Google's Olympics-inspired RPG is way better than it needed to be

The delayed and controversial Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will hold its opening ceremony tonight - and to celebrate, Google has released one of its best ever Doodle games.

Head to the front page of Google.com and you'll find the Doodle Champion Island Games available to play. But rather than a quick mini-game, this is a fully-fledged 16-bit style sports RPG.

You play as Lucky the Cat, and get to explore an island full of sporting trials. There's a large map to explore, numerous secret areas to unlock and a questlog full of side-quests.

There are seven sports on offer here: marathon running, rugby, table tennis, skateboarding, synchronised swimming, archery and climbing. Each has their own fun mini-game, and themed area of the map.

Within each area are also a variety of characters to meet and help, with certain accomplishments earning you awards in a central achievements room.

There's a lot to enjoy here, with plenty of nods to Japanese folklore and history which perfectly fit the JRPG theme. Individual sports also get their own anime-style introduction.

The whole thing is beautifully designed and smartly controlled with just your arrow keys and space bar. Oh, and it autosaves, so you can have quick 2-minute bashes throughout the day while doing other things. Are you feeling Lucky?

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