Play Along With the Olympics in Google’s Charming Game of Cat Athletics: Doodle Champion Island Games

Google really outdid themselves with their latest search page “doodle” dedicated to the Tokyo Olympics, a fully playable game titled Doodle Champion Island Games.” It tells the story of Lucky, an adorable calico cat on a mission to win the Doodle Island Games. This elite athlete is introduced in an anime-themed opening full of champions to defeat, obstacles to overcome, and teams to join as you try to collect all seven sacred scrolls.

The Doodle Island Games feature seven sports mini-games. Each has its own champion that Lucky has to defeat. Table tennis sees Lucky fighting Tengu, the mischievous bird of prey. Skateboarding sees Lucky showing off her moves and fighting to beat Tanuki, the shape-shifting trickster. Archery sees Lucky fighting to outscore Yoichi, a Samurai general, and expert marksman.

Lucky also finds herself facing legendary champions The Oni in a rugby challenge, where you “dart, dip, and dodge” your opponent. That’s followed by a climbing portion of the game, where Lucky has to scale a mountaintop while avoiding obstacles laid out by Fukuro, a ladle-wielding owl champion. And if you’re looking for something with a little speed, then the marathon run against The Kijimuna tree spirits is right up your alley.

Personally, my favorite and most challenging game in the Doodle Island Games is the artistic swimming challenge. Lucky finds herself battling it out in a Dance Dance Revolution-style game. Her opponent is Princess Otohime, a champion of her underwater kingdom who is joined by an adorable turtle. And just like in Dance Dance Revolution, is about rhythm, timing, and patience.

The more challenges you conquer and scrolls you collect, the more you’ll discover other hidden challenges throughout the island. You’ll also contribute to your team of choice to see which is the overall champion of the Doodle Island Games. Team Blue is led by Ushi, Team Red by Karasu, Team Yellow by Inari, and Team Green by Kappa, the latter being the most convincing when it comes to joining a team.

STUDIO4°C, a Japan-based animation studio, is responsible for creating the Doodle Island Games. They combined stories, folktales, and recognizable characters to create sporting events that are unique, imaginative, and that honor stories well known in Japan. And through the Doodle Island Games, they were able to “convey the rich and diverse natural beauty of the country, including underwater, sandy tropical beaches, forests, and snowy mountains.”

If you love Doodle Island Games and are looking for more games to try out, I’ve got a couple of suggestions. Fall in love with a Pangolin connecting with their significant other in this Valentine’s Day game. Grab your wand and join Momo, the feline on a mission in a school full of ghosts, in this Halloween game. Even better yet, they made a sequel with Momo where you conquer more ghouls … but underwater this time! And check out other interactive doodles and games in the Google Doodle archive.

Watch the introduction to the Doodle Island Games below:

While you’re at it, also make sure to watch the behind-the-scenes work that went into creating this world and game below:

And it’s receiving plenty of love on social media, too!

(image: Google)

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Lyra Hale

Lyra (She/Her) is a queer Latinx writer who stans badass women in movies, TV shows, and books. She loves crafting, tostones, and speculating all over queer media. And when not writing she's scrolling through TikTok or rebuilding her book collection.

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