“Demo Disk” – Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019) [Switch]

Demo Disk is a series of first impressions posts for new releases and quick opinions.

It’s time to share our Mario & Sonic Tokyo 2020 preview. Can you believe we’re at six of these now?

What started as an unlikely partnership between two of the world’s most famous gaming mascots has now become something most people expect whenever the Olympics roll around. Yes, I’m talking about Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 for the Nintendo Switch, the latest iteration of the long-running Mario & Sonic series.

When Tokyo was announced as the next venue for the Summer Olympic Games, I’ll admit I was quite excited. Who could forget the moment Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe transformed into Mario and (with the help of Doraemon) drilled a massive pipe all the way to Rio so he could make it on time for the big announcement? I mean, that reveal was way past cool in my opinion.

In the back of my mind though, I also thought “There’s definitely going to be a Mario & Sonic game celebrating this.” And I was not wrong on that account.

The thing is, by the time Mario & Sonic at the Rio Olympic Games was released in late 2015, the series looked to be tired. It was unable to replicate the same success of the first game. This was despite additions like story modes, new dream events or even additional characters. To top it off, continuing mixed reactions from critics and the decision to limit the last two Mario & Sonic games to the Wii U may have contributed to the series’ decline.

So, it came as a surprise when Sega announced it’d secured the license to produce a game for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In 2019, footage from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was showcased for the first time at E3. While it looked similar to its predecessors, it also brought a wealth of differences that make it stand above the other titles. One of the marquee highlights introduced was 2D Mode: a dose of retro nostalgia that also served a secondary purpose – tying the 1964 Olympics to the 2020 Olympics.

With Tokyo being in the unique position of hosting two Summer Olympic Games at different times, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 became a title that also celebrates Tokyo’s history with the Games. The way Sega approached this was to present a retrospective of Asia’s first foray into hosting an international competition, while presenting a future look at what the Olympics can bring to the table. Case in point being new events like Karate, Surfing, Skateboarding, and Sport Climbing.

On top of the standard events, there are also three over-the-top Dream Events to play. Dream Racing is a Sonic Riders-inspired experience, complete with tricks, grinds, obstacles, and items to use. Dream Karate is what happens when you combine the four-player free-for-all nature of Smash Bros. with the turf capturing mechanics in Splatoon. And finally, Dream Shooting takes full inspiration from Splatoon in terms of its shooting mechanics and combines it with a “break the targets” mode that’s a lot of fun to play.

In addition, there’s a Story Mode that starts generically lighthearted but then shifts into something more existential near the climax. I thought it was an interesting touch, despite the slightly kitschy dialogue at times. Plus, the ability to explore Tokyo and its numerous landmarks – both in the past and the present – was a huge bonus. I liked how Sega paid attention to the details surrounding these iconic sites. In these landmarks, players can play minigames that act almost like mini-Dream Events. These minigames ooze a ton of charm and are incredibly fun to replay over and over again.

If you’re a history and trivia fan like myself, there are collectible trivia items that can be found within the Story Mode. Each collectible contains information about Tokyo, the history of the Olympic Games in the massive city and even some interesting facts about your favourite characters!

Last but not least, the kicker here is that players can play Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in whichever way they want to. On the go or own a Nintendo Switch Lite? Play the whole thing in handheld mode. Got an impromptu party happening? Detach the controls and play it with the kickstand out. Have a whole bunch of friends in front of a big screen TV? Dock it and let the madness begin. As the game allows for both motion and button input controls, the opportunities to play this are unlimited. This makes for a very accessible title. Don’t take my word for it though: you can see our early Mario & Sonic Tokyo 2020 preview footage for yourself in the video below.

All in all, this seems like a solid, fun title to check out. Look out for the full review coming out on November 5th! Thank you, Sega, for providing us with a copy of the game for this preview.

Engineer by day, adult-responsibility juggler and caffeinated gamer dad by night, the Hyperactive Coffee Mage is a coffee-fueled writing machine and expert gaming historian. Check out his cool beans at gameswithcoffee.com.

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