{"id":81567,"date":"2019-02-10T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-10T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/02\/feature_just_one_more_honest_the_unlikely_endurance_of_amiibo"},"modified":"2019-02-10T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-02-10T12:00:00","slug":"feature-just-one-more-honest-the-unlikely-endurance-of-amiibo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/02\/10\/feature-just-one-more-honest-the-unlikely-endurance-of-amiibo\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: Just One More, Honest: The Unlikely Endurance Of amiibo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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With Disney Infinity<\/a><\/strong>, Skylanders<\/a><\/strong> and Lego Dimensions<\/a><\/strong> falling by the wayside in recent years, toys-to-life seems to have reached its natural conclusion. Much like the plastic instrument peripherals of a decade ago, consumers have had enough after filling their homes with plastic discs, USB base plate readers and assorted clutter \u2013 the novelty just isn\u2019t enough anymore. As much fun as we had with it, Starlink: Battle For Atlas<\/a><\/strong> seemed like a foolhardy endeavour even from its initial reveal back at E3 2017, and despite being a very<\/em> strong game (with Switch owners getting the choicest cut thanks to the excellent Star Fox<\/a><\/strong> crossover content), disappointing sales and a speedy price drop<\/a> only confirmed what seemed self-evident from the start: toys-to-life is well and truly dead.<\/p>\n

But is it, though? A quick survey around the Nintendo Life office reveals we\u2019re still picking up amiibo when something catches our eye. Nearly five years on from launch, Nintendo\u2019s reaction to Skylanders and Disney Infinity \u2013 wisely branded apart from the struggling Wii U \u2013 has somehow bucked the trend and outlived nearly all<\/em> competition. We\u2019re still buying them even after toys-to-life went off a cliff. The crazy days of shortages and flipping Wii Fit Trainer on eBay for 500% profit are long gone, but last year\u2019s figures<\/a> remarkably showed growth<\/em> in amiibo sales. Nintendo is often accused of artificially bottle-necking supply to generate consumer demand \u2013 a practice they deny \u2013 but shortages certainly drove interest when the platform launched in 2014.<\/p>\n

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The reasons for toys-to-life\u2019s precipitous decline is tough to pin down to one factor, especially while Nintendo continues to buck the trend. The explanation that brick-and-mortar stores got sick of bulky stock might hold water were it not for all the Funko Pops lining racks at your local gaming emporium. Retailers are happy to clog shelves with plastic so long as it\u2019s shifting, and amiibo are still doing just that. Restocks of some of the rarer figures<\/a> prior to the arrival of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate<\/a><\/strong> helped collectors pick up ones they\u2019d missed, and we\u2019ve seen figures from other series reappear, too. Just the other day we were thrilled to see an Ocarina of Time<\/a><\/strong> Link in the wild and fought the urge to snap it up immediately. What started out as \u2018okay \u2013 just a couple of the ones we really like<\/em>\u2019 has ballooned into a collection which threatens the structural integrity of our Billy bookcase. Of course<\/em> we were going to get Chibi-Robo and the squidgy Metroid, and we\u2019d snap Nintendo\u2019s hand off at the wrist to get that Japan-only Qbby amiibo<\/a> for a sensible price, though did we really<\/em> need Duck Hunt<\/a><\/strong> dog? Our shelf contains several fringe characters purely because they were cheap, or worse, they were rare.<\/em><\/p>\n

You could argue that other brands don\u2019t enjoy the broad cross-generational appeal of Nintendo\u2019s beloved characters and IP. Skylanders are unlikely to strike a chord with many parents \u2013 as the plastic pouches filling second-hand bargain bins at your local GAME will testify \u2013 but Nintendo\u2019s roster is recognisable to virtually everyone<\/em>. It\u2019s a valid point that unfortunately founders when you consider Lego\u2019s timeless charm and Disney\u2019s unimpeachable (and ever-expanding) portfolio. If Mickey Mouse, Buzz, Woody, Darth Vader, Iron Man, et al. aren\u2019t enough to save a sinking ship, what dark magic fuels the success of a platform boasting Captain Falcon, Mii Brawler and, er, Roy? How are amiibo popular enough to justify twelve<\/em> different versions of the same character? (Link, if you\u2019re wondering \u2013 yes<\/em>, that includes his lycanthropic form.)<\/p>\n

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One can safely assume that amiibo are surviving \u2013 thriving, even \u2013 purely<\/em> as collectables. The wedding-themed Mario, Peach and Bowser figures comprising the Super Mario Odyssey<\/a><\/strong> series, for example, were arguably designed as cake-toppers for nerd nuptials in addition to the nominal in-game bonuses they offer. The overall sculpture quality means they look great on display \u2013 far better than any run-of-the-mill World of Nintendo figurine \u2013 so that\u2019s undoubtedly a factor in their continued success.<\/p>\n

In spite of amiibo\u2019s healthy effect on Nintendo\u2019s balance books, it\u2019s harder to argue that in-game implementation has been anything but a disappointment. With no need for a bulky base, the fact that their Near-Field Communication chips interface with the controllers directly is a massive boon, but we\u2019ve yet to see any truly innovative use of them in software. Even notable examples of integration are hardly ground-breaking and anecdotal evidence suggests that many players simply don\u2019t bother scanning them anyway. Smash Bros.<\/strong> \u2013 the driving force behind the majority of the amiibo line \u2013 is a case in point: training amiibo fighters that ape your fight-style is a diverting little extra and the idea of pitting them against a mate is fun, but the novelty wore off quickly. The handful of bespoke challenge levels they unlocked in the original Splatoon<\/a><\/strong> led to some exclusive swag, although we don\u2019t recall if we completed them all, and we\u2019re not digging the Wii U out of the loft to check. In Super Mario Maker<\/a><\/strong> they handily gave you immediate access to the corresponding 8-Bit costume, but those could be earned through normal gameplay. Other instances of decent implementation exist, but it\u2019s nothing terribly interesting or game-changing.<\/p>\n

