Nintendo Labo – Vehicle Kit
Year: 2018
Rating: E
Time Played: ~5+ hours
Nintendo’s cardboard peripheral line, Labo, is a magnificent case study of the Switch’s ability to be customizable. For the “03” Vehicle Kit, the Switch joycons are used to control three different vehicles. From steering wheels to gas pedals, this kit provides a setup that emulates the feel of driving, flying, and diving. Even with the flexibility of these vehicles, there are limitations built into the game that make exploring less than ideal. It’s certainly fun to put the cardboard together, but it feels like a waste when I haven’t even spent the same time using the vehicles.
As with the other Labo kits, the sturdy cardboard is easy to manipulate. Using the Switch as an instruction booklet is a great way to provide slow-motion steps that also allow for moving the camera to get a better view. These instructions also go over what sensors in the Switch are being used to provide the emulated motions of the vehicles in the game. The cardboard building portion is a lot of fun—similar to building a Lego set. However, this is the case for all the Labo kits, so this isn’t unique to the Vehicle Kit.
For the “gameplay” itself, I found the learning curve for controlling the different vehicles was a little steep. Sure, driving the car was a standard steering wheel setup. However, the joystick for the plane and the two-wheel setup for the submarine were a little more difficult. I would have liked to play around with these vehicles more, but that there’s a limited gasoline meter that needs to be regularly refilled felt like it limited the exploration. At least the little minigames were fun, albeit too short to make a full game.
Another fun Labo build with some gameplay limitations, I give Labo Vehicle Kit 3.0 stars out of 5.
