With the Olympics recently set to be officially opened in Tokyo, Google is launching an interactive series of Doodle games based on events there over the next two weeks. The Doodle, which is called Doodle Champion Island Games, has in total of seven mini-games created by Japanese animation company Studio 4°C. Users can take part in the Olympic event-themed 16-bit games, contribute their scores to one of four teams which will be tracked by Google.
Interactive games available through Google’s logo are nothing new. The company has rolled out several games over the past several years, including “Pac-Man,” the classic cellphone game “Snake” and one inspired by the card game “Lotería”. Google is also rolling out updates to Search, adding details on Olympics searches including medal counts and daily video recaps. Along with updated searches, Google’s virtual assistant will also host a brand new game.
Playing as Lucky the Calico Ninja Cat, you can join either the Blue, Red, Yellow, or Green teams, represented by Ushi (a cow), Karasu (a crow), Inari (a fox), or Kappa (a Japanese turtle-like water spirit), respectively. The seven mini-games break down across several new and returning summer Olympic events, like skateboarding, table tennis, and climbing, each with its own “Legendary Champion” to challenge from Japanese folklore and history.
You’ll be able to navigate Lucky through a festival over-world populated with the games and champions, complete side quests, and experience the art and cutscenes Studio 4°C created for the Doodle. Google calls it an homage to classic Japanese 16-bit games and while limited in some ways by living inside web browsers, it definitely seems to capture some of that spirit.