The delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics will begin tomorrow and Google is celebrating the occasion with its largest ever interactive Doodle.
Named Doodle Champion Island Games, it pays homage to classic “16-bit” Japanese role-playing video games like Zelda. It also draws on massive references to Japanese folklore and art styles. And we got to try it first before it goes live in two hours’ time.
You play as Lucky, a cute Calico cat character, who has been “plunged” into an island to compete in 7 sports mini games, such as archery, skateboarding, table tennis and rugby.
You join a team – either red, green, yellow or blue – and compete against the reigning champion of each sport.
The opponent characters you will be facing are based on actual Japanese folklore characters. For example, in archery, you will be up against Yoichi, a 12th-century samurai famed for his archery skills.
Once you beat an opponent, you get to watch some beautiful animated cutscenes created by world-renowned Japanese animation studio, STUDIO 4°C. This is great incentive for you to win!
In addition, the entire map is explorable with characters whom you can talk to for optional side quests. For instance, a character might want you to help collect arrows, or ask you to find a missing teammate.
In other words, it is a whole lot of fun to play as well as getting in the Olympic sporting spirit. The Doodle Champion Island Games will be playable from tomorrow (at the stroke of midnight) till 5 Sep.
