I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down to play Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but whatever those expectations were, this fun-spirited, doesn't-take-itself-too-seriously collection of mini-games exceeded them. And it's out soon – November 5.
Mario and Sonic is chock-full of Olympic-themed events, from the swimming high-dive to the 100-meter dash to judo and, of course, track and field. Some of them are even retro-themed so that they look like 8-bit NES sports games. One such event, for instance, was the aforementioned high dive. You have to do a series of button sequences, timed well, in order to land a great dive and a subsequent high score. A more modern attempt at that might involve thumbsticks and motion controls, but the refreshingly retro approach just makes it simple, goofy, button-based fun (case in point: check out the video below of Bowser twirling off the diving board). To be clear, however, there are plenty of events with modern visuals and more modern control methods; as an NES kid, though, I couldn't help but be won over by the 8-bit stuff. Take a look at the gameplay videos below for some looks at various events.
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