Nintendo Switch has been the console chosen in this edition of the Olympic Games so that Mario, Sonic and their friends compete in various modalities.
Mario and Sonic, two of the most iconic characters in the video game industry, meet every few years – as if their past had never existed – to enjoy sport in all their disciplines. The saga "at the Olympic Games" began almost as a nice nod to the fans of SEGA and Nintendo to eventually become a consolidated franchise that never fails to meet.
And as expected, this year they star in another title – this time for Nintendo Switch – set in the biggest sporting event in the world with the name of Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a video game with a slightly continuous name in sight but with news inside.
Japanese celebration
Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is a constant celebration of both the Olympic Games and the milestone for hosting a sporting event of this draft for the second time in the same city. To this we must add that the medium with which he does has as main protagonists two of his most important characters from both his country and the entire world; Sonic and Mario.
Despite being the typical machacabotones game like so many other acquaintances of the past with whom many of us have grown up, at all times we find situations, objects or winks to both the Japanese city and its past. And this is thanks to the History mode where we stroll through Tokyo as it is today but also as it was in 1964. In this fantastic journey between times we learn more about its culture thanks to the different questions that some scattered panels will ask us about the city in a trivial way as well as knowing a little more about the disciplines that participate in the Olympic Games.
In Story mode, it is played as if it were an RPG, that is, talking to the different characters that swarm around the stage, driving one of the protagonists and even picking up objects. This is true in both the 3D and 2D adventure that emulates 8Bits consoles. Yes, you read correctly, Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games also celebrates that magnificent era with retro elements both in the main adventure and along ten tests created in this style.
This new playable option is, at the end of the adventure, a nice addition of just several hours that we loved. Although its plot is not that it is specially worked – the bad ones do evils and the good ones win -, at the end of the road it fulfills its mission; Have fun. It is a perfect excuse to participate in the twenty sports disciplines added in this edition at the same time that you enjoy the fun dialogues that occur in it, as playable chicha has rather little.
Disciplines for all tastes
Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games collect the most diverse disciplines; from archery to football, through fantasy tests that we saw in previous titles. Four new tests have been added – Karate, Climbing, Surfing and Shooting to the plate – as well as an 8-bit version of ten of the total. We do not know why it has not been chosen to include the twenty disciplines in retro mode but we do not think it would have been too complicated to adapt them to this format when many of them already appeared in older titles.
Keep in mind that the sports added to the video game are of short enjoyment and most of them are very basic in their mechanics. Each test is barely thirty seconds long, making it a very focused title for meetings between friends or the family itself, especially if we have children in the home. What has been a lifelong party game. Of course, two players can play in the same console thanks to the two JoyCon of the same as well as it is possible to connect more than one Nintendo Switch in Local mode and compete with more players at the same time.
Throughout the Story mode we also unlock minigames of the most varied and perhaps more exciting than the same "official" tests. Climbing the Tokyo tower or chasing a bullet train are some of them and the truth is that they are very fun.
It also has three Online modes in which we can search for quick games of any discipline, choose one of our choice or compete for the best positions in Qualifying Games. What we have tried works perfectly – requires subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online service – although we have noticed that tests such as horse riding have little pull and it is difficult to find people to play with.
The mechanics of them are quite simple and just use no more than three buttons for perfect execution. However, the decision taken when assigning the commands to the keypad seemed somewhat risky because they are not intuitive in some tests. This is if we use a control pad or JoyCon themselves because the party gets complicated when we use motion detection.
Control by movi … what?
To this type of control we want to dedicate an entire section because it is not understood what kind of quality process Mario and Sonic has undergone at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after playing it for a few hours. The idea looked phenomenal, in fact we would not have understood the game without movement control, however it is unplayable. Not only because, once again, performing actions is uncomfortable due to the strange movements we must execute, but also because the gyroscope is neither expected nor expected.
In this scene we had our arms pointing to the ground.
As proof of this we have the archery, where once we raise both hands and tighten the rope with the right arm, it is necessary to aim at the target … or at least try, because the crosshairs do not move even if one dances the Macarena. Or the triple jump, that after many hours of trial and error we have barely jumped a couple of meters because the sensor does not pick up the degree of inclination or the last jump. Or in boxing, that you shake the right JoyCon, with the left firm and fixed to the table and stoke the opposite with the latter.
A pity that this way of playing the title is so poorly polished and only works in simple tests such as 100 meters or canoeing and that, in addition, is not present in depending on what disciplines, although in the case of football or similar it is more than understandable .
Enter by sight
In graphic matter we have a well-kept game in all aspects. Both the modeling of the characters as well as animations and scenarios is excellent. It is not a triple production A or intended but everything is very well done. The 8 Bits mode is a cucada, emotional and comes with a filter that simulates a tube TV! Sega should exploit this game mode because it is perhaps the best of Mario and Sonic in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In addition, each character appears on the screen with the same animations and modeling as the originals. You can not ask for more!
The soundtrack is also not bad although it does not contain memorable themes that remind us of them in the future. The sounds, on the other hand, are a clear tribute to the various franchises that star in the game and it is easy to recognize many of them instantly. It also has texts and voices in Spanish that, although they could be improvable, perfectly fulfill their mission.
CONCLUSION
Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is a good game in general terms and a good option for home meetings. The variety of disciplines and mini-games is enough to entertain the public although they may be too short. The 8-bit touch is magnificent and a success as well as its entertaining Story mode. A real shame that motion control, a highly valued option in this type of videogames, is a disaster.
THE BEST
- 20 sports disciplines, 10 hidden mini-games and 10 retro-style.
- Very nice story mode.
- Excellent as a game for home meetings.
WORST
- Control by disastrous movements.
- The tests are of short duration and very similar in mechanics.
- Only 10 sports converted to 8 bit.
Good
It meets the expectations of what a good game is, has quality and does not present serious failures, although it lacks elements that could have led to higher levels.
