You may not realize that your inner gamer is still alive and well, but Nintendo does.
It’s no secret that Nintendo’s upcoming Amiibo figurines will sell like hotcakes to excited kids and Christmas-shopping parents, but what about the rest of us? Despite having only a handful of gamer friends outside of the industry, I have to truly rack my brain to recall an individual who didn’t play Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World, or A Link to the Past on their SNES growing up. Nintendo aims to exploit this fact with its new line of Amiibo toys, and I’m here to tell you that when this inevitably happens, you have nothing to fear. Don’t resist – just relax. Let it happen.
The Dawn of Amiibo
Look at these little guys. Who wouldn’t want an adorable swath of nostalgic Nintendo history lined up on a shelf or bedside table? That’s the initial pitch, and it’s a good one. But what Amiibo figures offer beyond looks is the quirk Nintendo hopes will ensnare buyers in their games and products. Haven’t played Zelda in 10 years? Well, maybe after staring at the Link Amiibo on your bedstand each night for a few weeks, you’ll remember that the figure can actually connect with a Nintendo console and offer unique functionality.
Photo by Leon Ostrom.
Amiibo compatibility is already confirmed for a decent-sized list of games, including Mario Kart 8 and the latest Super Smash Bros, and that list is only going to get longer as more figures are rolled out. The better a game is projected to perform, the more Amiibo are likely be released for it, and so forth. Interestingly, some figures will work with multiple games depending on where the particular character appears. Just press the base of the toy against the Wii U GamePad’s screen, and thanks to an internal NFC sensor, you should be good to go.
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The Link Amiibo is a great multi-use example, as it’s slated to be compatible with both Super Smash Bros. and Hyrule Warriors. An investment in a particular figure nets you a neat, attractive toy, unique functionality, and potentially, use with games that have yet to even be announced or released yet. Not bad for $13.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All
As with many things Nintendo, Amiibo is bound to spur an obsessive collectathon, whether the company is currently planning for it or not. The initial run of figures includes what you’d expect; Mario, Link, DK, and Pikachu, among other regulars. Also among them are Animal Crossing Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, and Marth, of Fire Emblem fame. Of the 18 announced Amiibos, at least a handful are characters that don’t regularly appear in Nintendo’s games at a Mario-like rate. You may know Little Mac from Punch-Out!!, but there are many who don’t.
What this means for collection is still up in the air, but one of these days Nintendo is going to release a truly obscure Amiibo — one you may not have heard of before. Perhaps it’ll be Adam Malkovich from Metroid, or Poo from Earthbound. It may seem like an odd choice and an opportunity to save a bit of cash when this happens, but you can bet your thirteenth dollar this Amiibo won’t be mass-produced to the same level as Link and Mario. In other words? Instant collector’s item.
There’s an argument to be made, then, that the real opportunity Nintendo has with Amiibo is making them highly collectable. I’m already fantasizing about getting my hands on a special edition figure of which there will be only 50 in the world (this has not at all been confirmed, for the record), be it an epic Dark Samus or simply a figurine representation of Pichu or Mr. Saturn. Such a thing has yet to be confirmed, but it’s only logical that Nintendo would want to manipulate the laws of supply and demand. They could even experiment with different sized Amiibo down the road, too; there’s plenty of room for them on the Wii U GamePad.
Look familiar? You’re not alone if not. But she’d make a great hard-to-find Amiibo.
Embrace Your Inner Geek
Of course, early adopters of Amiibo (as well as most kids who toss fifteen of these on their holiday lists) will be well aware of the figures’ in-game functionality, and thus far we’re seeing quite the range of corresponding uses.
In Super Smash Bros, Amiibo are their own autonomous entities; you don’t control them in game, nor do you use them to store your customized fighter or preferred avatar. Instead, a Smash Bros. Amiibo appears in the game and fights of its own accord, either on your side vs. an opponent, or directly against fellow Amiibo that other players have trained.
Also See: Nintendo Announces Toy Figure System Amiibo
In that sense, Amiibo in this case are almost like Tamagotchi pets. You train them, alter their attributes, spend time with them, but never actually be them. You just offer direction. The customization options that Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS brought to the table will likely be accessible to Amiibo fighters as well, and Nintendo’s Bill Trinen specifically notes in his E3 video that Amiibo fighters can become far more fearsome than your standard CPU opponent, even on level 9 (the highest difficulty). As a veteran Smash player, the idea is very exciting.
The Choice Is Yours
How you use Nintendo’s growing collection of toys will be entirely up to you, but the beauty of Amiibo, in theory, is that your usage case may change over time. An adult collector may eventually use in-game functionality after purchasing a Wii U for his kids, while a young gamer might grow out of his hobby but still purchase new Amiibo online as a keepsake and means of extending a childhood passion. Plus, any collector knows that the more you amass, the greater worth your collection takes on. It’s simple economics, really.
Right now the Mario and DK Amiibo are my favorites, but that will certainly change as more are released. How about a voting system to let fans choose the next batch of characters, Nintendo? Of course, this could lead to organized internet efforts skewing the results in their favor, but hey, that’s how something like an Andy Amiibo is born. An eventual selection as vast as the trophy galleries of Super Smash Bros. itself could, in the long run, be the Amiibo brand’s greatest and most interesting attribute.
Would I like to see a wider array of gameplay use for Amiibo in the future? Absolutely. In the meantime though, I’m not worrying about that. I’m just ready to start my collection.
