Google doodle goes to the Olympics with a 16-bit interactive game
Google's homepage doodle is a throwback to 16-bit video games and a nod to Japanese culture as players work their way through seven sporting events. (Google/STUDIO 4°C)
Share
TORONTO -
Think you have what it takes to compete in a global sporting event? Head on over to Google and join the ranks of people playing their latest doodle, a 16-bit game inspired by Japanese culture and the Olympic Games.
Google’s homepage doodle is an interactive 16-bit game, “Doodle Champion Island Games,” where players, in the form of a calico cat named Lucky, play their way through seven sporting events and dozens of side quests to collect seven sacred scrolls.
The doodle, made with Tokyo’s STUDIO 4°C, takes players through sports like table tennis, skateboarding, archery and rugby. Players will collect points for one of four teams, blue, green, red or yellow, each with their own mascot rooted in Japanese culture. The teams will battle to take the lead on a real-time, global scoreboard.
Clicking on the doodle will launch the game with delightfully nostalgic theme music. If 90s video games bring on a flood of happy memories, clicking the doodle will bring you back to the best days of your life, which is what the developers planned.
“When people play this doodle, I hope they feel nostalgic for video games from the past, and have fun playing sports, exploring the world, and learning,” Nate Swineheart, a Google developer said in a behind-the-scenes video shared on Google’s YouTube.
As Lucky the calico, players will navigate her through Champion Island’s sporting events that take place every four years and feature the world’s best athletes, similar to real life events happening in Tokyo.
The game is meant to be a fun throwback to the 16-bit games popular with many Millennials and Gen-Xers, while also celebrating Japanese culture and folklore.
As Lucky, players will enter Champion Island and battle it out over table tennis to get through the red gates. Players navigate predominantly using the arrow keys and spacebar. It’s easy enough for anyone to enjoy, and remains interesting throughout as Lucky outruns tree spirits in a beach marathon and competes against mountain-climbing owls.
In a behind-the-scenes video, the game designers said they included researched Japanese folklore from regions across the country to help build characters that would appeal to all ages. Characters in the game include animals, imaginary figures and those of folk legends.
The designers opted to make Lucky a woman to go against the grain in Japanese culture where women in folklore are often scary characters. They wanted women to feel included in the game. They opted for her to be a calico cat because calicos are well known in Japan and a lot of calico cats are female, Tomoko Ogiwara, a producer and animator with STUDIO 4°C who worked on the game, said in the video.
The game designers referred to folklore to find characters that complemented the various sports in the game. When adapting archery for the game, they looked for a character in Japanese stories that used a bow and arrow and used Nasu no Yoichi, a samurai known for his bow and arrow, Takahiro Tanaka, creative director with STUDIO 4°C, said in the video.
They hope that people playing the game will have people wanting to learn more about the characters shown through the game and its animations, that it will compel people to research and learn more about Japanese culture and folklore.
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
The head of London Drugs is apologizing to customers after all the retailer's stores in Western Canada were shuttered last month by a cybersecurity breach that remains under investigation.
A court date has been set for the third man charged with the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, coinciding with that of the other two suspects.
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Israel carried out heavy airstrikes in south Lebanon and Hezbollah said it had launched explosive drones and rockets at Israeli targets on Wednesday as Israel's defence minister warned of a 'hot summer' in the border region.
Leaders of three large public school systems strongly denied allegations that they let antisemitism run rampant in their schools, telling a congressional panel Wednesday that they are fighting it with education and, when necessary, discipline
The mayor of a major city in southern Brazil on Tuesday pleaded with residents to comply with his water rationing decree, given that some four-fifths of the population is without running water, a week after major flooding that has left at least 90 people dead and more than 130 others missing.
A northern Idaho prosecutor won't bring hate crime charges against an 18-year-old accused of shouting a racist slur at members of the Utah women's basketball team during the NCAA Tournament.
The federal judge in Florida presiding over the classified documents prosecution of former U.S. president Donald Trump has cancelled the May 20 trial date, postponing it indefinitely.
