Nintendo Labo Variety Kit Reviews
The Nintendo Labo Variety Kit is a solid introduction to the world of Switch-powered cardboard craftables. It may get a bit tedious and repetitive during its laborious building and simplistic play sessions, but the creative freedom it allows once you dig a little deeper is truly something extraordinary.
A mash of Lego and origami that is wholesome and unique.
Nintendo's uncanny ability to offer experiences that are so strange while feeling so good has rarely been put to better use.
Nintendo Labo is a great tool for learning and creation, but the games themselves lack lasting appeal.
Nintendo Labo might seem like a gimmick - and it is, to a certain extent - but there's far more it than at first meets the eye. It's a collaborative concept as rewarding in its construction as it is in its final result (much like any LEGO build you've ever worked on), and one that utilises every facet of Switch's DNA in a way only Nintendo could pull off.
Labo revives that feeling of "dang, that's nifty" by allowing you to build your own peripherals, showing you how they're programmed, and letting you tweak and customize just about every element.
Whilst the creative process is cathartic and fun, the games on offer will appeal to the younger audience, or the families who show it off at parties.
The Nintendo Labo Variety Kit is a great interactive model/science kit to put together with your kids. If you like building or tinkering with stuff, you'll like this. If that's not your thing, you might find it tedious. Not a ton of replay value, but the construction seems sturdy. Overall, a very unique new 'game' for the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01 Variety Kit shows off a lot of what makes Nintendo great: charm, ingenuity, and undefinable Nintendo magic. However, the Variety Kit feels like more of a tasting than a full-course meal; without a hook to have gamers come back after the cardboard is built, it is hard recommending a purchase of the $70 kit. However, parents looking to develop their kid's interest in building and creativity should feel secure in this purchase.
The potential seems limitless and while Labo may not be a video game – and in that sense will provide little relief to Switch owners looking for something new to play – it could well be the next big thing. For big kids as well as little ones.
In the case of Labo, Nintendo has made something that uses a gaming console in ways you'd never have expected. It turns your Switch into a toy. Do I wish that toy had a bit more depth to it? Sure, but the simple act of creating those toys is quite enough to make Labo something special.
If Nintendo can tweak the included games to make a more substantial set of electronic components, Labo will evolve into a near-perfect experience. The adult in me is totally here for that. The kid in me, however, just wants more fish to catch.
Nintendo's cardboard-construction-cum-video-game experiment makes for a pricey but extremely entertaining crafting project for kids
There looks to be a huge amount of depth here - far more than the first trailers suggested - and anyone willing to experiment should find that Labo quickly rewards it.
Nintendo Labo is a truly unique entertainment for children, which teaches to think, develops fine motor skills, brings delight and emotions from the joint creation, coloring and use of cardboard models, console and games.
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Building each project in the Nintendo LABO Variety Kit was, for the most part, really fun and satisfying.
Traditional "hardcore" gamers won't get the most out of Labo unless they're willing to massively step outside of what is their gaming comfort zone, while creatives, musicians and children will find so, so much to do and enjoy. But regardless of your playstyle or preference, I can heartily recommend trying Nintendo Labo when you get the chance to put your hands on it. Playing it is fun, everything works, but the satisfaction of building your own peripherals is entirely unique.
The Labo Variety Kit is a Nintendo Switch video game, a craft set, and a stepping stone to learning STEM, all wrapped up in an incredibly clever package that turns cardboard into toys and games.
Labo has me thinking about what else is possible with the Switch and, impressively, managed to make the console feel even more amazing.
Though not perfect, what the Nintendo Labo does and what it has the potential to do outshines its minor flaws as a product.