Simultaneously with the inauguration of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Google’s usual and inevitable celebratory doodle has appeared online. Only this time the company has not limited itself to a commemorative image or a short film: by clicking on the image you are in front of a real video game (which can be reached from here, for those who missed it), with all the appropriate criteria and trappings.
It is not the first time that doodle becomes a video game, but until today we had never seen one so complex and articulated, capable not only of linking the Olympic event to something playful, but of doing so by celebrating both the event and both directly and indirectly. the culture of the host country. And all this thanks to the intrinsic characteristics of the medium.
One of the objectives of the project was to exalt Japanese artists and developers. So, although the idea comes from the United States, the realization is the work of Studio 4 ° C, a Japanese production house founded in 1986 which in recent years has dealt with everything, from the production of souls to video clips, obviously also passing through video games. A choice which has undoubtedly paid in terms of yield and the ability to interpret the final goal in the correct way.
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In the game we will (obviously) take on the role of a cat, who once landed on the Isle of Champions must participate in a series of tests, also choosing the team to compete for. There are currently 7 available: marathon, skateboard, rugby, new synchronized, climbing, table tennis and archery, but more could be added in the coming days. Every time we win we will guarantee points to the team we have chosen, in one gigantic world race in which every victory, even the smallest, contributes to the final result.
The celebration of Japan, and the importance that the video game has in their culture, begins even before winning the first challenge: from the introductory animations to the pixel art graphics, everything refers to the tradition of the so-called Jrpg, the Japanese role-playing games of which it is illustriously represented the series of Final Fantasy, which together with other titles lent some pieces to the opening ceremony.
This ability to mix one playability real with the celebration of Japanese culture makes the Isle of Champions a living environment, explorable far and wide, full of side missions, different environments and small secrets through which to expand the experience and receive small notions of Japanese culture.
Each character is linked in some way to Japanese folklore, from the Kappa to Nasu no Yoichi, the mythological archer able to hit a fan while riding a steed in the middle of the waves, which of course we will have to challenge in the archery test.
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Another aspect not to be overlooked is that minigames have their own dignity, they require skill, reflexes and concentration to win, they are not just pretexts to tell a story: the rugby one forces you to think exactly like a rugby player, in climbing it is important to calculate the next move and in the new synchronized the mechanics of rhythm games are exploited. Which is another Japanese invention.
It may seem normal if you frequent the sector, but it is not, because doodle reaches millions of people, even non-gamers, who suddenly find themselves faced with a new grammar that mixes text, image, skill, fun, non-linear storytelling and information. In short, what we often call a video game and which can only be exploited in this way thanks to the enormous consideration it enjoys in Japan.
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