Using Nintendo Labo to make an impossible game

Ah, Labo, Nintendo's DIY construction kit for the Switch that got us to make, play and discover like never before through its series of cardboard contraptions known as Toy-Con. Enabling fantasies such as piloting a giant robot, reincarnating yourself into a bird or owning a home, the Toy-Cons provided some of the most innovative gaming interactions in recent memory. To take things further, Labo also pushed players' creativity via the Toy-Con Garage, a powerful coding suite that allowed you to invent your own original games and gadgets. But although Labo's papery peripherals and programming showed plenty of promise, unfortunately it failed to capture the creative community crucial in keeping itself alive. And so, almost four years since its initial reveal, the franchise now feels like nothing more than a forgotten flak-packed fever dream. But as we know well, the big N never gave up on their creativity-cultivating crusade, and now rising from Labo's ashes comes their latest effort, Game Builder Garage. Although somewhat succeeding the Toy-Con Garage, Game Builder decides to discard the card and go all in on the code, guiding players to program their own original games from scratch via a radically redesigned UI that characterises code into a collection of connectable creatures called Nodons. But while Game Builder rights much of Labo's wrongs, unfortunately the transition from craft to code also lost its greatest trait, physicality. What made Labo so special was how it got us to interact with the Switch in a completely new and tangible way, and although Game Builder Garage has already proven itself to be a powerful tool, we think there's still a whole creative layer left to explore once we reintroduce the little craft to our code and invent not only games, but original ways to play them with. After all, if there's anything we've learned from Nintendo, it's that with unique inputs come unique games. So to take the creative potential of Game Builder Garage to the next level, we're going to be getting a little physical and try combining it with some of Labo's long-lost Toy-Cons. Let's begin! Out of the copious Toy-Con species released over Labo's lifespan, we'll be focusing on just those in the OG Variety Kit, as they seem the most simplistic, versatile and cheap! We'll start with the Fishing Rod. So this thing works by making use of the gyroscope in the Switch's Joy-Cons to detect the rod's orientation as well as the reeling motion of the crank. Whipping out an If Face Up Nodon, we can determine the right Joy-Con's angle to measure the tilting of the rod. Then by summoning a Rotation Speed Nodon, we can measure how fast the left Joy-Con spins as we crank the handle. Just like that, the Toy-Con Fishing Rod is ready to reel it in! Moving on to the Motorbike! So similarly, this thing relies mainly on the Joy-Con's gyroscopes to detect the turning and twisting of the handlebars. Conjuring a couple of Tilt Nodons, we can determine the left and right Joy-Con's angles to measure the turning of the handlebars as well as the twisting of the throttle. We'll also add some simple Button Nodons to determine when the buttons and levers are triggered. And now the Toy-Con Motorbike is revved up and ready to go! Pushing on to the Piano! Now this one's a little more complex, as it relies entirely on the Joy-Con's Infrared Sensor to detect these reflective stickers slapped on the Piano's inputs. So first we'll drag out an IR Motion Camera Nodon, which will be able to roughly interpret each marker's position. Then by strategically pasting a bunch of Bullseye Nodons, we can cause each of them to trigger an action, thus letting us map out all the Piano's keys and other doodads. And bam! The Toy-Con Piano is ready to jam! Finally, the House! Now like the Piano, the House relies solely on the Joy-Con's IR Sensor to detect the reflective stickers on its input plugs, but unfortunately the IR Nodon's limited resolution turns their unique patterns into unidentifiable blobs, rendering the whole thing unusable. So let's just go ahead and burn this guy. Okay, now that the Toy-Cons are all hooked up, I wonder what kind of games they can be used to make? Well we could obviously create something that's fishing, racing or music-based, that would also be a bit boring, wouldn't it? So to come up with something a little more unique, we're going to have to abstract the Toy-Cons from their immediate forms and focus on what really matters, their interactions. Let me show you what I mean. So this thing isn't simply a fishing rod, but in fact a tilty-cranky stick, which can afford all sorts of interactions such as cracking open a safe, stirring up some stew, or even maniacally firing a Gatling gun. By adopting this analogous approach, we can use this thing to inspire all sorts of games, such as Unicycle Simulator! Use the Toy-Con fishing rod to pedal and balance a unicycle through an unreasonably intense obstacle course in a feeble attempt to fumble your way to the finish, but be careful, one false move and you'll be met with an explosive end, and you'd better be prepared to fail again and again and again, because I'm seriously not sure this game is even beatable. So unlike those awful mobile games, this is actually impossible, for real! Unicycle Simulator, download now, only on Game Builder Garage! So again, we shouldn't see this thing merely as a motorbike, but as a twisty-turny box, which we can use to skillfully turn a screwdriver, kayak down some rapids, or simulate a cheeky-cheek pinching grandma. So again, with this mindset in mind, we'd like to introduce our next game, Cantaloupe Launcher! Use the Toy-Con motorbike to load, line up, and launch your cantaloupes, and smash as many targets in the time limit as possible! Just watch out for those pesky penalties, and make sure to nail the elusive ping targets for a big bonus! Whoa, better smash that thing too! Will you rack up enough points to prove your malin marksmanship and snag the golden cantaloupe, or fail and be left a canta-loser? Cantaloupe Launcher, launching now, only on Game Builder Garage! Finally, what is a piano if not just a buttony cuboid of pushable possibilities which can be harnessed to bop some menacing moles? Peacefully Pet a Puppy! Or type up this very script! So by once again putting function beyond form, we can conjure a game like Piano Dash! Use the Toy-Con piano to go head-to-head with up to 4 humans or a highly advanced AI, and slam those cardboard keys to inch your way to victory! Man, look at them go! Prepare to lose your closest friends as you furiously finagle your way to first place! Or run solo and test your time! Good luck breaking my record though, because I'm blisteringly fast! Piano Dash, download now, only on Game Builder Garage! So, what do you think? By combining Labo's physicality with Game Builder's tools, we can truly unleash the creative potential of both, and begin to think, well, outside the box! So we hope you'll dust off those Toy-Cons, and not only give our silly games a go, but more importantly, make use of our templates and try making your own unique Toy-Con games yourself! You can find all the Game Builder codes in the description below! Finally, if you enjoyed this vid, then please subscribe, and consider supporting us on our freshly launched Playful Patreon, aka the Playtree of AquaSparkle! Behind-the-scenes updates, exclusive cut content, and access to a growing creative community, the Playtree of AquaSparkle has it all! So if you need a little extra playfulness in your life, or would just like to help support the channel, then make sure to check out Patreon.com slash Playful! Now if you don't mind us, we're gonna go play a little unicycle simulator, so thanks for watching, and as always, Stay Playful!