6 Future Labo Ideas Nintendo Should Totally Do Next

Rocket Ship

Let’s face it, most of us probably won’t be landing on the moon anytime soon. Thankfully, the Nintendo Labo has everything it needs to bring us up to space. As in, cardboard? No! Well, sure, but also it’s brilliant HD Rumble technology and a good dose of imagination on our part. Knowing Nintendo, it could easily shell out a template for an awesome-looking rocket. It would need to integrate the Switch screen and Joy Cons in there somewhere, so maybe the screen could be placed on the ship’s body?

A neat game would play out where you have to avoid any incoming asteroids and meteors from hitting your ship as you make your way to the moon, using the Joy Con gyroscope to navigate your space vessel. And once you finally get to the moon, maybe you can design your own flag and place it down yourself! Fly us to the moon and let us play among the Stars, Nintendo Labo.

Retro Gaming Console

Despite being a year old, the Nintendo Switch is still missing plenty of other features. Most notably, the Virtual Console. Most of us are still looking to play those classic GameBoy titles on our Switch, and while we’re hoping Nintendo will finally come around, what if they somehow integrate it into Labo? Imagine if Nintendo were to release a template for some of their retro consoles, such as the GameBoy Color or Game & Watch? We’ve seen plenty of fans and third-party manufacturers try to emulate Nintendo consoles, even going so far as to create a device where you can play your smartphone like a GameBoy. So, what’s stopping Nintendo themselves from making their own official cardboard version?

Releasing a new retro-themed Labo variety kit alongside Virtual Console would be a great way to promote both products. Not to mention it’d also be a great strategy to get adults into buying the cardboard as well. I mean, who wouldn’t want to build their own GameBoy, after all?

Boats

Sailing the high seas is rough, especially if you have a bad case of motion sickness. But with the Labo around, maybe you won’t need to hop on a real boat for a seafaring adventure. Having a sea vessel template honestly doesn’t seem too far off the mark, especially after what we’ve gotten in the first variety kit. Kids (and kids at heart) will definitely get a kick out of crafting their own cardboard boat, possibly even modeled after a pirate ship. The Switch screen would possibly be attached to the cabin area, with the Joy Cons comprising the steering wheel.

The game would play out as a pirate simulator (watch out, Sea of Thieves) where you would navigate through the open seas and travel between islands. Maybe the Labo boat game could even take cues from The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, teeing up a narrative that has players salvage treasure and attack enemies with a cannon.

Sports Gear

Nintendo is no stranger when it comes to sports peripherals. The company made all sorts of quirky gadgets during the Wii era – from balance boards to tennis rackets, Nintendo’s been a staunch advocate of interacting with their products. That being said, it’d be pretty strange if they skipped on making sports equipment for the Labo.

With the revival of Mario Tennis, they could use the hype to release a sports variety kit with, you guessed it, a cardboard tennis racket template. Along with that, they could also make a golf club where you use the Joy Cons to “swing” a ball toward the Switch screen. The Nintendo Labo would make a great spiritual successor to all of the Wii’s quirky gimmicks, which the casual audience loved. Here’s hoping we see the Wii Fit trainers make a comeback someday.

Wings

The Labo robot is a pretty impressive feat, but maybe Nintendo can turn it up a notch by making a template for cardboard wings. Kids could strap a cardboard backpack which could unfurl the wings when you pull the Joy Cons attached to a string. While you won’t be flying anywhere, wings would make for a pretty interesting gameplay experience. A nod to Kid Icarus, you could zoom through the clouds and shoot or slash enemies. At the same time, you’d have to focus on staying afloat by flapping your wings.

If anything, watching kids frantically flap their arms would make for quite the hilarious spectacle. It all boils down to immersion, really, and that’s one of the greatest reasons why kids should play the Labo.

Arm Cannon

Samus has one, Megaman has one, so why can’t you have one too? The arm cannon is one of the coolest-looking weapons, period. And with the Nintendo Labo, we finally have the chance to make our own! Most arm cannons generally wrap around the arm, and you would be holding the Joy Con with that particular hand. Different Joy Con buttons would yield different shots, possibly ranging from laser beams to missiles, and the game would play out like a first-person shooter. With Metroid Prime 4 on the horizon, Nintendo should do some kind of mini-game collaboration between the game and an arm cannon variety kit.