Last month The Big N surprised pretty much everybody by revealing Nintendo Labo, a new series of build-it-yourself cardboard peripherals, which you can “power up” using your Nintendo Switch and Joy-Cons. The concept certainly got folks talking, but there were still a lot of unanswered questions – how developed will the software that comes with Labo kits be? Will you be free to build your own contraptions, or will you have to stick strictly to the instructions? Nintendo answers those questions and more in a new overview trailer, which you can check out below.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but the Nintendo Labo software looks nicely polished. I’m particularly interested in trying out the piano and motorbike games. Even more exciting, is the reveal that Nintendo will provide in-depth explanations of how all the Labo kits works and let players design and test their own Toy-Con creations via the Toy-Con Garage. This is what's going to elevate Labo from a novelty to a legitimate building toy.
Nintendo also provided some more details on the first two Labo building kits. First up, let’s take a look at the Variety Kit:
- Toy-Con Piano: After assembling your 13-key Piano, you can host an impromptu recital or record your songs and play them back for your biggest fans-in-the-making. Experiment with different sounds and pitches to create something truly unique – even a song composed entirely of cat noises!
- Toy-Con Motorbike: Grab ahold of your newly constructed handlebars and race through different tracks, challenging CPU opponents or collecting targets across mountainous terrain. You can even create your own custom tracks, so start planning your designs now!
- Toy-Con Fishing Rod: There are many exotic fish to discover, and some of the deep-ocean fish are particularly tricky to catch. Show off your collection in Aquarium mode and have fun creating your own fish with different shapes and colors – simply insert and scan different cards in the Toy-Con Piano to get started. (Assembled Toy-Con Piano is required to access Aquarium mode.)
- Toy-Con House: Befriend the cute creature living in your Toy-Con House (shown on the Nintendo Switch screen) and discover different ways to interact and play with it. There are a variety of experiences to discover, including mine cart races, bowling and jump rope.
- Toy-Con RC Car: The RC Car is full of unique and surprising features. Since the Variety Kit includes materials to build two Toy-Con RC Cars, you can race against a friend, set up obstacle courses or even compete in a sumo-inspired challenge to try to knock your opponent’s RC Car over (additional Joy-Con controllers are required; sold separately). Create a path using the reflective stickers included in the kit and set the car to auto-drive along a specific route using the IR Motion Camera on the Right Joy-Con controller.
And here’s the lowdown on the more complex Robot Kit:
- Build your own wearable Toy-Con Robot suit and assume control of a giant in-game robot, completing challenges and destroying in-game objects to unlock powerful new abilities.
- If you’re feeling competitive, you can even challenge a friend in two-player local battles or compare your high scores/rankings with other players! (An additional Robot Kit and Joy-Con controllers are required for two-player mode; sold separately.)
- Nintendo Labo encourages you to use your imagination and creativity to customize your cardboard Toy-Con creations. The Robot Kit even allows you to customize and level-up your in-game robot.
Nintendo Labo launches for the Switch on April 20th. The Variety Kit will cost $70, while the Robot Kit will set you back $80.
