The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games franchise is now more than a decade old. And if you’re like me, you’ve never really cared about these minigame collections. But Sega, which develops this series, has finally come up with something that has me excited for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: nostalgia.
For Mario & Sonic 2020, you can of course compete in events like the triple jump and javelin throw with modern versions of Mario and Sonic characters. But Sega is spicing up this version of the game with classic 2D events that feature retro graphics and sprites from the original Sonic and Super Mario Bros. games.
When Mario & Sonic 2020 hits Nintendo Switch on November 8, players can compete in retro-style versions of the high dive, rowing, sprinting, and more. You can see these in action in the trailer above, or in the extended video from Nintendo U.K. at Gamescom below.
Here’s the full list of classic 2D events:
- 100M
- 400M hurdles
- Long jump
- Marathon
- 10M Platform
- Vault
- Kayak
- Judo
- Volleyball
- Shooting
As you might expect from the aesthetics, these events are channeling early 8-bit international sports games. That means the focus is on reflexes and how fast you can mash buttons.
This also seems like a more easy and accessible mode, which might make Mario & Sonic 2020 even better as a party game.