A game to create games for your games console
Nintendo has just surprise-announced a new project, Game Builder Garage. The app, which seems to be a spiritual successor to the Toy-Con Garage buried within the LABO sets, will allow kids and adults alike to learn a bit of visual game development. From the looks of the first video, it definitely seems to have that Nintendo playful creativity within it, as players will learn to build projects through a gamified series of lessons, a la Super Mario Maker 2.
The app will come preloaded with 7 minigames that players will utilize in their lessons. They’ll be able to use touch, joy-con, or even a mouse (via USB on the Switch’s dock) to learn, interacting with “Nodons,” little characters (named after “nodes”) that have specific interactive qualities, to make motion, sound, platforms, buttons, etc. But the real joy will come in the Free Programming Mode, where players switch hats and become budding game designers, utilizing their lesson skills to make platformers, sports games, shooters, 3D racers, and more. They’ll be able to share them with the rest of the world via downloadable codes.
This is easily best described as the merger of lessons Nintendo learned from Mario Maker and LABO, with the ability to potentially allow for some interesting personal projects that could add another layer to the console’s already huge variety of uses.
Game Builder Garage arrives June 11th exclusively for Switch.
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