JAPAN ONLY Game Builder Garage Physical Nodon Cards

Game Builder Garage has been unleashed into the gaming landscape and tons of players across the globe are trying their hand at game programming in this simplified, Nintendo friendly way. I’m still playing through the included lessons myself and am enjoying the characterizations of the different aspects of programming - the Nodon. While Nintendo Switch owners have been introduced to these colorful characters, gamers in Japan got something a little bit extra with the physical release of Game Builder Garage - a set of Japan only Nodon cards.

What Exactly Are These?

You’re probably wondering, what exactly are these cards? This set contains physical cards (about the size of standard playing cards) for all of the included 84 Nodon that can be found in the game. NCL’s website goes on to say, “You can check the functions and usage of the different Nodon even while you’re away from the game.” These are NOT NFC cards and cannot be used in the game. These are purely reference based for those who want to check up on what kind of things can be done in Game Builder. 

How Can You Get Them?

There’re a few different ways to pick up the cards in Japan. They come packaged with EVERY physical version of Game Builder Garage in Japan regardless of where you purchase the game. Not only this, but the cards can be picked up from the My Nintendo online store in Japan for ¥500 (less than $5 USD) or alternatively picked up from a digital/physical package version which is also exclusive to My Nintendo. As things stand right now, these cards are exclusive to Japan, and I can kind of understand why. I think if you’re checking out this article, chances are you’re probably interested in physical versions of games and extra goodies like this. However, I think that the majority of the people playing this game probably don’t care so much about this kind of thing, especially considering that all of the information on the cards can be found in the games. 

Quick Look

Let’s actually take a look at the cards and the set itself. As you can see photos, the cards and physical Switch version of the game come in a slightly large box that houses both (it’s similar in size to the Super Mario Party/Joy Con set that released a few years back). Upon unboxing it, you’ll find the box for the cards, as well as an unsealed Switch case for the game. The cards themselves feature artwork of the Nodon on the front with a brief explanation of what they do on the back. 

This is just a quick look at the physical Japanese cards for the game. If you want to check out ALL of the cards, I suggest checking out the video below. But let's turn things over to you. Did you guys pick up Game Builder Garage? Are you enjoying playing and programming your own games? Would you have liked to see this physical cards released in the West? Did you import some yourself? Sound off in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.