The LEGO Group is launching another functional arcade machine for fans to build and play – Super Mario 72051 Donkey Kong Arcade, which continues the Danish company’s collaboration with Nintendo.
In a new approach for a Nintendo set, the LEGO Group has announced 72051 Donkey Kong Arcade. The set is made up of 1,367 elements, retails for £149.99 / $199.99 / €169.99 and will launch on August 1.
In 1981, Nintendo debuted Donkey Kong, in which the player controls Mario (or ‘Jumpan’), aiming to jump to platforms, climb ladders and avoid the barrels that giant gorilla Donkey Kong is hurling down the course. It was Mario’s first appearance and in the game he is aiming to rescue Pauline (or ‘Lady’) from the massive ape.
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The game was created to make use of unsold arcade cabinets, which Nintendo had as a result of disappointing sales of Radar Scope (1980). Designer Shigeru Miyamoto worked with chief engineer Gunpei Yokoi to create what was, at the time, the most complex arcade game ever released. It went on to claim the accolade of best-selling game of 1981 in Japan and best-selling game of 1982 in the United States.
72051 Donkey Kong Arcade recreates the game experience as a buildable LEGO set. Once you have constructed the complex model, there’s a lever that will cause Donkey King to release aa barrel, while the joystick will allow you to control Mario and help him avoid the barrels.
If the functionality lives up to what the LEGO Group is promising, the set could be as impressive as 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade, which wowed builders with characters that move around the maze using a carefully crafted mechanism. 11374 Arcade Pinball Machine launched this month to deliver another addition to the engaging arcade machine collection of LEGO sets that continues to grow.
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