

Google Doodle joins Tokyo Olympics hype with anime-inspired game

Compete to dominate the global leaderboards in this SNES-style adventure.

Google joined the Tokyo Olympics fun on Friday -- just in time for the opening ceremony -- with its "largest-ever interactive Doodle game." Doodle Champion Island Games casts you in the role of ninja cat Lucky as she competes in various mini games in her quest to become a sporting legend, and it's playable in your browser for free.

It feels like an adventure pulled out of the 16-bit era of gaming as you move around the island and partake in seven mini games based on Olympic sports, including table tennis, skateboarding and archery. Each sport's legendary champion is based on Japanese folklore, and you can challenge them on your journey.

In the spirit of competition, you also join one of the four color teams -- Blue, Red, Yellow, or Green, each of which is linked to an animal -- to contribute to the real-time global leaderboard.

The anime cutscenes and characters were created by Tokyo-based animators Studio4°C.