Mario And Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Includes This Great Nod To Classic Mario And Sonic

The 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan will be a homecoming of sorts for Mario and Sonic. The unlikely pair have starred in officially licenced games for the iconic sporting event over the past 12 years, with the upcoming Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 being the sixth entry in the long-running series. Unlike previous entries, however, it will be the first to feature Classic Events which use 2D sprites and environments.

Announced during a Nintendo Presents livestream at Gamescom 2019, the classic mode transports the game's varied cast back in time to 1964 so they can compete in the previous Olympic Games held in Tokyo.

In the mode, the likes of Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser are using sprites from 1985's Super Mario Bros., whereas Sonic and pals feature sprites from 1992's Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It's a nostalgic mishmash of 8- and 16-bit graphics, and the mode is fairly comprehensive, too. The classic 2D characters are able to compete in 10 different events, such as the 100m dash, the long jump, judo, team volleyball, and more, and each event will also take place in a 2D arena.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 launches on the Nintendo Switch on November 5 in North America and November 8 in Europe.