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Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit Early Impressions

by David Lloyd - September 21, 2018, 10:34 am EDT
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Nintendo has learned a lot since the release of the first kits.

I’ve been a skeptic of Nintendo Labo ever since its announcement earlier this year. My initial assessment was that building the projects would be fun, but once complete it would just collect dust on my shelf. After my children begged me to purchase the Variety Kit, my assessment was proven correct. After my kids finished the house, they quickly lost interest and now the remainder of the kit is still sitting in its box in my basement. My post-mortem analysis is that the software just wasn’t compelling enough to maintain replayability and would need to be improved for future kits. A third of the way into the new vehicle kit, and I can say that Nintendo has already made leaps and bounds in providing a longer lasting and more enjoyable experience.

The first task my 7 year old and I decide to take on just happened to be the most complicated of the bunch: the steering wheel. Putting the wheel together was no easy task; three separate sections needed to be put together separately and then brought together at the end. The whole process took my son, with a little bit of help from myself, between three and four hours spread out over a couple of days. He probably could have handled the whole project on his own, but a few of the pieces required some precision folding to avoid ripping and tearing, and that’s where I came in.

The steering wheel has a few neat features: accelerator, turbo boost, lever to trigger reverse, and two latches to control the fuel hoses. It feels pretty solid as well, as the wheel is large and reinforced, the accelerator doesn’t feel like it’s going to crush beneath my foot, and it all sits on a base that gives it some weight to keep it in place while driving.

The most impressive feature, and the biggest improvement over the Variety Kit, is the open world that has been created for the All-Terrain vehicle that you’ll be driving with the steering wheel. The world is quite large, and provides a number of different sections with a variety of terrains. Each section has a set of eight objectives and you can travel to different areas freely completing each task. We began by climbing a mountain, and from there we spotted the city we would travel to next. Where the Variety Kit felt a few different tech demos, the open world created for the steering wheel feels like a full game.

With only a third of the kit completed, I can say that my son and I have already surpassed the amount of time we spent on the Variety Kit. It’s a terrific weekend project and a great way to spend time with your kids. Our coverage of the Labo vehicle kit will continue into next week with a review of the airplane yoke and submarine controls. If the final two vehicles are as much fun as the ATV, it’s going to be one fun weekend.

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