Back at the beginning of May, our very own videogaming extraordinaire Edwin Garcia brought to light that Vans was getting ready to release an NES-inspired line and shared a few pictures from the announcement. Excited as we were for those few pictures, we could not have guessed how amazing this line would really turn out to be. While there are, sadly, no Mega Man or Kirby sneaks (Sorry, Edwin) there is otherwise a fairly varied cast of characters to enjoy. Vans rolled out Nintendo-themed sneakers, shirts, hats, sandals, socks and backpacks featuring Mario, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach. Zelda, Link, and friggin’ Duck Hunt, you guys! 

What’s absolutely astounding about these designs is that Vans didn’t take the easy route and just slap iconic faces onto some of their products. The designs are artistic and stand out as more than just gaming schwag. The Zelda shoes take the game’s subdued earth-toned color scheme and work them into a bit of a geometric chevron pattern (reminiscent of a Pendleton blanket design) while the Duck Hunt design utilizes a camouflage that actually works because it takes a glance or two to realize the NES flourishes.

And although it’ll likely wear down eventually and hardly anyone will see it, the fact that the soles of some of the shoes are emblazoned with the NES “Game Over!” is just so damn cool. It’s rather fitting when you consider the countless Goomba (Goombi?) and Koopa Troopers who have met their demise at the bottom of a shoe.

All of these designs and more are available for sale right now only on the Vans.com site. Averaging about $70 a pair, they’re a bit pricier than normal vans but that’s to be expected with such special edition items like these. Our only wish for this line is that they eventually make adult sized Bob-omb sneaker because… COME ON VANS! ONLY IN KIDS SIZES? WE NEED US SOME BOB-OMB KICKS!

What characters would you want to see immortalized in shoe form? Check out the full gallery below of what’s out, and let’s discuss in the comments below!

Images: Vans