Pokémon gets the Lego Smart Play treatment with new sets arriving this summer, and they're not as eye-wateringly expensive as the previous Pokémon builds

Lego Pokémon sets finally arrived earlier this year, but they were on the costly side, with a strong focus on big builds. Of course, that was just the beginning of The Lego Group and The Pokémon Company's partnership, and now they've revealed Lego Smart Play sets that might be a better fit for kids and fans looking to spend less.

The 12 new Lego Pokémon sets, available starting 1st August, were unveiled alongside a brief explanation of the vision behind them. "Children can attach a Lego Smart tag to a brick-built treat to feed their Lego Pikachu or tickle their Lego Charizard to get a joyful laugh. The more they play, the stronger the bond, as they prepare for spectacular battles with friends and family."

This isn't the debut of the Lego Smart Play System - which mixes light, sound, and motion tech with the traditional blocks - but it's the first time it's been applied to Pokémon.

For the most part, all the Lego Pokémon sets in this wave represent specific characteristics, environments, and "training moments". For example, there's a tree house set inspired by Pikachu with the Pokémon itself also included alongside training items. The full list of sets is as follows:

• Training House with Pikachu
• Charizard vs. Jolteon Ultimate Battle
• Berry Bash with Bulbasaur and Bidoof
• Trainer's Buggy Adventure with Squirtle
• Charmander and Geodude's Cavern Clash
• Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly Battle
• Jigglypuff Concert
• Drone Search for Mythical Mew
• Eevee and Lapras's Treasure Hunt
• Mewtwo's Lab Break
• Umbreon vs. Garchomp Championship Battle
• Cubone and Gengar's Spooky Showdown

These new sets' prices range from $19.99 for the smaller ones to $119.99 for the Charizard vs. Jolteon battle scene, but that's an expensive outlier. The Mewtwo set seems to be on the bigger side and is set to sell for $69.99, for example.

Pre-orders are open now via Pokémon Center and Lego's official website, with Lego Stores and "select retailers" worldwide getting them from 1st August too.