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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

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For the cross-platform video game, see Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Cover art, depicting Mario and Sonic at the Japan National Stadium
Developer(s)Sega[a]
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Naohiro Hirao
Producer(s)Nobuya Ohashi
Designer(s)
  • Shingo Kawakami
  • Takao Hirabayashi
  • Mariko Kawase
Programmer(s)Mitsuru Takahashi
Artist(s)Hiroshi Kanazawa
Composer(s)
SeriesMario & Sonic
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch, Arcade
ReleaseNintendo Switch
Arcade
  • WW: 2020
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[b] is a 2019 sports video game based on the 2020 Summer Olympics. It is the sixth and final game in the Mario & Sonic series, a crossover between Nintendo's Super Mario and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchises, and the first since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games edition. It was developed and published by Sega for the Nintendo Switch in November 2019 and for arcade cabinets in 2020.

The game received mixed reviews, with praise for the presentation and gameplay, but criticism for a perceived lack of content for single-player, multiplayer features, and the story mode. It is the final game in the series, as the International Olympic Committee chose not to renew Sega and Nintendo's license to produce Olympic video games after 2020, in favor of a new partnership with nWay, who has developed mobile games for the subsequent editions, as well as exploring opportunities in non-fungible tokens and esports.[3]

Gameplay

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See also: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games § Gameplay
A screenshot from the game
8-Bit Princess Peach & Luigi and 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog & Knuckles competing in a retro version of the 400 metres hurdles at the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan

Like previous Mario & Sonic titles, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a sports game featuring a crossover cast of characters from Nintendo's Super Mario and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series.[4] The player, using one of the characters, competes in a multitude of events based on sports from the Olympic Games. The game features a variety of events; returning ones from previous Mario & Sonic titles include boxing, soccer, swimming, and gymnastics, while new ones include karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing.[5]

The game supports a variety of controllers, including the Joy-Con motion controllers.[5][6] The game also features single system split-screen multiplayer, LAN multiplayer, and online play.[5] An additional 2D Mode is also included, based on the 1964 Summer Olympics, and featuring 8-bit and 16-bit styles for Mario and Sonic, respectively. These 2D Mode events have more limited controls and the option to enable a CRT overlay to further emulate the feel of games of that era.[7]

There are thirty-two playable characters in the game. Similar to the Wii U version of the previous game, the series' regulars since the second game are playable in all events while the other twelve are only playable in one event as a guest. Guest characters include Larry Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, Ludwig von Koopa, Diddy Kong, Rosalina, Toadette (who is the game's sole newcomer), Dr. Eggman Nega, Jet the Hawk, Rouge the Bat, Zavok, Zazz, and Espio the Chameleon. In order to unlock these guest characters, players had to progress through the game's story mode.[8]

Development and release

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In October 2016, Sega announced it had secured the licensing rights from the International Olympic Committee to publish video games based on the 2020 Summer Olympics, with plans for games to be released on various devices.[9] Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was announced alongside Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game on March 29, 2019, at the Sega Fes stage show in Japan.[6][10] It was the first Mario & Sonic game since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games edition for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS,[6][11] and was released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch in November 2019;[5] a version for arcade cabinets will release sometime in 2020.[6] A companion game for Android and iOS, Sonic at the Olympic Games - Tokyo 2020, was also released in 2020.[4][10] The game was featured at E3 2019, and Gamescom 2019.[12][13] Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was the final game AlphaDream worked on before it filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Racjin, Yuke's, and Success Corp also worked on the game; Racjin helped develop previous Mario & Sonic games, while Yuke's helped Sega develop Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game.[14]

A tie-in free-to-start mobile game Sonic at the Olympic Games - Tokyo 2020 was released for on Android and iOS on May 7, 2020. Like its predecessor Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, it features similar gameplay to the main game, albeit lack of Mario characters and the 2D mode, additional events, and a new story.[15][16] Despite the delay of the Tokyo Olympic Games from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game retained the "Olympic Games Tokyo 2020" name for branding purposes.[17]

Reception

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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 has received "mixed or average reviews" from critics according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[18]

