Nintendo Labo: Cardboard made cool

Nintendo Labo is an innovative and unique gaming experience. Players build items with pre-cut cardboard pieces that interact with the Switch.

Nintendo has done it again and blown our minds with an innovative way to play. Always known to question the traditional gaming experience with such innovations as the two-screened DS and the motion-controlled Wii, the Nintendo Switch continues this belief with its play-anywhere style. And now, Nintendo Labo is showcasing what the Switch is really capable of.

Released on April 20, Nintendo Labo comes in two versions: The Variety Kit and the Robot Kit. Each kit comes complete with all the pieces necessary to build the items, as well as the game software. The Variety Kit allows you to build a piano, a fishing pole, an RC car, a house and a motorbike. The Robot Kit allows you to build a full-sized wearable backpack and visor.

Players build the cardboard items by following along with the software how-to, and once an item is complete they’re able to play a variety of minigames. Additionally, there’s a discover mode that shows how each item works. Lastly, there’s a mode call Toy-Con Garage that allows you to program your items to do different things or even make your own items.

Building

Building the items is half the fun when it comes to Nintendo Labo. The software does an excellent job of walking you through each step with an interactive video. You can pause, rewind, fast forward, zoom in, and even change the camera angle. For larger projects you’ll build in phases, and the software even recommends spots to take a break. It clearly shows which pieces to punch out of the pre-cut cardboard sheets, where to fold each piece, and how to fold and insert each tab. In addition to the cardboard, the kits also come with other various items to assist in the build. There’s string, highly reflective stickers, rubber bands and small washers.

The innovation of just how the pieces move is amazing, and I commend Nintendo’s engineers for such intelligent thinking. When building the house from the Variety Kit, you create three plug-in items that will allow you to interact with the software. One is a key, one is a button, and the last is a crank. The key uses a rubber band so that after you turn it and let go, it snaps back into its original position. The button, without any extra materials, manages to have the ability to be pressed and then pop back up. Lastly, the crank not only rotates freely, but with a carefully placed tab, actually makes a clicking noise as you turn it!

There were some tricky parts in the build process, particularly in attaching the rubber bands, so small children will need an adult to help. The builds can be lengthy in their process, too; the house Toy-Con took me about two hours alone.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very clearly aimed towards children, but as an adult, I still had fun seeing how the items I spent time creating altered what was happening on the screen.

Each item in the Variety Kit has its own game attached to it, providing more opportunities for understanding the build mechanics.

The house actually has multiple minigames on its own depending on the combination and location of buttons you insert. The main screen shows the interior of a house with a strange creature living inside. Tilting or shaking the house moves the items and creature. You can interact with the creature by inserting buttons into slots in the side and bottom of the house. There’s tricks you can play, like filling the house with water. The minigames also win you prizes to change the pattern and color of your creature.

The fishing pole has a minigame that lets you catch fish, reeling them in with the cardboard pole. Additionally, there’s an aquarium mode that lets you view all the different fish you’ve caught.

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 02: In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, kids enjoy making a Toy-Con Fishing Rod at an exclusive event in New York on Feb. 2, 2018. Toy-Con Fishing Rod is one of five different Toy-Con projects included in the Nintendo Labo Variety Kit, launching in stores on April 20. Nintendo Labo kits offer interactive build-and-play experiences designed to inspire creativity and discovery. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Nintendo of America)

The RC cars move by vibration of the Joy-Con, and you can have them battle or navigate a path. You can even see what the car sees — even in the dark! — with the infrared camera.

The motorbike puts you in the driver’s seat as you race along tracks, using your body movement to turn and control the bike. There’s an option to build your own tracks by inserting a Joy-Con into a special holder and “driving” it around.

The piano lets you play your own mini-piano and make your own songs. There are buttons you can insert to change the sounds it makes. You can even make it sound like cats meowing!

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 02: In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, kids enjoy playing tunes on a Toy-Con Piano at an exclusive event in New York on Feb. 2, 2018. Toy-Con Piano is one of five different Toy-Con projects included in the Nintendo Labo Variety Kit, launching in stores on April 20. Nintendo Labo kits offer interactive build-and-play experiences designed to inspire creativity and discovery. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Nintendo of America)

The Robot Kit lets the player take part in a VR-like experience where the robot on screen mimics the way they move in the real world. The goal of the robot game is to collect power-ups and destroy buildings by punching or shooting them with lasers. Crouching down turns the robot into a tank, and putting your arms out to the side lets you fly. You can also enter a garage mode that lets you customize the look of your on-screen robot.

Learning

Learning how each item works and the importance of the reflective stickers is really interesting. You learn through a discovery mode, which mimics a chat program with NPC characters walking you through the process. Videos and interactive activities help explain the mechanics. As an adult, it’s a little too cheesy and obviously aimed towards children, so it’s a somewhat painful experience, especially since you can’t skip conversations once you understand.

The programming aspect is by far the most exciting element of Nintendo Labo, though. Advertisements have shown that with some clever thinking, you can build your own interactive items, such as a vending machine. Having played around briefly with the programming elements, I was able to change the function of the house so when I pressed the button it made a meow noise. This is by far the most sophisticated element of Nintendo Labo, and I’m very interested to see what the community ends up building.

Final Thoughts

Nintendo Labo is certainly geared towards younger children, particularly those interested in STEM. That said, as an adult I still had fun building, playing, and learning about mechanics and programming. While the minigames aren’t super engaging for the more advanced gamer, they’re quirky and fun enough to give a try or show your friends. The replayability of the games is limited for an adult gamer, but the programming ability is sure to capture longer-attention spans.

I’m very intrigued to see how Nintendo Labo will evolve over time with software updates or new kits. Additionally, I can see it gaining a Minecraft-esque community that shares its build projects and really pushes Nintendo Labo far past what Nintendo has provided.

Next: God of War is the game you should be playing right now

If you like building LEGOs, have an interest in programming, or just love innovative technology, Nintendo Labo is something you should check out.