Labo, Mario, and Zelda VR Impressions

To much everyone's surprise, Nintendo has jumped into the world of VR and delivered such to the public in the form of their creative cardboard crafts that is Labo.  Constructing a pair of goggles to house your Switch console alongside a wide assortment of other unique peripherals, Labo VR offers a surprisingly effective means in which to dive into this new world of virtual reality.  And to further sway / tempt curious onlookers to jump on board, free updates have been added to the likes of Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to include new VR modes.  With all that said, everyone's experience and expectations with VR are sure to differ, so are Nintendo's VR offerings worth the investment?  Allow me to share my personal impressions with all of the above and hopefully help you come to such just an answer for yourself.

Labo VR Goggles.

Much like the other Labo kits released thus far, a lot of fun to be found in the package is the hands-on act of building and discovering how your creations tick.  For more details on this aspect of the Labo games, check out my review on the Labo Variety Kit.  Where Labo VR assuredly stands apart is with its assortment of games and mini-games, each fully immersing the player in all assortments of virtual worlds and challenges.  For those who only want to invest in the $40 starter kit that comes bundled with the goggles and blaster, I'll give credit in that the blaster is the most impressive piece in which to construct and play.  There is immense satisfaction to be found in cocking and firing your blaster as you swivel around to pick off aliens literally all around you.  And the boss challenges, though not particularly challenging, still hold a sensational thrill as they tower over you, their presence felt all the more exhilarating in VR.  The other peripherals to be built still hold much enjoyment to be found, the Wind Pedal being another surprising favorite of mine.  The added sensation of wind blowing on my face gives that much more riveting immersion as one bounds into the air as a frog or soars through the skies as a swan, not to mention the breeze just feels nice and relaxing.

Aliens and tall buildings completely surround you as you zap away with the Blaster.

While each of the games don't push the graphics to any great extremes, the simplistic approach delivers an admirable effect to be enjoyed still.  I only found the ocean game with the Camera to be a tad blurrier than desired for far-off objects, but overall still rather fun to dive into.  One other aspect of note is that each of these experiences are best enjoyed in short spurts, typically around 5-15 minutes.  This is mainly due to the tiring nature of having to hold the goggles and/or peripherals.  I do appreciate the general ease in which one can pick up or stop playing thanks to the lack of wires.  It makes for an easily shareable device in which to hand-off, but sadly with no means to simultaneously display to the TV, also a bit of a solitary experience at the same time.  At $40-80 though, Labo VR is an excellent and affordable means in which to get a fun taste of VR.

Take breaks to prevent stiff arms.  And remember you have arms, you're not actually a bird.

Sadly, my impressions on the VR updates for Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild aren't quite as favorable.  The update for Mario includes a small handful of specifically crafted challenges set in familiar environments.  While serviceable, the experience doesn't really make effective use of VR for any interesting gameplay and it ends up being a short-lived affair.  For a taste of what Mario gameplay could be like, I'd recommend checking out Astro Bots Rescue Mission for PSVR if you have the means (stay tuned for a full review on such in the future).  The cut-scenes for Mario did look really cool in VR though and makes me very excited for whenever this Super Mario movie is to release.  Likewise, the cut-scenes are quite cool to experience in Zelda.  Unlike Mario, the update for Zelda adds VR support to the whole game.  Unfortunately, this is such an inferior experience, I can't possibly recommend anyone play this over just playing normally.  That first opening shot overlooking the plateau, one can barely distinguish Hyrule Castle as little more than a blurry, shadowy blob.  The resolution is horrible and the frame rate will leave players lightheaded quickly.  On top of that, the use of VR feels off-putting to the limited scope in which you can look around and does little to add to the experience.  Sorry folks, but unless Nintendo decides to craft VR as an intended experience from the get-go, I wouldn't expect these VR updates to old games to be a continuing trend.

The VR update for Mario Odyssey sadly sleeps on the potential VR can bring to unique gameplay experiences.

Before we leave the topic of Zelda VR, for those who already own a PSVR, there lies means in which to try this VR update without having to own Labo VR.  A few benefits of such include much better clarity and giving your arms a much deserved break.  I'll admit it's much more impressive with this setup, though I still got lightheaded after not too long, and there is also no head-tracking as the Switch must be docked.  If interested though, see the following video here for guidance on setting such up.

-------

And there you have it.  If you're a fan of Labo or just curious to try VR, I'd heartily recommend Labo VR as a reasonably priced entry point.  I wouldn't expect more VR experiences though unless Nintendo decides to upgrade the Switch hardware down the road.  Until then, we can all dream of a Pokemon Snap 2 using the Labo VR Camera.