Nintendo's 2019 has been phenomenal so far. The Japanese company has been able to churn out a number of top-level titles, divided between high-impact exclusives and important conversions of products already seen on other shores, thus offering its players an almost infinite range of possibilities. Recently, for example, Luigi's Mansion 3 has arrived, capable of raising the qualitative bar of the Nintendo Switch playful offer once again and will soon arrive - to close a simply incredible year - Pokémon Shield and Pokémon Sword. There is no better time to be a fan of the big "N", then, but in this whirlwind of exclusives, conversions and various indies, Mario & Sonic ended up almost completely unnoticed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, a dedicated soft sport title at the next Olympic competitions that will see their stage in the Land of the Rising Sun.
As omnivorous devourers of the sacred sports universe, we have instead approached the title with a lot of curiosity and have cleaned it properly over the last few weeks and, in conjunction with the arrival on the market, we are ready with our overall examination. You are ready? Let the Games begin!
Lost in time
Despite being a title designed mainly for cooperative, local or online play, Sega and Nintendo have still decided to offer the fanbase a full-bodied single player mode, capable of snatching several hours of play, altogether embellished with a good dose of healthy fun. . The underlying plot that moves the single player mode is actually very simple but intelligent and represents both a splendid alternative way to spend your time in the company of the cartridge and a valid excuse to test the various disciplines present. Essentially, Mario and Sonic are preparing at their best to be able to take part in the next Olympics in 2020, when suddenly they are attacked by their bitter enemies, Bowser and Dr. Eggman who for the occasion have joined forces to free themselves once and for all of their golden-hearted nemesis.
With a seemingly unassailable plan, Eggman has devised a way to trap the two darlings of justice inside - needless to say - a kind of portable video game. The game in question, needless to say also this, is a tribute to what were the first Olympics hosted by Japan in 1964 and it is immediately evident how the choice is perfectly in line with the desire of the developers to pay homage once again to the glorious event . After the very first few bars, the ball quickly passes to Luigi, who is forced to travel the length and breadth of the city of Tokyo to collect information (and medals) in order to free Mario and Sonic from the "terrible" world of videogames in which they are. been trapped. Thankfully, the mustachioed hero isn't alone in this daunting task. As the story progresses (and challenges are won), many iconic characters from the nintendaro universe are added to the cast such as Peach, Rosalinda and Toad but also all of Sonic's friends, like Knuckles, Tails, Shadow and many others, eager to contribute to the noble cause. But they are opposed by the inevitable "villain", coming from both universes, ready to battle our heroes for an equally noble cause, in reality. In the ominous attempt to trap Mario and Sonic, in fact, Eggman and Bowser also ended up in the game and consequently also the various Bowser Junior, Waluigi, Wario and all the other historical antagonists of the brand end up joining the battle, strictly (in most cases) to the sound of obstacle courses, hammer throws and so on. From here on, events take a worrying turn.
The game console is about to run out and if you fail to find a way to free the unfortunates in time, before the inevitable shutdown of the machine, they would end up disappearing permanently from the face of the earth. To ensure that all this does not happen, the game thus places a single goal for the player to carry out in both temporal and dimensional realities: to win gold medals to unlock the portal to exit the world of consoles and reload with the enthusiasm of the crowds the almost exhausted battery. Although this is a rather basic opening, everything actually moves with a more than pleasant air to follow, thanks also to the usual soft humor that products of this genre have always lived on. On a playful level, everything offers about ten hours of guaranteed fun, with a challenge rate that is actually slightly unbalanced as regards the nature of the events and missions in general to be completed. The missions, in fact, are divided into sequences from puzzle solving and platform to completely real sports activities all characterized by a challenge rate certainly calibrated downwards but not free from interesting ideas and from some mission much more complex than the others. However, it is basically a product designed to entertain without tiring and forcing the player, and this is also evident from a convenient playful expedient inserted.
After retrying a mission three times, it is possible to skip it without problems, to avoid - where you prefer not to waste additional time between one mission and another - from staying too long in front of a certain sequence. Basically, we can say that we are faced with a more valid single-player offer than expected, also embellished by a very pleasant management of collectibles. The latter in fact represent a real glossary of information on the Olympics, complete with details on the historical winners, on the various records and many other pleasant goodies to discover.
