There’s a quirk in putting together the LEGO Game Boy that’s causing new and old-school gamers a bit of frustration and embarrassment. Unsurprisingly, the LEGO Game Boy set has been a smashing success, as it not only brings back the greatest handheld console in LEGO form, but it’s not ridiculously expensive. You can bet that many LEGO enthusiasts and retro gamers snatched up their set for just $59.99. Still, not everyone is putting it together correctly, and it’s not entirely due to user/operator error, as the set’s rear box art is incorrect.
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In early January 2025, Polygon revealed that LEGO fans are putting their LEGO Game Boy cartridges together incorrectly. This isn’t surprising for anyone who never got their hands on a real Game Boy, but given the plethora of posts online, it seems that many old-school gamers are making the same mistake. It’s a simple error dealing with the top piece. If you place it in the center of the cartridge, it caps it off nicely. This is, of course, incorrect because, as anyone who played a Game Boy knows, the cartridges sported a little notch in the top-right. The rear box art shows the cartridges assembled incorrectly, so mistakes were made.
LEGO Game Boy Cartridges Are Being Constructed Improperly
As you can see in the above image, the Super Mario Land cart on the left is built incorrectly, as the top piece is in the center. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on the right is put together correctly, as it leaves a notch in place on the top-right. This was done to keep the game inserted when the Game Boy was powered on. Sliding the power switch pushed a small plastic piece over the slot, which held it in place, and the notch worked perfectly for that purpose. Since LEGO spent so much time and effort getting the reproduction just right, your set isn’t appropriately built without the notch.
The funny thing about this little error (which appears in the above post on X) is that so many people keep making it months after the LEGO set’s release. There’s a Reddit thread devoted to it, featuring all kinds of comments with people showing images of their real Game Boy carts next to the LEGO ones. Still, it’s an easy mistake to make, and to be honest … I am an old, old-school gamer who spent countless hours playing my Game Boy. When I learned of this little issue, I went to check my LEGO Game Boy and, well, I made the same mistake as well. Shameful, I know, but it seems that I’m one of many.
Ultimately, this kind of thing doesn’t matter, and you can put your LEGO sets together however you like. That said, if you bought the LEGO Game Boy wanting to recreate the device in LEGO form, you should probably make sure it’s properly built. Some people who built their sets noticed the cart-construction problem mid-way through their builds, while others (myself included) put it together, stuck it on a shelf, and went on to their next LEGO adventure. In the end, what matters is that you have fun and that LEGO continues to make these amazing sets honoring retro games and consoles because the fans clearly love them.
Be honest … did you make the same mistake? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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