The thought of spending £60 to £70 on a few bits of cardboard probably never dawned on anybody until Nintendo surprised us all with its Labo announcement.
Nintendo most certainly delivered on its promise of an entirely new form of interactive experience, unveiling a host of cardboard gadgets that come alive when paired with the Nintendo Switch and its Joy-Con controllers.
Even better is that you build these cardboard creations yourself, fashioning toy pianos, fishing rods and more by folding and bending special “Toy-Con” play kits.
You can even decorate your new toys once they’re done, adding splashes of colour, stickers, fabric and lots more.
After building and decorating my very own RC car, trying (and failing) to catch a great white shark and smashing my way through a virtual city, I’m increasingly convinced that Nintendo is on to another winner.
Nintendo Labo may be a card sell, but Nintendo’s outside of the box thinking might just make the doubters fold (sorry).
Here’s what I liked and disliked about Nintendo Labo…
The Highs…
Piano – Easily my favourite Nintendo Labo creation, the piano Toy-Con is a remarkable piece of kit that looks like a blast to build, and is even more fun to play. There’s so much you can do with piano, whether it’s playing along to the handful of built-in tunes, or recording your own songs with a high pitched cat choir. Fingers crossed we get some sort of rhythm action spinoff.
House – Sure to be a favourite with youngsters, the House Toy-Con is essentially a virtual dollhouse packed with secret activities and mini-games like bowling and cooking. It’s all accessed by inserting a variety of buttons and cranks into different parts of the house, which is inhabited by a cutesy creature. The potential for some kind of pet simulator is obvious, but there’s plenty to keep you busy in the meantime.
Bike – The Bike mini game is a bit on the basic side, but the handlebar Toy-Con – complete with a button to start the engine and full throttle control – is satisfying enough to keep you entertained. The ability to create your own courses is also a major plus.
RC Car – Quick and easy to make, the RC Car is probably where most people’s Labo experience will begin. And after running it through darkened obstacle courses, racing around home made tracks and participating in our own version of Robot Wars, it’s definitely a Labo experience with legs.
Toy-Con Garage – The Toy-Con Garage is what players will turn to once they have exhausted all of the mini games. With a bit of MacGyver-style ingenuity and some basic coding, players can create their very own gadgets and games, including makeshift guitars and money boxes. It’s really quite amazing, and the thing I’m most looking forward to trying again.
The Lows…
Robot – The standalone Robot kit is £10 more expensive than the Variety pack, but, based on first impressions, offers nowhere near the same value for money. While it may end up being the most fun to build and decorate – and the kit is genuinely impressive when assembled and in action – the accompanying smash-em-up Switch game is just a bit too shallow to provide long-lasting appeal. Youngsters will enjoy stomping around and destroying virtual cities, but for how long? The final release will have more games and activities, so check back at launch for the definitive verdict.
Durability – As impressive as Nintendo’s cardboard creation kits are, and as much fun as they are to build, it remains to be seen if they’ll stand the test of time, especially when in the hands of a group of over enthusiastic ten year olds.
Price – £60 to £70 for some scraps of cardboard and a few mini-games will be too rich for some, but the Variety Pack, in particular, will provide hours and hours of entertainment.
The Nintendo Labo Variety Kit and the Nintendo Labo Robot Kit will be available from April 27.