Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsNintendo Labo is innovative and fun!
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2018
The Nintendo Labo is one of the most innovative ways to enhance gameplay I’ve seen in a long time. While I am an adult, I love building, decorating, and designing things so Labo seemed like the perfect game for me.
The kit comes with five toy-cons you can build: two RC cars, a fishing rod, a house, a motorbike (handle), and a piano. Each one has small parts to go with it as well, like strings, rubber bands, and marker stickers. It also comes with the cartridge for the game.
Most people are apprehensive about Nintendo’s use of cardboard but I think it’s actually better than making plastic add-ons. For one, it is easier and cheaper to replace. More importantly, it is better for the environment and it can be disposed of when children outgrow it, rather than sitting around collecting dust. The cardboard is actually quite sturdy and high quality. As long as it is not outright mishandled, I think it will do a good job holding up. Additionally, I love the ability to customize your toy-con to suit your tastes and make it unique to you.
Making the cardboard structures is incredibly fun--reminiscent of putting Lego together. For anyone worried about the strength of the toy-con, there are actually a lot of reinforcing pieces that help make certain otherwise flimsier parts more sturdy. Cute, witty comments pop up while you make your toy-cons, guiding you through the process while occasionally cracking jokes, making it feel very human.
The Discover section is a fantastic place to learn more about the engineering behind the toy-cons. Three characters converse and guide you through the science behind the genius of Labo. You can view cutaways of the toy-con and test the IR camera in a particular mode. There are also sections on easily repairing broken toy-con, troubleshooting, and creative ways to customize. There is even basic physics learning involved with certain joy-con--no doubt a good way to get children into physics.
Toy-con garage is the best part about the kit. It works through very simple input-output coding. You put in an input (pressing a button for example), select an output from a list, and connect the two to make the switch create the output. I love that this gives kids the ability to make their own toys, which will no doubt spark a love for engineering and design within the next generation.
There are a ton of different things to explore and secrets to find within the game. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves to use their hands and be creative!
