Nippon Marathon
Release Date: December 17, 2018
Arcade, humorous, for 2 players, indie games, splitscreen, multiplayer, singleplayer
OpenCritic
A production filled with crazy humor, combining elements of arcade and racing games. Nippon Marathon allows us to take part in crazy obstacle races. Although the title was designed for multiplayer, it also has a story mode intended for solo players.
Nippon Marathon is a humorous game combining arcade and racing games, created primarily for multiplayer fun. The title was developed by an independent studio Onion Soup Interactive, and its release was handled by pQube.
Mechanics
In Nippon Marathon we come to Japan, whose appearance is based on Internet memes and popular stereotypes. Playing as one of the four competitors, we take part in crazy runs with obstacles and fight for victory in places such as crowded city streets, picturesque villages, supermarket interiors and dangerous mountain peaks.
Reaching the finish line is made difficult not only by objects located on the tracks, such as rolling barrels or closed doors, but also by various events, headed by earthquakes. Additionally, the matter is complicated by the fact that the action is shown from a bird's eye view, and the camera constantly follows the front group of the race - if our competitor is left too far behind, thay will be disqualified.
Along the way we get power-ups in the form of food, which can be used both as a weapon (for example, a banana peel thrown on the ground can effectively slow down the opponent), as well as a boost that provides our participant with a momentary acceleration.
Game modes
The pillar of Nippon Marathon is a multiplayer mode for up to four players. However, there is also a story mode, where we follow the fate of each of the four athletes.
Technical aspects
Despite its simplicity, Nippon Marathon's three-dimensional graphics do their job - the maps are clear and the obstacles, power-ups and the players are clearly distinguished from the rest of the environment. It is worth noting that the course of the struggle is supervised by a physics engine based on ragdoll technology, which often leads to comic situations.
Last updated on February 25, 2020
Videos and Screens
[1:06] Nippon Marathon trailer #1
NintendoWorldReport: 4 / 10
In the end having extra modes beyond the main game do nothing to help Nippon Marathon remain a fun time for more than a few hours at most. It would be impressive as a final project for a college course and is still good for a few laughs at a party, but those fleeting good times are not enough for me to recommend this game.
PlayStation LifeStyle: 5 / 10 by Lucas White
If you're the kind of person who, in the current year of your video game lord 2018 still likes to chuckle at “Engrish” memes and has at least one Sharknado flick in your collection on purpose, boy do I have the game for you. Nippon Marathon is all about the bit, building the gameplay experience, seemingly, all around a tongue in cheek version of Japanese culture. There is a wacky, multiplayer racing game in there, but it feels more like a side effect of a notepad full of gags than a gaming experience that can entertain a group of friends long enough to make them briefly forget about Super Smash Bros., nor does the single-player experience do much after you understand what's happening in front of you. Perhaps the subjectivity of humor is the pass/fail condition for Nippon Marathon, but in a space full of wacky, physics-based multiplayer games, this one feels like it's too confused about what it is and who it's for to stand out.
GBAtemp: 7 / 10 by Scarlet Bell
If I had to pick a single word to describe Nippon Marathon, it would be fun. While I struggle to ascertain exactly which part of this beautiful mess calls to me so, I can recommend it for anybody looking for a wild multiplayer experience. Pick up four controllers and get ready for the marathon of your life.
Nippon Marathon Summary
Early Access:February 16, 2018
Platforms:
PC Windows
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Nintendo Switch
Developer: Onion Soup Interactive
Publisher: pQube
Age restrictions: 12+
Nippon Marathon System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i3-2370M 2.4 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card Intel HD 4000 or better, 5 GB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz / AMD Phenom II X4 940 3.0 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 970 or better, 5 GB HDD, Windows 7/8/10 64-bit