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Today’s Google Doodle is a full-fledged Olympics video game

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Google has released its most ambitious interactive Doodle yet: A full sports video game inspired by the Olympic games. Champion Island Games stars a calico cat who competes in seven different sporting events on a colorful island.

Behind the Doodle: The Doodle Champion Island Games!

The Doodle coincides with the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Video games are already a large part of the event this year, as the opening ceremony featured music from Japanese video games like Dragon Quest.

Animals stand in a plaza in Champion Island Games.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Champion Island Games stars a female calico named Lucky who lands on a sport-filled island. There are seven different sports strewn around the island, each of which is presented as a unique minigame. There’s a Dance Dance Revolution-esque swimming rhythm game and a Tony Hawk-like skateboarding event, to name just two. Players get a scroll for winning in each event — you’ll have to play to see what happens when you get all seven.

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There’s a surprising amount to do in the game. There are several little sub-quests scattered around the island. Players can complete tasks to fill a trophy room. All in all, it’ll take players at least a half hour to fully complete the game.

Notably, the game features gorgeous animated cutscenes that look like they arrived straight out of an anime. The animations were created by Studio 4°C, which made the game alongside Google.

According to Google, Champion Island Games is the largest interactive Doodle the company has ever made. A making-of feature notes that most Doodles are the size of one of the game’s sports, making it a surprisingly robust undertaking.

Champion Island Games is available to play right now by heading over to Google and tapping on the Doodle. It supports both mouse and keyboard controls, as well as mobile ones.

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Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni Colantonio
Section Editor, Gaming
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
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