I thought that by this point, I couldn’t be surprised by the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series. Each game has, traditionally, been a mini-game collection that tried too hard to copy the Wii Sports formula with diminishing returns. These titles are very basic, have tons of forced motion controls, and have failed to do anything that plays to the strengths of its titular characters.
Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games still follows that idea, but it also contains a mini-game based on karate. In it, you can have Mario face-off against Amy Rose, judo throw her to the floor, and chop her throat. The pure spectacle of that moment can’t be understated. As a ’90s child, I’m still a little shocked that these two rivals are in games together, but I never once thought I’d see Nintendo’s plucky plumber don a gui and fiercely flip a lady over his shoulder.
In fact, a lot of dream match-ups can happen here. You can take Peach against Bowser and get revenge for over 30 years of kidnappings. Tails can throw down with Luigi and prove which sidekick is the best. Sonic can square-off with Eggman and get his ass royally beaten. It’s such an odd sight that even after playing multiple rounds in this mode, I still can’t get it out of my head.
Source: Destructoid In Mario & Sonic at the 2020 Olympics, Peach can finally get revenge for all those kidnappings