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
An immigration lawyer in Toronto says new figures from the federal government show just how 'grudging' Ottawa's efforts have been to rescue Canadians' family members from the war in the Gaza Strip.
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
European countries have reported a surge in whooping cough cases in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, with 10 times as many identified as in each of the previous two years.
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Looking for a new little friend to curl up in your lap and purr contentedly? Before you head to the shelter, take heed – not all cat breeds are in it for the long haul.
Scientists studying the sperm whales that live around the Caribbean island of Dominica have described for the first time the basic elements of how they might be talking to each other, in an effort that could one day help better protect them.
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
Nine of the 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed after deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld festival have been settled, including one that was set to go to trial this week, an attorney said Wednesday.
The head of London Drugs is apologizing to customers after all the retailer's stores in Western Canada were shuttered last month by a cybersecurity breach that remains under investigation.
Air Canada ranks below most other major North American airlines on customer satisfaction, with airfares a particular sore point, according to a new survey.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
The federal Liberals are trying to crack down on a scourge of auto thefts across the country, even as the government is struggling to keep its own vehicles away from thieves, new data show.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
A floatplane crash that killed two people on the west coast of Vancouver Island last summer was caused by a collision with a boat wake or an object in the water, according to an investigation report published by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada Wednesday.
A court date has been set for the third man charged with the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, coinciding with that of the other two suspects.
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
A commissionaire contracted by the Calgary Police Service (CPS) was charged with assault following an alleged incident with an arrestee at a police facility over the weekend.
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
The Ottawa Police Service has laid charges against an Ottawa man, including for attempted murder, in connection with an alleged arson of an Overbrook apartment building last week.
Canadian Utilities Ltd., a subsidiary of Calgary-based holding company ATCO Ltd., says it plans to build a new natural gas pipeline in Alberta to supply a massive net-zero petrochemical project being built northeast of Edmonton.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has named a new minister of environment and climate change nearly three weeks after the previous one resigned from the post over political disagreements.
Two people from Summerside, P.E.I., have been charged with drug trafficking after police say fentanyl was seized from a vehicle travelling over the Confederation Bridge Tuesday morning.
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
Premier Scott Moe and his team of officials had the largest travel bill for the most recent six month reporting period – earning scorn from the Official Opposition.
Voting is open for Saskatchewan teachers Wednesday and Thursday as they decide whether or not to accept a contract offer from the provincial government, dubbed their 'final offer.'
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 people have been arrested and a combined 348 charges have been laid in connection with a series of child exploitation investigations that spanned across the province.
They call it sudden death overtime for a reason, and game seven of the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) east final between the Saskatoon Blades and Moose Jaw Warriors delivered just that.
A province-wide child sexual abuse investigation by Ontario Provincial Police dubbed Project Aquatic has resulted in hundreds of charges, including seven male suspects from northern Ontario.
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.
Ontario Provincial Police say they have laid hundreds of charges against 64 people, including two from London, in a series of investigations into child sexual abuse.
Windsor police are asking for the public’s help after a shirtless man was caught on a security camera allegedly breaking into a downtown home and stealing several items.
A Wallaceburg woman is charged after police were called for a weapons investigation on Tuesday. Around 3:05 p.m. officers responded to Reaume Avenue in Wallaceburg where they found a woman with "serious puncture injuries."
The head of London Drugs is apologizing to customers after all the retailer's stores in Western Canada were shuttered last month by a cybersecurity breach that remains under investigation.
A man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a shooting in Kamloops Monday evening, the fourth incident police say is part of an ongoing drug conflict playing out on the city's streets.
Models in uniquely designed red dresses are taking to the runway in British Columbia this weekend to make a powerful fashion statement about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
A province-wide child sexual abuse investigation by Ontario Provincial Police dubbed Project Aquatic has resulted in hundreds of charges, including seven male suspects from northern Ontario.
The trial of a Newfoundland lawyer accused of sexual assault ended Tuesday with his defence team alleging the complainant lied under oath, while the prosecution said her memory lapses were understandable.
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.