Fun guaranteed
The beating heart of the production, however, undoubtedly remains that linked to the enormous amount of content designed for fun with friends, both those physically close and those online. In addition to the aforementioned Story Mode, in fact, Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in fact puts in the hands of gamers many possibilities in terms of playful offer. Divided into Quick Matches - both single and multiplayer - Local Match and the inevitable Online Matches, the game brings a truly satisfying variety of activities. The disciplines that can be tackled are really many and all are realized in a very skilful way, which ranges halfway between realism and a strong characterization and contextualization of the disciplines themselves.
It is clear, you certainly do not expect to have to face a football or table tennis match in a "realistic" way, but overall everything moves with the right balance that can bring a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyable papabile and not negligible. The fact that the variety of disciplines available is truly exorbitant, and ranges from judo to volleyball, from soccer to archery, from rhythmic gymnastics to the new, then it is clear how much fun there is in the company of the Nintendo and Saw. It is undeniable how much the cast, characterized precisely by characters from the two game worlds, gives that final touch of class to the title. Taking a triple jump with chubby Mario is an unspeakable pleasure, and will make you smile more than once. However, it must be reiterated, as we said a little while ago, that the level of challenge is on average set downwards. In fact, the activities, even if they live in imbalances in terms of difficulty, are all honestly very simple to complete and some challenges are really too easy, also due to an enemy artificial intelligence that is anything but a candidate for the gold medal.
This, of course, changes radically when it comes to playing with friends, where the playful style fits perfectly with the "massive" nature of the Nintendo hybrid. Before each match, you can freely decide which control scheme to use, thus offering players additional freedom and fun. Even in the handled version, the title behaves more than well, although some activities that require a quick keystroke are decidedly more difficult than others. Very similar speech, but at the same time different, as regards the issue related to online activities. The disciplines that can be tackled are the same, both on the Classified level and with the less expensive Quick Games. So where is the problem? Basically, as far as we are concerned, the enormous limit of the promising online sector that all in all also behaves well than Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is that linked to the choice of relying on the now obsolete and outdated game "Rooms".
In fact, this solution greatly increases the waiting times for each match, with the risk of discouraging the players where to find a match you risk waiting several minutes. Overall, however, Mario & Sonic's playful offer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is more than valid, and we were pleasantly surprised from the very first start of the cartridge, strictly virtual (we received a review code directly from the publisher, ed).
Aesthetic (and sound) beauty
On a technical and artistic level, Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is a little feast for the eyes. Colorful and sparkling, the title appears well-finished in every small detail, starting from the game uniforms up to the reproduction of the various stadiums that host sports activities, everything is replicated in a meticulously enchanting way, in full Nintendo style. We were also thrilled by the choice to introduce activities related to the 1964 Olympics, which graphically translates into an exquisitely retro graphic reproduction of various scenarios and characters. Seeing Mario, Sonic, Bowser and all the other characters with an outdated - but romantic - style made us truly travel the avenue of memories, a bit like Nintendo usually does with its innermost productions. Also on the sound level the title shows itself in splendid shape. The sounds of the stadiums and in particular the retro commentary of the matches related to the 1964 Olympics were created in a simple but effective way, capable of restoring a feeling perfectly halfway between amarcord and pure fun. Nothing to say about the stability of the game, whether in docked or in portability, it maintains an overall balanced and well-made aesthetic level.
Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is a hilarious title, perfect for playing in company, and unexpectedly accompanied by a rich campaign mode that will have fun and excite you for a good number of hours. The possibility of being able to face the various disciplines - many and well reproduced - both online and offline in multiplayer, but also locally with the creation of special rooms, give the title a decidedly strong push to break into the hearts of gamers, perhaps the most sports enthusiasts in general. Ultimately, we can tell you that Nintendo has hit the mark again, albeit without overdoing or distorting the series, bringing into the homes of its fans another title to buy without reservations, clearly if you are interested in the genre, capable of skilfully mixing past and future in honor of the glorious event that Japan is looking forward to (re) hosting. In short: the Olympics await us. We begin to warm up, perhaps sitting comfortably on the sofa!
