Examining Google’s Anime Olympics Doodle Game (Champion Island)
Writing on Games
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It’s rare that I pay much attention to Google Doodles—the little panels that appear on the site’s homepage to coincide with some event or anniversary. However, lining up with the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the site released a full blown game with several sport-adjacent minigames to try out and a full world to explore, topped off with gorgeous anime cutscenes from Studio 4°C that at least got me curious enough to check out the full thing. Let’s analyse and discuss the games available, their novel use of Japanese folklore and their function as an advert for the larger Olympics!
PLAY THE DOODLE –
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Text intro animation by Isaac Holland –
27.07.2021
Google canceled stadia game development to make this doodle
Give me "Doodle Souls"
This game has little to no involvement with the people running Tokyo Olympics. Not only are there no in-game credits to any Olympic organizations. But the agency solely in charge of these media projects known as the"Cool Japan"; has only around 19 billion yen in their budget. Meanwhile, in Korea they spend twice as much on their Film and Commercial Art programs. And the best CJF can muster is investing $30 million to Sentai Filmworks. Japan is really undercutting great talent…
did he not do any of the second challenges or more then like 2 sidequests?
Actually, I would say that archery is somwehat fun. When your opponent is starting to fire more arrows, so do you and when you understand that, game changes from the precision shooting to bombastic action game and your character is basically a cat with a automatic rifle which shoot arrows
I'm struggling to 100% this game, I'm just missing 2 trophies!
It's a legitimately good game, I would pay for this! You can even play it with a gamepad and remap controls.
I'm wondering if rugby and archery have a harder version like the other sports too, I can't find them. Or maybe level 3 for rock climbing, marathon and skateboarding?
The protagonist's name fits, she is definitely lucky there's no pandemic in cyberspace.
Wow, google really went way harder for the Olympics doodle than they had any need to. Crazy.
I'm almost finishing the game, just need to clear off some side quests! I'm in love, I want a full anime about this xD This game is so simple but yet is better than many games some game companies have launched 😡
So you're saying this isn't Stadia's COD killer??
I didn't know that you could click on those drawings
If there are no trophies, and the controls are awful what's the point?
In my run, I could essentially spam the arrows as fast as he could.
i like your review of this game 🙂
I can see Google later turning this google doodle into an actual videogame to be sold on consoles, but it would depend on demand and popularity of the doodle.
i've truly been blown away by this game. the skateboard is so fun. i've got every trophy
wait… where the heck was that Ping Pong tutorial!?
Not gonna lie I have no idea how archery is the hard one, you can just spam out spacebar instead of having to charge it up
Kappa.
I had the same experience with this game! Clicked the cute Cat under shrine on a whim and ended up being sucked into beating all the mini games!
Also with the archery mini game you get x2, X3, etc points for every fan/target you hit with one arrow. Once I realized that made that mini game free
KAPA KAPPAAAA
I already beated the game twice.i restarted the game once.the archery was super hard.yoichi was harrrrd
All this effort for a simple Google mini game makes me feel bad for ignoring it
I love this game so much I was waiting for someone to cover it
I hate the beach run, specifically the secret beach run, seeing the other racers barely slowed down by the obstacles is pretty frustrating, especially when you get hit by the wonky hitbox of the obstacles. The ddr and skateboarding is pretty fun though.
I couldn't complete archery, Yoichi installed aim hacks 😔😔😔😔😔😔
I saw this on tumblr and was curious. but not curious enough to go to Google after years lol. So thanks for covering it dude. Great video as always
Regardless of the "game" part of this video game not being too great, (which honestly expecting anything better than Pac-Man by a Google game should not be expected) that does not stop it from looking beautiful. This game's lush animations and it's cute pixel art both have a masterful polish to them, it just looks fantastic! Well you were talking about this game and it's more frustrating aspects I was just appreciating the pretty pixel art.
I told my 8 yr old friend that I made that game and now he is asking me for cheat codes lol 😂
Google's just saying sorry for killing Flash
It's just a doodle they said, it wouldn't take up that much of your time they said o_o
Love that you made a video on this but you only collected the scrolls and not the trophies! There's so much more plot and twists if you do the side quests and get all the trophies too
idk I found the games very fair and rewarding. the second Marathon really required concentration but was totally doable. not to brag, but I didn't have to restart any game as they all allowed basically total control of the situation. even rugby, I never passed the ball the 2 times I played it any immediately won, as the power ups get you through the whole thing easily. not only your teammates get stuck on rocks easily, the opponents do so too
But anyway, great video, agreed on basically all other points. Loved the folklore behind it, got all the same vibes you got (I swear the main melody starts out exactly like My Neighbor Totoro's main melody???) and absolutely adored the art style and dialogue, too. The fact that you had a roll button that would make you go faster is something every rpg needs, that was so fun.
for me, otohime was harder to beat because of the controls, but i kinda like it too.
I just spent 5 hours playing this game and I have no regrets
Damn i found it totally by accident while looking for references, and
Every second i spent in this lil game got me more impressed with it! I kept a smile in my face the entire time.
I'm happy there's a video on it now, because otherwise very few people would see this game, despite all the love that went on it.
I liked the rhythm level when you get all 3 sisters
Thanks for making this! I don't have time to play it, but it's a very lovely and beautiful thing they've made.
Sonic CD flashbacks.
Cat game good.
Would watch the anime!
I genuinely had fun with this one. They need to throw it on STEAM along with their other works.
this little game was simply one of the most fun and engaging games I played this year. man.. it's all so simple, but so beautiful and colorful, a very interesting story, several secondary quests, and fun conversations, a very beautiful island full of life, this game was simply made with love, and that's what the makes it special, and think that this whole game, it's just a doodle, it's really fascinating
its my favourite game no cap
Hamish: Says Hunter Hunter, mentions greed island
Me: 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
I got all the trophies in the game…
and haven't beaten archery.
That animation was so fun and adorable.
Took me 4h to complete all objectives and you get secret ending. I decided to walk around because its more fun. But if i teleported using the map i think i would only take me 2h. I took 2 tries to win all the games including the more difficult versions. First try was learning the mechanics. Have a go its really fun before you know it. Hours would have flown by.
just spam arrows ez win tbh
The most challenging game is the third climbing shrine, the one in the hot springs. I'm taking a break cause I'm becoming angry 😂
is this a anime i want to watch it
They also coded it to work on mobile!