The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games have officially begun, and Google is celebrating the international sporting event with an ongoing interactive Doodle.
Join calico cathlete Lucky as she explores Doodle Champion Island, a 16-bit world of mini games, competitive opponents, and side quests that serves as an homage to the fourth generation of game consoles.
A collaboration between Google and Tokyo-based animation studio Studio4°C, the Doodle takes players on a journey to defeat seven sports Champions and restore balance to the island. Each day the Doodle runs will allow players to meet new friends (and foes), collect the sacred scrolls, and complete hidden challenges.
“We’re pleased that we were able to allude to various stories from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south in the Doodle,” the design team said in a translated Q&A. “Besides drawing inspiration from stories known across Japan, we also hoped to convey the rich and diverse natural beauty of the country, including underwater, sandy tropical beaches, forests, and snowy mountains.”
Join a team—Blue Ushi, Red Karasu, Yellow Inari, Green Kappa—to contribute to the real-time global leaderboard, and you’ll be able to pick up various trophies along the way. The digital sports games you’ll be able to play include table tennis, skateboarding, archery, rugby, artistic swimming, climbing, and a marathon.
“We hope people enjoy the game and make it to the end,” the team said, adding that they “want to convey that joy can result from the focus and hard work of every one of us, which is not always recognized by others. We’re also hoping for a sanshoku dango (three-colored dumplings) trend.”
