opportunity to berate sets and minifigures. However, just because a vocal minority shouts the loudest doesn’t make them correct. Opinions are great, and not everything the LEGO Group does is amazing.
It seems no matter what is unveiled and released, it causes an uproar. First, there are too many displayable sets aimed at the adult market. So SMART Play caters for the younger fans, and that’s also not good enough. Yet when awesome original ‘in/out’ themes are introduced, they sell poorly compared to licensed themes.
Although I wasn’t flown in and put up in a swanky hotel to be shown the SMART Play sets, I’ve built and played around with a couple of the LEGO Star Wars SMART Play sets. They are fun to mess around with, and I agree with some of the criticism levelled at them. The nonsensical mumbling seems odd, but not everyone speaks English. Generic noises are universal. This is set to apply to the upcoming Pokémon SMART Play sets. All new cries have been created instead of using the unique Game Boy sound effects, which seems like a missed opportunity. It’s also slightly annoying that to wake a SMART Brick that has been untouched for 13 hours or more, it needs to be placed on the charge plate to revive it.
Which leads to what next for SMART Play? I’d like to see it in more original themes such as City and NINJAGO. Maybe a new, original ‘in/out’ like Ultra Agents and Monster Fighter could be created to deliver the concept free from the restrictions of a licensed IP, similar to the LEGO City sets below used to trial the concept. I also think the SMART Play would benefit from a basic ‘introduction pack’ which could feature a SMART Brick or two, a selection of SMART Tiles and SMART Minifigures along with the charger plate. This could help get the tech into more hands and really help open it up to the wider LEGO Community. I’d also like to see it appear in some of the larger 18+ sets. Imagine building the NES Console and having it play iconic Nintendo jingles and sounds. Although that sort of implementation would be better suited as offering SMART upgrades similar to how Powered Up pieces are an optional extra.
It’s safe to say the launch of SMART Play hasn’t gone too smoothly. The Star Wars sets have already started to be heavily discounted. I can understand why Star Wars was chosen to debut the tech, but as we’ve already established, LEGO Star Wars fans are a hard bunch to please. Yet it is a little too early to write the concept off completely. It’s only available in a small number of regions and the Pokémon sets haven’t been released yet.
It will be interesting to see how or if SMART Play evolves as a long-running platform. The tech alone is quite impressive, so to see how it can be used beyond current means could be fun. Despite the negativity around the Star Wars sets and the look of the upcoming Pokémon builds, it seems the LEGO Group has put a lot of faith in SMART Play; whether it will catch on with customers remains to be seen.