The game has received praise for its mini games, which have been described as fun to play. The game has also received praise for the story mode for having its own mini-games, references to various Mario and Sonic games, respectively, humor, and Olympic history. Also, the game has received praise for the 2D events for adding value for fans of the retro Mario and Sonic style, as well as emulating the feel of sports games of that era, such as Track & Field.[25][27][32] However, the game has also received criticism for its story mode having "tedious progression" and slow dialogue.[25][27] The game has also received criticism towards its lack of single-player content.[27]

Reception to multiplayer was mixed. Local play received praise for making events more enjoyable and adding replay value, but was criticized for its limited options and "lack of formal structure".[7][32] The online mode has been criticized due to lag, especially when playing with eight players, although two to four players online has been reported to be smoother, with less lag.[25]

In Japan, it was the 28th-best-selling game of 2019, with 195,128 units sold in Japan that year.[33] The game sold over 900,000 units as of March 2020.[34]

Notes

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  1. ^ Additional work by Racjin, Yuke's, AlphaDream and Success
  2. ^ Japanese: マリオ&(アンド)ソニック AT(アット) 東京2020オリンピック, Hepburn: Mario ando Sonikku atto Tōkyō 2020 (Nī-Zero-Nī-Zero) Orinpikku

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 'Dream Events' trailer, screenshots". 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  2. ^ "マリオ&ソニック at 東京2020オリンピック™ ダウンロード版". Archived from the original on 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  3. ^ Phillips, Tom (July 30, 2024). "Olympics ditched Mario & Sonic series to explore NFTs and esports". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Romano, Sal (March 29, 2019). "Sega announces four Tokyo 2020 Olympics games". Gematsu. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Sarkar, Samit (June 11, 2019). "See Yoshi and Knuckles skateboarding in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d Doolan, Liam (March 29, 2019). "Sega Announces Mario & Sonic At The Tokyo 2020 Olympics For Nintendo Switch". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Review - Gotta Go Fast". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  8. ^ "選手介紹". Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  9. ^ Makuch, Eddie (October 27, 2016). "Sega Making Video Games for 2020 Summer Olympics". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Wong, Alistar (March 30, 2019). "Sega Celebrates Tokyo Olympics With Four Different Games, Including Sonic Smartphone Game". Siliconera. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  11. ^ Theriault, Donald (March 29, 2019). "Sega Announces Pair Of 2020 Olympic Games". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  12. ^ Craddock, Ryan (June 7, 2019). "Sega will feature Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020, Mega Drive Mini and more at E3". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  13. ^ "Nintendo Presents: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (gamescom 2019)". YouTube. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  14. ^ Liam, Doolan (November 2, 2019). "It Looks Like AlphaDream's Last Project Was Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  15. ^ Deschamps, Marc (February 16, 2020). "Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Release Date Revealed". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  16. ^ Wong, Alistair (May 5, 2020). "Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Director and Producer on Gameplay and Development Hurdles". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  17. ^ EDT, Scott McDonald On 3/25/20 at 8:16 PM (2020-03-25). "The reason why Olympics in 2021 will still be called the 2020 Olympic Games". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2020-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ a b "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 reviews for Nintendo Switch". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Test: Mario & Sonic bei den Olympischen Spielen: Tokio 2020 (Sport)". 4Players.de. 6 November 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  20. ^ Carter, Chris (5 November 2019). "Review: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Review: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020". Easy Allies. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  22. ^ "Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Review | A fun throwback that lacks depth". Game Revolution. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  23. ^ "Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Review - Gotta Go Fast". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  24. ^ "Review: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020". Hardcore Gamer. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  25. ^ a b c d Jagneaux, David (5 November 2019). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  26. ^ "Test : Mario & Sonic aux Jeux Olympiques de Tokyo 2020 : copieux mais manquant de fun". Jeuxvideo.com. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  27. ^ a b c d Scullion, Chris (5 November 2019). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  28. ^ Koopman, Daan (5 November 2019). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  29. ^ "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 review: As good as gold". Shacknews. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  30. ^ "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Review: Run, Jump, Repeat". USgamer. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  31. ^ "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 review". VideoGamer. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  32. ^ a b Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Review - IGN, 5 November 2019, archived from the original on 2020-09-03, retrieved 2020-09-19
  33. ^ "Japan's top 100 best-selling games of 2019". Nintendo Everything. 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Sega Europe Limited Annual Financial Statements". gov.uk. March 2020. p. 4. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
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