The Super Mario 64 Lego Question Mark Block review: All about secrets

Video game nostalgia is one of the most memorable features of video games. Super Mario 64 was discovering the game’s variety of secrets. The experience of chasing a rabbit down the basement and then accidentally diving through the wall was quite amazing. And it’s that secret element — and the sense of awe and novelty it inspires — that forms the basis for the fabulous new Mario 64 Lego set, the Question Mark Block.

This set of Question Mark Blocks has 2064. Pieces and several vignettes are featured from various of Mario 64’s iconic levels. There’s a tiny Bowser, a tiny Mario, and two of those god damned penguins. But the trick is that none of these vignettes are visible before the block “transforms.” That’s right, this Lego Mario 64 set is secretly a transformer.

When it is completed, the block appears like a box made of yellow cardboard with Lego ridges at the white questions marks. With a slight tug, you can flip the top and reveal the diorama. This block is now used to create vignettes at different levels. Peach’s Castle sits atop Lethal Lava Land, complete with the big, horned Bully. And on the sides, there’s Bob-omb Battlefield and Cool, Cool Mountain.

Grid View

Each of the dioramas features numerous Easter eggs — some hidden inside the castle structure itself — but they’re not the set’s only secrets. If you don’t know how to pull the hatch, there is a tiny hatch on the outside of this block. By lifting the hatch, you’ll see a tiny Lego Bowser staring back at you. Press down on him to activate a lever, which unlocks a piece of the bottom section. This flips down, creating a platform.

The platform houses a turntable that you can hook Bowser’s tail to. If you attach your tiny Mario to the turntable, you can spin King Koopa around and around, shouting, “So long, gay Bowser!” to yourself for hours. Or you could just attach Princess Peach so she can finally get the revenge she’s owed.

The Mario64 Question Mark block is a complicated build with a ton of different pieces, but like many Lego sets, it’s seamless once you’ve built it. And it’s that seamlessness that preserves the many secrets within. If you were to simply show someone the block and tell them how many hours you’d spent building it, they’d probably begin to question how you spend your time. But like a piece of candy, the shell is just there to make it look pretty — everything you want is inside.

Super Mario 64 is rather simple if you never venture off of Nintendo’s specific star path. You will need to be creative to reach all 120 stars. The Lego Question Mark Block is a static toy. Mario 64’s philosophy and emulates the video game about as well as an inflexible piece of plastic can. That’s why I loved putting this Lego set together.

For the uninitiated, Lego Question Mark Block looks like one big chunk of plastic. But for me, its builder, it’s an intricate machine with loads of details waiting to be discovered.