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I also had a blast with the Robot Toy-Con, which is really more of a exo-suit. It’s made up of a large backpack, two foot straps, two arm control straps (which you simply grip onto) and a visor for head-tracking. The backpack is the real brains of the kit: It houses the pistons and strings that are used to track your virtual robot’s movement. Once I got everything no (which, admittedly, was a bit of a struggle), I was able to virtually traverse a city as a giant machine, smash buildings and punch enemies into oblivion. You move by taking large steps, and punch by pulling the arm straps forward.
It’s the one Toy-Con that works best with the Switch docked, since you’ll want to see your carnage on a big screen. You can also customize your robot, as well as battle a friend in a versus mode. Just a word of warning: If you’re very tall or have wide shoulders, there’s a chance the backpack might not fit.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to complete the Toy-Con house. It’s basically Nintendo’s modern spin on a dollhouse, with the Switch at the center. Inside lives a virtual pet that you can feed and interact with (and if you’re feeling mischievous, you can lift the house up and watch them bounce off the walls). You can also change the time of day, fill the house with water, and lull your pet to sleep using a few blocks, which plug into the side of the Toy-Con. By mixing and matching those accessories, you also unlock a few mini-games to play with your pet, like bowling and jump rope. Based on my time with it at the Labo preview event, it seems less intriguing than the other Toy-Cons, but it could be fun for kids who can’t handle complex motion controls.
Labo has tons of untapped potential hiding in the Toy-Con Garage, an advanced area that lets you build your own fun. You could, for example, create a makeshift electric guitar using the Joy-Cons, or change how the existing Toy-Cons work, using a simple interface. I didn’t have much time to explore the Garage, but it seems genuinely useful, especially once you get bored of the built-in Labo games. It could also be a useful tool for schools to teach rudimentary programming concepts.
Looking ahead
I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Nintendo make more Labo games for these Toy-Cons eventually. It only makes sense, since owners will eventually be hungry for more content. The company has also given us a glimpse at a few other Toy-Cons in Labo’s launch video, including a racing wheel, shotgun and camera. There’s no word on when those will arrive, but they’d clearly be a great way to rekindle interest during the holidays.
Since I’ve had less than a week with the kits, I don’t have a sense of their durability. But I was surprised by how sturdy they felt. Who knows what they’ll look like after a few months of heavy use, though. Nintendo has wisely made Labo sheets and accessories available at its online store, so you’ve got an option when you inevitably step on a Toy-Con. At $70 and $80, the Labo kits aren’t exactly cheap, but they’re in line with similar DIY toys, like Mattel’s Kamigami.
Wrap-up
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