We’ve gone Labo crazy here at Twinfinite!! We absolutely Labo it, and cannot wait to create our own little Laboratory. Why, if we were a television character, we would most definitely be Sheriff Labo (alright, so that one was a reach). Clearly, Nintendo’s newest little venture has piqued our interest, and we cannot wait to throw all sense of dignity out the window as we don our fantastic cardboard robot armor. Some of the concepts shown in the original trailer were fairly straightforward, like the motorbike handles, whereas others – and yes, the epic flying birdie is included among them – have us rather spellbound.
The sheer scope of the project is huge, and we look forward to seeing what surprises Nintendo have in store. In the meantime, we’ve banged our heads together and come up with a few of our own ideas that could be an excellent fit for the crafty range of accessories. One of them involved a way to lessen the impact of banging heads together because, golly, that hurt!
Guitar
From the moment the piano appeared onscreen, it was bound to open up people’s minds to all kinds of different instruments. The front-runner is no doubt the guitar, with titles like Guitar Hero and GuitarFreaks having created a huge market for it. The logistics may be a little more tricky than the piano if you want to make it a comfortable size, but let us reiterate: giant robot backpack. Anything is possible.
Beyond that, however, it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to implement the necessary mechanics, particularly since we already have a blueprint for how a gaming guitar can work: a few buttons at the top for the chords, and some sort of apparatus down lower for each individual strum. The versatility of the Joy-Cons could allow for further innovation, including differing notes depending on how you learned with the guitar. Remember tilting the control stick to alter Mikau’s jams, and how deeply satisfied he looked during the process? That could be you!
Sword and Shield
Ever since Twilight Princess on the Wii, Nintendo has been trying to provide us with an authentic first-person Zelda experience, and though some have felt more intuitive than others, it’s never really quite hit the mark for some reason.
We’ve finally figured it out: it’s because the satisfaction of waving a sword around like a lunatic isn’t fully realized until you are actually legitimately waving a sword around like a lunatic. It’s (probably) going to be a lot less dangerous for innocent bystanders because it’s made of cardboard, but if worse comes to worse, you can simply say you were doing it in the name of Hyrule. Bonus points if whacking your dad makes Rupees pop out.
The shield would then add a more strategic element to the madness, fending off blows from hordes of enemies, and potentially even parrying them for a decisive strike. Additionally, having this kit come in two parts means Nintendo can charge a pretty penny for it, and they are certainly not adverse to those lovely pennies.
Super Scope
Keen-eyed viewers will have noticed the presence of a gun-like Toy-Con in the initial Labo reveal trailer, confirming that firearms are not a taboo option. And that’s all well and good, we all loved blasting ducks out of the sky back in the day, but if they really want a crowd pleaser, they’ll have to unveil the mack daddy of all Nintendo weapons…
We want need demand a cardboard Super Scope. The battery-chugging behemoth had only a scant few games on offer, but most of them were a lot of fun; if this could lead to a revival of the oft-forgotten Battle Clash series, it would be a moment worth celebrating.
Perhaps they could even implement a multiplayer option, where the other person wields the smaller gun object? Pepper the enemy with rapid fire, then finish them off with your mighty bazooka. Afterwards, you can celebrate with high fives and cake! Potentially even a cake made of Labo? Let’s not stifle our imagination here.
Arcade stick
For the fighting game enthusiast who wants that authentic arcade feel. This is surely the most unlikely suggestion on our list because joysticks are a rather complicated bit of equipment with a lot of nuances. However, the fascinating use of pulleys and rubber bands we’ve already seen suggests that complex mechanics can be achieved with a little bit of creativity. As for the buttons? They probably won’t be as receptive as hardcore fighting gamers may hope, leading to them smashing the Toy-Con in a furious rage. But that’s okay, because this peripheral is made of cardboard, and as such, it can be patched up or replaced without a lot of extra expenditure.
There hasn’t been anything that suggests that the Labo devices will transition to other games besides the ones included with the kits, but if they were to, beating your opponents on a contraption like this would make the win so much more satisfying. If you can combo Balrog’s headbutt into his ultra on a mere controller, then surely you can manage it on this marvelous (fake) creation.
Shoes
Back in the days of the Wii Balance Board, we were treated to the delights that come with tracking our footsteps in-game. Whether it was a leisurely jog through the park, or tiptoeing precariously over a tightrope and hopping over obstacles, there was no shortage of nifty activities to partake in. For the record, literally jumping on the Balance Board during that tightrope challenge boots you from the game immediately. In case you were morbidly curious.
It’s time to take the next step, and yes we mean that literally. We’re talking Labo shoes here, and we’re rather excited about the potential marketability of this only slightly feasible concept. They would fit over your feet like overlays, locking on your ankles and most likely looking huge, burly and awkward. But there’s no time to lament your besmirched fashion sense because now you’re running in a race! Away you go, clearing hurdles, weaving between obstructions and perchance even kicking your opponents in a display of poor sportsmanship.
The best part will be seeing how people style their shoes. One pair looks like some sweet bootleg Air Jordans, while another is modeled after Kobe’s latest colorway. And hey, now’s your chance to finally sport your very own Big Baller Brand kicks, because lord knows nobody’s actually paying $395 for the real things.
Tower
One of the more unconventional pieces set to launch in the Labo lineup is the Toy-Con House, a quirky kit that allows you to send items into your game by pushing various little knick-knacks into holes in the walls. It will be interesting to see exactly how this works, but even more interesting to theorize about all of the ways they can build on this framework.
What we’re thinking here is a tower. It’s bigger, it’s better, it’s meaner, and it has its own set of interactive holes (we’ll let the marketing team come up with a more appealing phrase). On the Switch screen, your character must scale the tower, running from one end of the building to the other and ascending flights of stairs. There are baddies blocking your path, however, and the only way to succeed is by using the right ‘action hole’ (still needs work) at the right time.
Perhaps you’ll even have to tilt the tower slightly to help shake stubborn enemies from their spot? Put a block in front of your protagonist so they don’t fall to their doom, then lean that sucker over like your own personal Pisa! This concept may sound overly ambitious, but honestly, that’s what Labo is all about. The only limitation is in the mind of the creator. …And, well, physics. But we’re confident that the engineers at Nintendo are capable of pulling off such feats. We expect early prototypes on our desk by Tuesday.
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