The first two sets of the Nintendo Labo are coming out very soon. Nintendo seems like it will make more of these sets in the future. So we thought we would come together and discuss what kind of Labo kits we would like to see in the future. This list is pure want, so go ahead and list your ideas in the comments below.
I think there’s a lot of potential in Nintendo Labo-products based on intellectual properties. Famitsu featured a very outstanding Iron Man papercraft when they reported on Nintendo Labo. The papercraft was made by an artist. Even though this papercraft model is way too ambiguous and complex, something much simpler could be very appealing to children. And Nintendo is open to licensing their creative tools and even allowed Disney to make their version of “Art Academy”. So I think there shouldn’t be a problem of Nintendo finding more licensing partners for new Nintendo Labo products.
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If Nintendo Labo is going to be a huge success, I can imagine we could potentially see an Iron Man-Game with Iron Man papercraft suit!
I am still not sure what to think of Nintendo Labo but I know it has potential. While I personally don’t want to see existing Nintendo IP make its way onto the platform I think it can excel with new IP. However, there is one existing product of Nintendo’s I think could make a great Labo product and that is the Ultra Hand. Arguably Nintendo’s most famous toy, the Ultra hand was a simple plastic device that used pulleys to extend itself and I reckon the same effect could be made with cardboard. Now I am not sure how to fit this in with the Switch but the original Ultra Hand came with little balls. Perhaps you can use the IR sensor to locate the balls, or any object, and detect when the Ultra Hand picks it up? Just a thought.
 Image source: BeforeMario.com |
If Labo proves to be a runaway hit somehow then it only follows that Nintendo will mix it in with their existing IPs somehow. I myself am not hugely interested in Labo at all, but I am willing to bet that later down the line we’ll see stuff like, say, a spiritual successor to Link’s Crossbow Training, except now its cardboard. Hell, picture something like a reimagining of Duck Hunt, Gyromite or Stack-Up with Labo. It doesn’t sound impossible after what we’ve seen them do with cardboard, does it?
Instead of going with other licensed properties or deals, I’m going to look back to the past. And I’m not just talking about the history of Nintendo but of mankind. I have no idea how it’d be done (to be honest, I’m not much of a builder, so I’m not one for making imaginative designs), but why not figure out how to make a wheel? Like I said, I’m not sure how or if that’d be possible, but I do think we’re likely to see supplemental, small machines that do basic things. And I think a wheel could lead to even more wild ideas: cars, pulleys, fans, turntables, and other kinds of interconnected machines. It wouldn’t be as immediately eye-catching as other devices, but I’d like to see Labo work in a way where players could become builders and creators of all sorts of ideas.
With all of the options that Labo seems to have, for me, the best content for Labo would be a way to share our contraptions. probably similar to the guitar idea they shared on their Youtube Channel inside the garage option. This might be restricted to the official cardboard sets.
But I’m sure that there will be channels dedicated to showcasing fan creations that expand the uses to original cardboard sets. And who knows, maybe we could get some indie developers that use the wide array of Labo features to make their own games.
The appeal to Labo isn’t just about creation, but being able to tinker with something physical that affects the game. I don’t know if kids would actually like this, but I think an old rabbit-ear antenna TV could be neat. You could change the channel with the knob, and adjust the ears to make the screen less distorted. There could even be a game where one show is moving to different channels, and you have to find it and undistort it before it moves again. The same idea could also be reused with radio, but have a waveform on screen (and maybe use actual internet radio).
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There are a few other ideas involving knobs they could do if those are too unrelatable. Safe-cracking would have you turn a dial while listening
closely to figure out a combination lock. You could make your own locks up to 5 different digits to make it more challenging. Lock-picking is similar although it would be a side-view. On the left, you would insert different types of picks, and on the right, you could pull a lever to angle the pick. To make it harder, you can always turn off the X-ray view and unlock it based solely on the sounds you hear. Customizing your own locks is also an option. Lastly, the puzzle keys from Skyward Sword is a great puzzle concept that could be reused. Have a horizontal level on the bottom to rotate it horizontally, and a vertical lever on the side to do the same, but vertically.
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If Nintendo wants to Labo have an educational element (and their Toy-Con Garage says yes) then including a project that focuses on minute hand-eye coordination is a natural fit.
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Wow, I love the idea of a combination lock game–the idea of building some kind of lock, and then maybe somehow the game would randomize the solution and you need to try different combinations via key or a dial–thats a really cool idea. Maybe something along the lines of Mastermind code-cracking or something similar, only with a physical Labo component.
Im psyched for Labo—even as a verified adult (no kids either), I’m picking up the variety pack as soon as I can on Friday!!