Today marks the start of the Tokyo Olympics, and Google is commemorating that with its brand new Google Doodle Champion Island Games. This title sees players take control of Lucky, a "calico (c)athlete" on a mission to win all the sports, and is surprisingly complex. Featuring 7 different playable sports, numerous side quests for players to complete, and gorgeous 2D animations sprinkled throughout the retro looking gameplay, this is certainly the most impressive game to feature as a Google Doodle of all things. There's even an online leaderboard and multiple teams for players to align themselves with.
Google Doodles being playable games is nothing new, but this time Google went all out. The game is meant to be a celebration of Japanese culture, and it won't take long for fans to realize that it achieves that goal. Although the game was made in house by Google, all of the art and animations were outsourced to Japanese artists and studios like Studio 4°C.
Players start the game right after Lucky arrives at the island, and they will quickly find themselves faced with a choice. There are four teams to choose between (Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green), each represented by an iconic creature from Japanese myth. Blue team is led by Ushi, a type of Ox-like Oni, and Red team is led by Karasu, a three-legged Yatagarasu crow. Yellow team is represented by Inari, the God of foxes, and Green team is led by Kappa, a turtle like demon. Once players ally themselves with a team, their scores will be tracked on a leaderboard, allowing teams to compete against each other.
Next, players must choose to head towards one of the seven different sports. The options include Archery, Artistic Swimming, Climbing, Marathon, Rugby, Skateboarding, Table Tennis. For each of the sports, players will find a boss fight of sorts against one of the legendary Sports Champions. If the player manages to win a contest, they will receive one of the seven sacred scrolls. Each of these games feels like a full Google Doodle in and of themselves, so it's insane to see them all wrapped up in one.
All in all, players wanting to do everything there is to do on Google Doodle Champion Island Games will need to spend around four hours with it, although this might take less time if the player is particularly skilled. This includes exploring the island, completing side quests, finding all seven scrolls, and more.
Source: Google