We think the fact that they serve as gatekeepers in Japanese culture made it interesting to have them serve as guides in the game. They can be a bit scary given that they’re lions, but we love how charming they are in the game’s final design. Q: Does your team have any favorite characters or sports that appear in the Doodle? Besides drawing inspiration from stories known across Japan, we also hoped to convey the rich and diverse natural beauty of the country, including underwater, sandy tropical beaches, forests, and snowy mountains. We're pleased that we were able to allude to various stories from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south in the Doodle. Lucky the Ninja Cat, who is both cool and cute, is definitely a favorite aspect! What’s your team’s favorite aspect of the Doodle? Each character’s design was based on their original story image, but then adapted for the game. The team mascots and the characters in the city such as Kappa, Yatagarasu, lion dance, were also chosen as they are very well known across Japan. In the design process, each event champion was selected from those unique stories.

Next, we connected those folktales and characters with each of the sport events included in the game. Can you tell us about your creative process for adapting each of the characters in the Doodle? Below they share their thoughts behind the making of this Doodle: The cutscene animations and characters for Doodle Champion Island Games were created by Tokyo, Japan-based animation studio, STUDIO4☌.

Outsprint these spry tree spirits, and don’t let the crazy crustaceans slow you down Scale to the mountain top, but avoid the obstacles from this ladle-yielding owl champion Sea if your rhythm is unWAVEring when you visit this champion’s underwater kingdom Sur-purrr-ise Supporting Lineup | Momotaro & friends Show your gnarliest aerial moves to beat this shapeshifting tricksterĪim quickly and accurately to outscore this Samurai general and expert marksmanĭart, dip, and dodge these fearsome foes to reach your goal T ake a shot at table tennis against this mischievous bird of prey Your Fur-midable Opponents: The Legendary Champions Go behind-the-scenes of today’s interactive Doodle, made in partnership with Tokyo-based animation studio, STUDIO 4☌!Ĭome back tomorrow to keep up with Lucky, check the real-time team leaderboard standings, and watch the action unfold in the Doodle Champion Island Games!Ĭompete in the Champion Island Games as Lucky-your new favorite feline. Her ultimate goal? Defeat each sport Champion to collect all seven sacred scrolls-and complete extra hidden challenges across Champion Island in the purrr-ocess.Īre you feline Lucky 😼 ? Click on today’s Doodle, join one of the four color teams to contribute to the real-time global leaderboard, and let the games begin! Welcome to the Doodle Champion Island Games! Over the coming weeks, join calico (c)athlete Lucky as she explores Doodle Champion Island: a world filled with seven sport mini-games, legendary opponents, dozens of daring side quests, and a few new (and old )) friends.

Calico game