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In fact, you could say that for space-conscious gamers with families, NFC functionality and gameplay value \u2013 however notional it may be \u2013 works more as a psychological justification to purchase. It\u2019s an easier sell to yourself and loved ones alike when you can claim these attractive bits of plastic also enhance the games. Their compatibility with multiple titles is another win; even the ones you\u2019re on the fence about might end up on your shelf if they unlock a natty costume in Mario Kart 8<\/a><\/strong>. Hardly essential, but neat enough to rationalise throwing down a tenner.<\/p>\n

Conversely, there are plenty of examples where amiibo support feels like more trouble than it\u2019s worth. Wii U\u2019s insipid Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival<\/a><\/strong> was developed mainly to encourage the company to make amiibo for that series<\/a> \u2013 and for that<\/em> we\u2019re thankful. The actual game, though, was a turgid snorefest. Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge<\/a><\/strong> on Wii U and 3DS was another stab at a bespoke title which fell flat, though at least that was a free downloadable offering.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the problem lies in Nintendo\u2019s unwillingness to use amiibo for anything more than cosmetic items or minor rewards. The company\u2019s approach has been sensible for the most part \u2013 any variant of a character (Dr Mario or 8-Bit Mario, for example) will unlock character-specific bonuses. Of course, gating significant content behind them (like, say, proper dungeons in a Zelda game) would be a sure-fire way to provoke ire from the fanbase, and Nintendo hasn’t taken that road.<\/p>\n

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Admirable as it is, this approach does hamstring creativity somewhat if designers must constantly work on the basis that players have nothing but the base game. A sensible choice, yes, but it leaves an enormous amount of untapped potential on the drawing board, and after seeing the sheer creativity on display with things like Labo<\/a><\/strong>, surely<\/em> there\u2019s some outrageous, outside-the-box idea that could make use of the millions of amiibo sitting on shelves across the globe. It\u2019s unthinkable that Amiibo Festival<\/strong> and Mario Party<\/a><\/strong> are really the best Nintendo can do.<\/p>\n

At the very least they should be providing added value to your system. Why don\u2019t they unlock custom themes or skins on your 3DS or Switch? Is a simple colour scheme asking too much? How about a simple chess game? Board games have enjoyed a huge renaissance over the last decade, both digital and physical. Imagine a Dungeons & Dragons<\/strong>-style campaign, for example, where your character stats and choices are stored in your amiibo. What about some sort of Labo<\/strong> tie-in where you can use the figures in your own Toy-Con creations? Remember the oversized Yarn Yoshi or that monstrous Guardian amiibo? Why weren\u2019t they tied into some exclusive DLC \u2013 something meatier than a boss-rush challenge dungeon? We\u2019re not promoting the idea of excluding players, but packing amiibo with the software ensures everybody\u2019s on the same page and opens the door to more interesting interactions and gameplay possibilities.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019re just spitballing \u2013 Nintendo\u2019s boffins could surely come up with something that utilised all those latent NFC chips in the wild. The company is adept at finding new and interesting ways to repurpose older tech. Think how some simple motion tech started the Wii revolution, or how Pok\u00e9mon<\/a><\/strong> revitalised the ageing Game Boy. In fact, Pok\u00e9mon is the perfect<\/em> vehicle to refresh the amiibo concept. Remember Pok\u00e9mon Rumble U<\/a><\/strong>? Its capsule toy concept died on the vine, but for one hot minute, those tiny pre-amiibo figurines<\/a> seemed to indicate the direction Nintendo would take with NFC.<\/p>\n

The sheer number of monsters in the franchise makes our once-imagined toys-to-life\/Pokemon RPG crossover impractical now \u2013 obviously, you\u2019re not going to carry all those figures around with you, and the reality of finding the right one and constantly tapping it to the reader would soon become a chore \u2013 but the franchise seems ripe for a trading card crossover using the amiibo cards we saw for Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer<\/a><\/strong>. Unlike Animal Crossing, direct control over the Pok\u00e9mon brand lies with The Pok\u00e9mon Company (of which Nintendo is joint owner), so there may be a couple more legal hoops to jump through, but if there’s one thing The Pok\u00e9mon Company likes more than Pocket Monsters, it’s cold hard cash<\/em>. Switch sales are incredibly healthy and, unlike the 3DS family, every<\/em> single console (or more accurately, every right Joy-Con) has an in-built NFC reader, so the player base is primed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be interesting to see what amiibo integration Pok\u00e9mon Switch<\/a><\/strong> has in store. At the very least, it seems we\u2019ll be seeing the Gen 1 starters<\/a> in Smash amiibo form, and once again we\u2019ll snap them up because, at the very least, they\u2019ll be cute little figures. There\u2019s so much untapped potential in them, though, and following Switch\u2019s success, it\u2019s still not too late to unlock it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Disney Infinity, Skylanders and Lego Dimensions falling by the wayside in recent years, toys-to-life seems to have reached its natural conclusion. Much like the plastic instrument peripherals of a decade ago, consumers have had enough after filling their homes with plastic discs, USB base plate readers and assorted clutter \u2013 the novelty just isn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81567\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}