Mario & Sonic at the Video Game Series

The series is released every two years, accompanying the next Olympic competition. Each installment features an updated set of Olympic sports and an expanded array of available athletes. In the game released in 2016 Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games the developers gave players 42 athletes to choose from - 21 from the Mario universe, 20 from the Sonic universe and digital player avatars known as Mii. An important moment in the series was the transition to a new generation of consoles and mobile devices, which took place in 2011 for the 3DS and in 2013 for the WiiU.

A hallmark of the series is the use of controllers' capabilities to simulate the authentic movements of athletes. As a result, the player, in order to execute a given play, must, to a certain extent, recreate the actual movements he or she would perform during that action. For example, in order to shoot a bow, one needs to "flex" the Nunchuk controller, while throwing a hammer requires proper "rocking" of the Wii Remote. It should be noted at the same time that the intention of the series is not to faithfully reflect the course of sports games, and therefore a significant part of the game's elements are exaggerated, and the physics works in a way slightly different from what we know from the real world. In addition, the game offers special disciplines called Dream Events, which take us from Olympic venues to fantastic locations known from the base series. Here we can use the special powers of our heroes, which gives the whole gameplay an entertaining character.

The playful feature of the series is further emphasized by colorful and strongly fairy-tale-like graphic design. The individual installments are conceived primarily as party games, designed for many players - whether staying in one room or playing together via the Internet. Depending on the given discipline, players can compete against each other individually or in teams. However, it is also possible to play in single-user mode.