Say cheese and smile!  You’re on Labo Camera!  The next thing we’ll take a look at that you can build in the Labo VR Kit is a camera.  Use it to take pictures of fish in a virtual reality undersea environment!

It’s kind of interesting that they chose an old style camera with a zoom lens for you to build, as it is a bit outdated in today’s cell phone camera society.  Many players may not ever have used a camera that this is styled after.  In fact, they even address this in the learning section of the Labo VR game.  Anyway, here’s a bigger shot of the Labo VR Camera all built.

You attach the camera to the front part of the VR Goggles and attach both JoyCons to the camera.  One goes in the zoom lens and when you twist it, you can zoom in the games.  You even build a gear that makes clicking noises when you twist.   The other controller goes on the side and you can press the top trigger button to take pictures.

The first game you play has you take pictures of fish underwater.  You can turn around in 360 degrees, and look up and down to rise up and dive deeper.  You can even go above water.  You’ll have missions to take pictures of certain kinds of fish, and can take three pictures at a time, but you can always continue so that seems kind of pointless.  To help you get better shots of fish, you can also throw bait using the L stick on one of the JoyCons.  I wonder if this game uses the same graphics and such as the Labo Variety Kit Fishing Rod?

Speaking of games that use the same assets, the next one you can play is called House Camera.  It uses the same room and critter from the Labo House you can build in the Variety Kit.  Here you have missions to take pictures of the furry critter in the house doing a variety of things.  Only problem is the missions are just vague clues, and it’s a bit more random as to how the critter moves.  So it’s not as much fun.  You can point at certain objects and if you look at them long enough, you can go to different areas of the house.

There is one last small accessory you can build to go along with the VR camera.  It’s a pair of snorkel glasses that a second person can wear and mess with the person using the VR camera.  You stick reflective stickers on it so the JoyCon with the IR camera can see it.  You can use it to make a nearby fish move along with the second person, which is a little weird because it also gives that fish cartoony eyes.  But I guess it makes it easier to snap shots of certain fish.  In the House game, you can make it look like something weird is looking through the window in the house!  Here is a shot of the snorkel.

I’m sure the question on everyone’s minds is: Why didn’t Nintendo make a Pokémon Snap game with this?  I mean, you even have a button for throwing bait.  That would be so cool!  Everyone I’ve talked to wants a new Pokémon Snap game!  Nintendo could’ve easily made one on the 3DS or Wii U, since both those even had motion controllers with a camera attached.  I hope Nintendo makes a Snap game on the Switch!  Anyway, next VR Kit item we’ll talk about is an…elephant?!?  Stay tuned!  –Cary

Tags: Game Reviews