Lego Game Boy [Review]

Like, why the hell not?

So I've managed to purchase the Lego Game Boy set that fortunately was released nationally where I live. As soon as it arrived, I decided to build it, make some photos and then share here a bit of how it was.

This is my first Lego set! I'm not much into toys and figures, but the Lego appeal, though, is undeniable. It is just like Gunpla (those 'build it yourself' model kits for Gundans and other robot toys), that I also don't have any, but I would if they weren't extremely expensive where I am.

I'm really impressed with the packaging and the booklet. Everything came neatly packaged in 5 different big packs, and while I didn't have any missing piece, there were some extras.

The booklet itself starts with a quick (and multilingual) “introduction” of the Game Boy and the two referenced games in this package – Link's Awakening and Super Mario Land:

After that, the step-by-step process of building starts. What got me by surprise was the fact that everything is wordless! Makes it really universal.

I've followed the order of the booklet of course and the first thing to be done was the first cartridge and its stand:

I was already super impressed with the quality of (and a bit overwhelmed by the sticker, but that's ok, it is leveled enough). The other cartridge is the very last thing that I've done, but there was something super sweet inside of it. While the Super Mario Land cartridge was a standard Game Boy one, the one for Link's Awakening has a battery slot inside of it! So nice!

Almost everything after that was building the system itself. While at the beginning imagining the device was a bit abstract, the building is very smart because it is a bit asymmetrical on the inside, with little spots of color and shapes that make it easy to follow the manual.

I can imagine that this is the experience with any other Lego, but as a first timer, it was easy to find and spot patterns and placements. The best part is that the inside has a bit of a “motherboard” visual:

The D-Pad on the left has a little rubber on it to make it like the real thing, and the spot on the right side was to put the face fronting buttons. The modularity of it all was also super impressive, as there is a “section” for the D-Pad and another one for the buttons.

The upper part was the most abstract of it all: building the screen only made sense for me when it was almost finished. Either way, the attention to detail is again ridiculously high: there's a little “lever” that makes the “screen” stay in place. Also, the screens have a kind of “parallax” effect to create some illusion of movement on them. It is super well done.

Well – that's it! Sorry for the dirty hands! It was really fun building the Game Boy, and if there's ever a GBC, GBA, DS, DS Lite or a 3DS I'll most likely be there.

Well, it was kind of a review, wasn't it?

If I was to find problems on it, quality-wise, everything is superb. To nitpick a bit, the transparent screen could be a bit clearer, but that's me searching for something to complain about. The biggest issue with this set is, of course, the pricing, that can go out of hand now that it is “sold out” at my regional Lego Online Store. Still, this store is the way to go, and there's no real reason to go after third party sellers for it, as the set will return, and it is not a limited release, at least as of 2025.

All in all, it is worth it and I recommend it, but undeniably it is only a collectible and nothing else. Building it was a fun time, and now it looks great on my shelf, so can I really complain? Here hoping to see other handhelds as Lego sets in the future.