Piranha Plant Puzzling Challenge

"Scoring a BrickScore of 65.0, the Piranha Plant Puzzling Challenge is a visually strong, cleverly designed Mario expansion that stumbles where it counts most — its signature flip-and-scan mechanic is mechanically unreliable in practice, making it a set best appreciated for its looks and build rather than its gameplay promise."

The Piranha Plant Puzzling Challenge (71382) earns a middling BrickScore of 65.0 — reviewers agree it's a visually appealing and creatively conceived expansion set, but its central play mechanic is held back by real-world reliability issues. The design aesthetics score highest, with the Piranha Plants widely praised as instantly recognisable and well-executed. However, BricksFanz flagged a significant functional flaw: hitting the platform hard enough to flip the Piranha Plant can accidentally reset previously scanned red-coin blocks, undermining the puzzle entirely. Bouwsteentjes was more forgiving, enjoying the time-based challenge and build experience, but even they noted the 12-second window can frustrate younger players. Both reviewers agree this is firmly an expansion set requiring the 71360 starter set to function interactively.

Where they split: The two reviewers split meaningfully on playability (the lowest-scoring aspect at 35). Bouwsteentjes found the time-based challenge genuinely engaging and praised the puzzle's strategic depth, while BricksFanz concluded the play function is fundamentally broken in practice — too much force is needed to flip the plant, and doing so resets the scan progress. Bouwsteentjes rated the set 70; BricksFanz rated it 60 and recommended waiting, reflecting this gap.