Hello everyone and welcome to my entry for the Nintendo Labo Creator’s contest Europe “Hikougami” is a 2-player competitive game made with the Nintendo Labo Software for Nintendo Switch
The name already implies what the game is all about: It’s a neologism of the Japanese word “Hikouki”, which means airplane, and “kami”, which means paper Each player controls one paper airplane which is completely made of cardboard without the need of glue Your goal is to shoot at the opponent’s airplane and reduce his or her life points to zero Let’s set up the game! The things you need for playing are the following: 2 airplanes, 2 Joy-Con R, 2 airplane sheds and the Switch Screen The airplanes are a new and unique design, they are traced on cardboard, cut out, folded and assembled just like the original Nintendo Labo Toy-Cons
The Joy-Cons are fit into the main frames and provide main functions for our game They support the immersion with airplane like vibration and can detect reflection tapes attached to the enemy by using infrared sensors The sheds serve as your ammunition refill spots during the game If you run out of ammunition, you can land every 20 seconds in front of the shed and reload your 20 shots The Switch screen displays each player’s life points and a symbol indicating that recharge is available at the shed
Moreover, it plays sound that is similar to a real airplane engine! Let’s get everything in position! A game starts with two cardboard terminals, one for each plane, set up opposite of each other on a table The players start their airplanes by turning the analog sticks and place them in takeoff position in front of the terminals Upon the signal both players grab their plane and fly off They are now imitating a plane flying, trying to shoot at each other or evading Tilting the plane in different directions will cause sound and vibration of the plane’s engine to change in order to really give you the feeling of two battling airplanes! If a reflection tape is seen, a small vibration will let the player know, that the target is in reach – he should shoot then by pressing a button! If you are hit, your plane will vibrate strongly and make it more difficult for you to feel, when the enemy is in reach
Replenishing ammunition should also be carried out carefully once a while But beware, you can still be hit during the reloading time! The whole game can be played without looking at the screen, because audio and haptic cues will help you and indicate every situation you are in For example, if one player’s life points fall to zero, the game will end indicated by a strong vibration and applause sound The game is over! Let’s start another round, shall we? You might have questions about how the game is built Well, this is it
It is made with the Toy-Con Garage, which comes with every Nintendo Labo set The code is divided into two sides, each handling one airplane We can just look at one side, because both are identical This part receives the analog stick input when the engine is started A small cluster gives me precise information about the state the plane is in: switchedoff, engine starting, engine running, engine stopping
Depending on the state and orientation of the joy con in space a different sound and vibration pattern will be emitted The infrared camera can detect reflection tapes as well as the resting position in the hut together with use of the accelerometer and the gyroscope If both planes are up and running, the game starts and allows players to shoot Life points are managed in this system, which is directly connected to the visuals If the points fall to zero, an end sequence is triggered, and the game is set back to state zero
The game just provides a framework, you yourself can come up with new and different rules The separation of the terminals allows for various other playstyles – field of play is not bound to a table but can be expanded to the whole room or an outdoor area If you have space enough, you can start circling around the table or even run around freely Rules such as specific field of play limitations, customization of ammunition and damage, time constraints or the creation of complete new cardboard airplanes with different settings can be imagined You can really be creative and come up with your own way of playing
If you want to know more about the mechanics and small details behind the game, please also watch my second video about Hikougami, which I have linked in the video description below Thanks for watching and, if you liked my Toy-Con, be sure to support it with likes for the Nintendo Labo Creator’s Contest
