For more than a decade now, gaming icons Mario and Sonic have been teaming up to tackle the Olympic Games. The union of these two legendary figures should have shaken the Earth to its very core, but Sega somehow figured that mediocre mini-game collections were a good use of these talents. For whatever reason, this series has yet to make use of its stars in any meaningful manner.
This year is different. Seemingly because of the 2020 Olympic Games being held in Tokyo, Sega has upped its game when it comes to the latest Mario and Sonic entry. Instead of throwing together a haphazard assortment of mini-games, this new entry features some truly engaging activities that pay respect to the city it’s placed in. It also has a range of retro, 8 and 16-bit inspired games that draw directly from each series’ past. It’s truly a sight to behold.
Not everything about this latest entry is A+, but for the first time since the series’ inception, Mario and Sonic has become something worth considering.
Back To The (Olympics) Future
In a first for this series, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 features a story mode. Mainly a way to provide context for its collection of activities, the campaign pays homage to both Mario and Sonics’ pasts with the duo teaming up in a way fans have always dreamed of. Starting with a scheme by Dr. Eggman to capture the two heroes, he and Bowser end up getting sucked into a retro console with Mario and Sonic and are forced to compete in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Back in 2020, Luigi stumbles upon this retro console and notices something is off: Mario and Sonic are missing. Further still, they’re appearing on the game screen and seem to be trapped inside. Teaming up with Tails, he sets off on a journey to save his friends and prevent them from being lost forever. As noted above, it’s mostly just a reason for Mario and Sonic to introduce the player to its various mini-games, but at least it has fun while doing so.
Mini-Game Madness
The different games are where the true fun is at. In the past, the Mario and Sonic entries were either throwaway titles with incredibly tacked-on motion controls or just plain lackluster with regards to content. For Tokyo 2020, Sega has gone above and beyond in providing the ultimate Olympic Games experience. For starters, there are 24 modern events to select from. Going over to the retro style, there are 10 different games players will compete in. The story mode also features an additional 10 events that take place in various spots around Tokyo.
The most notable is this hilarious little side-scrolling shooter segment. Eggman hides some valuable item on top of the Tokyo Tower, so Mario and Sonic jump in a bi-plane and start shooting down badniks. Another sees Eggman jump on a bullet train and Sonic chasing him on foot. It’s just plain joyful getting to experience these characters putting their specific skills to use in a “real-world” scenario. It’s the kind of thing that only the various TV shows have ever hinted at.
A few of the modern titles could potentially be fleshed out as retail releases. Football, for instance, is practically an arcade-like FIFA with various shot strengths and the ability to pass, speed up, switch players, and block penalty kicks like a full-on soccer title. Karate, as well, mimics a style similar to Street Fighter and has commands based on input speed and direction.
Non-Qualifiers
What really lets these great games down is the limited options present for them. Everything has online and split-screen support (save for the story mode games), but there’s no customization for things like score limit, duration, or AI opponents. A difficulty selector is all you get and everything else is pre-determined. Football is just dying to get a longer timer because its matches are quick three-minute bursts that feel like an incomplete thought instead of an intense shootout.
There’s also how a few mini-games are just a complete slog. The retro volleyball mode is absolutely terrible with incredibly slow timing, a languid pace, and finicky controls mucking up the experience. Sport climbing, as well, doesn’t always work as intended and can become frustrating when struggling with controls.
Thankfully, Tokyo 2020 doesn’t force users into swinging their arms around. Each game has multiple control schemes that either utilize the motions controls or standard button presses. A couple of games do make excellent use of motion actions (Archery is really a show-stealer, but the Dream Shooting mode gives Splatoon 2 a run for its money), but others are better off with more traditional methods of control. Still, giving users the choice is very much appreciated, because some games are a complete crapshoot when it comes to figuring out how to move the Joy-Con.
Not Quite Gold Medal Material
With everything being of such high-quality, the only real question you’ll have to ask yourself is if you intend to play with friends. Being a full-priced, $60 title, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 might be a hard pill to swallow. It’s undoubtedly the best of its series, but most people will chew through everything on offer in about five hours. With the lack of options for tweaking each game, it’s hard to keep going back to various mini-games without being a little disappointed. Why can’t users make Karate matches go on for 20 points? Why are Rugby Sevens and Soccer limited to the duration of a commercial break?
Online at least gives you the opportunity to play with friends far away, but it’s not much consolation in increasing the longevity of this game. Sega has finally made good on its promise of teaming these two characters up, but it’s still a few steps away from being truly great. With just a couple more options, Tokyo 2020 could be a must-own.
A Switch review code of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was provided to TheGamer for this review. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is available now for Nintendo Switch.
