GameCenter - April 2018 - 28

The Variety Kit offers a beginner's-level experience as well as a Toy-Con to match nearly everyone's interests.
We hear it's where all the cool kids will start their Labo experience.

More interactive experience than mini
game, this adorable abode looks a bit like a
gingerbread house that's made to hold your
Nintendo Switch. Rather than decorating the
miniature manor with gumdrops, though,
you'll insert various pieces into its pair of ports
to make it perform a variety of wacky actions
that are depicted on the front-facing Switch
screen.
The right Joy-Con's IR motion camera recognizes when the different block- and crank-like
pieces are manipulated, triggering numerous
cool tricks, from filling the house with water
by turning a faucet to flicking its living room
lights on and off. Plugging the various pieces
into both ports simultaneously creates additional combinations.
The entire Toy-Con can also be moved and
tilted to make its virtual objects move and
react in different ways. Users can also play with
the house's tiny inhabitant; feed it broccoli
sprouts; or place it in potentially dangerous
predicaments, such as turning it into a living,
breathing bowling ball. The kit also comes
with a special cable block, allowing a pair of
Labo homeowners to connect their Toy-Con in
cool ways.

The perfect project for budding builders,
this cardboard car rumbles to life when the
Switch's pair of Joy-Con controllers are attached to its sides. Amazingly, the peripherals'
HD rumble feature powers the vehicle forward
when directional inputs are delivered via the
Switch's touchscreen. The car, which looks
more like a bug with six long legs, can be
steered manually with the Switch controls or
set to follow specific paths. The latter feature
allows for some extra creativity, as kids can
set up obstacle courses, tracks or other clever
routes that put the paper-craft vehicle through
its paces.
Perhaps its coolest feature, though, is its
ability to be used as a cute little reconnaissance vehicle. Leveraging the right Joy-Con's
IR motion camera technology, the vehicle
can deliver a live feed to the Switch's display,
even in the dark. When not cruising around
the kitchen or spying on the cat, drivers can
engage in car combat with other Labo pilots.
While battling it out with a buddy does
require an extra set of Joy-Cons, the Variety
Kit includes enough cardboard materials to
construct two arachnid-like rides.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GameCenter - April 2018