Let’s learn programming on the switch

Surprisingly announced during the Nintendo Direct in early May, Video Games Lab Fits neatly into the long-term strategy of the interested big N Encourage creativity Of their fans young and old. With an ambitious goal: to eliminate the inaccessible myth of programming for those who do not handle the lines of code with the skill of John Cormack.

The philosophy adopted by the title is simple, but effective. The Nintendo Switch is full of vibrant and brilliant creatures, as it is called Nodan, With the aim of helping you understand the incredible world behind the development of the video game. A move behind the scenes that is known to surprise, delight and smile the player, originally called for a scary character, but it is incredibly satisfying in hours.

Programming lessons

We are immediately introduced to both of our guides: Pop, The blue dot that guides us gradually through the seven game levels, and Alice, Ready to test our knowledge with interesting practical quizzes (which we will talk about later).

So the seven challenges e Seven different games per program, Starting from one … does not work: the first gesture of the game is a futile attempt to move a character. Bob calls us to analyze what is wrong – we will understand it successfully Video Games Lab, It is necessary to reflect the logical steps and the interactions between the various components Programming screen.

Nintendo in this colorful and instantly recognizable world-Done The protagonists of the scene are notons, each characterized by its own function, and characterized by a specific personality, outlined by humorous dialogues that make the development sessions with the pop flowing and bizarre.

Nodes come with very useful icons for their recognition, and except that in some situations they start to accumulate in large numbers in a small space, the screen is neat and clean, without any navigation difficulties for the player. Video Games Lab Guides the user to find it A video game is like a well oiled mechanism: Make sure each gear is in place and ready to perform its function. Relationships between notons are very important, and their infinite possibilities explore relationship, connection and connection Great satisfaction for the user, and more “geek” When you go through seven subjects. At the level of use of the title, we point it out Portable The switch is very convenient to enjoy Video Games Lab: Screen Touch For sessions characterized by speed and instantaneousness, it allows you to move between different steps with the touch of a finger. None of the technical issues affected Playthrough, But it must be said that the (intentionally) simple graphic level does not test the capabilities of our Nintendo switches. For those who like, it can be tackled Video Games Lab With the click of a mouse – an option that is primarily appreciated by gamers on the computer.

In general, the effect is less immediate than one Super Mario Maker (Here is ours Super Mario Maker 2 Review), In which elements of various levels are made available without taking the player behind the scenes of development. Nintendo wanted to dare at a glance, which was less impressive at first glance, but much deeper from an ideological point of view, letting go Accessible approach and accessible to all. In this sense, the choice to combine Bob’s lessons Alice’s Guide, A series of additional insights focusing specifically on individual notations or programming dynamics.

Very useful in manual course Checkpoint sessions Hosted by Alice. No boring questionnaires: even here you take straight action to solve concrete problems! We enjoyed these phases so much that they are sometimes challenging, but you can overcome them by squeezing your brain and seeking manual explanations if needed. Seeing a state that does not function in gratitude for our trick is a player-satisfying experience And forcing him to move on to the next level. There is nothing interesting Notopedia, A real encyclopedia, which explains the function and logic behind each notion, with slightly more technical language than used in the lessons and manual.

Puzzle games, aliens and wild rides in the desert

Detected path Video Games Lab Aims to increase the player’s awareness of the solid foundations of video game development, drawing inspiration from graphic programming languages ​​based on objects and properties. That is to say The result truly reflects the logic of actual programming, So beneath this earth, it is a great way to access the mysterious and terribly fascinating access.

The Nintendo select aesthetic key helps a lot, which is typically characterized by Japanese cleanliness and essentiality: even though the levels are full of elements, certain nodes allow you to translate entries here and there around the screen, keeping everything neat and usable for sharing your creative and future changes.
In Guided Lessons Mode We are satisfied with the variety of games that need to be created: they are classic first Shooter Two-dimensional al Puzzle game, Traverses the adventure in three dimensions covering seven levels / lessons Video Games Lab.

Initially Bob takes the player’s hand too much and leaves a narrow space for autonomous contact with the notons, but if the experience continues, we give up too much to allow us to express our creativity. Lessons can be completed in 8-10 hours, Depends on our ability to solve Alice’s checkpoints, which integrates the accumulated knowledge from one level to another. After the final, Good Alice will surprise you with extra challenging challenges!

A unique journey

Basically in any sport User-generated content Self-respecting Video Games Lab Its ultimate goal is to encourage users to create video games, with their sharing among players around the world. Here comes a sore point, because the mechanism is far from brilliant: Both Share and Receive are based on the player’s ID and video game, And there is no central hub where you can find ingenious products Social. To find a job you need to enter the ID of the game or the ID of its creator. We hope that Nintendo will be reviewed in future cases. We remind you of that too Nintendo Switch requires an online subscription to use online sharing services.

Another feature that some may turn a blind eye to is the lack of personality of Bob and Alice, nothing more than two dots on the console screen. However, it should be noted that this choice serves the purpose of the game: the user should focus on programming in a simple and fun way. And “aggressive” characters would have been an obstacle to understanding the interface and the straight line of experience. Although there is no story behind the track, Bob, Alice and Nodance have kept us entertained and engaged, Thanks for the lively explanations and dialogues that season the rhythm of the game.

For obvious reasons, Video Games Lab It is characterized by a considerable number of texts, simply translated flawlessly into Italian. This sound contributes to the sweetness of the adventure, resulting in useful and complete successes for Nintendo’s style of the best recordings of the past. Unfortunately, images or music uploaded by players cannot be inserted, however The resources that sports provide make it possible to make up for this shortfall – Identify the desire to create a somewhat “restricted” experience – Numerous options, combinations of existing components and Tool Users are certainly works that do not diminish feedback.