Lego revealed its updated Smart Bricks lineup at CES and earned strong praise for the concept, including a top award. Yet the initial Star Wars releases in March fell short of expectations. The interactive elements reduced to basic voice clips and lights, omitting several advanced options highlighted earlier.

Lego has now introduced the next wave of Smart Bricks, including 12 Pokémon sets due this summer. These add battle options and other requested features. Hands-on time with the kits shows clear progress in the technology, though full delivery on early promises remains gradual, and one basic element stays missing: proper character audio.

The new sets can be preordered now for an August 1 release. Two qualify as complete packages with a Smart Brick and charger included. The Pikachu treehouse costs 69.99 dollars, while the Charizard and Jolteon battle pack runs 119.99 dollars and supplies two bricks. The remaining ten range from a 14.99-dollar Jigglypuff to an 89.99-dollar Cubone versus Gengar matchup; these contain Smart Tags for effects but require separate bricks.

Only the Charizard versus Jolteon pack supplies two Smart Bricks for immediate battles.

Lego added deeper play options absent from the Star Wars line, notably two-figure battles. Connecting Smart Bricks to a pair of Pokémon and shaking them activates battle mode. Eight-bit music starts while players maneuver the figures: a forward jab lands a light hit, a brief hold builds a stronger strike, and a pull-back avoids incoming damage. After roughly a minute of exchanges, one Pokémon wins with lights and music cues.

Federico Begher, Lego senior vice president of product and marketing development, noted the combat stays simple on purpose. The core actions of shaking to begin, two attack styles, and dodging form an ideal balance for free-form play that avoids excess complexity. This differs from full game-style turns yet rewards timing on dodges and charged moves.

Additional details operate in the background. Pokémon vary in base strength, giving Mewtwo an advantage over Pikachu, for example. Type matchups also factor in, so Squirtle tends to prevail against Charmander. Each Smart Tag, visible inside the figure when the brick is swapped, encodes types and Pokédex data. Different types produce distinct audio, such as electric crackles for Pikachu or water splashes for Lapras.

Smart Bricks fit into each Pokémon torso and allow light effects.

Training works by touching a Pokémon to a dedicated tag, then tapping it on set targets or other items. The built-in accelerometer tracks motion and raises the level, improving later fights. Gains remain temporary and reset when the brick moves or the battery ends, preventing permanent team building. Lego noted kids enjoy restarting the process, though hardware constraints likely play a role as well.

Those same constraints explain the clearest shortcoming: no Pokémon utters its name or signature sounds from the series. Pikachu produces only generic noises and electric effects instead. Similar limits affected the Star Wars sets, which included breathing for Darth Vader but lacked laser or figure audio. The bricks rely on a real-time synthesizer akin to MIDI plus limited memory, restricting stored effects. Global naming differences add another hurdle, since Squirtle is called Zenigame in Japan and the bricks lack localization. Players must supply their own voice lines to match expectations everywhere.

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Each Smart Tag displays type information for the figure.

The twelve sets vary from 88 pieces for Jigglypuff to 831 for an Umbreon and Garchomp clash, with most featuring movable elements such as Gengar tongue motion. Larger kits carry a 10-plus age rating while simpler ones suit ages six and up. Bigger builds create larger figures, yet all remain compatible for fights. The models hold up under testing, though repeated training and battles may loosen connections over time. During one session a strong hit scattered Charmander pieces, but quick fixes were available. Cross-set interactions outside battles function as expected, though full variety requires more extended testing.

These Pokémon kits advance beyond the Star Wars versions through the battle system, which adds screen-free depth alongside creative building. Still, Lego has not yet shipped the positioning-based interactions previewed at CES. The current release proves Smart Play can support more than lights and basic sounds, even as greater capabilities await future sets.

Photography / The Verge

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Dominic Preston