On the occasion of Halloween 2022, Google has launched an online multiplayer game in which users compete against each other in teams of four to collect “ghost flames” and transport them to their own “home base” – without giving the opposing team the opportunity to steal them.
This not only exudes “Capture the Flag” competition flair on paper, but can also be experienced with friends or family using a QR code. Or you can simply play against randomly selected players around the world thanks to Google Cloud support.
Baseball
Just in time for American Independence Day on July 4th, 2021, Google Doodle Baseball released to let its users celebrate the day with a game of the ball game that is usually obscure to Europeans. To make things even more American, play as a variety of junk food typical of baseball happenings, such as hot dogs or nachos with cheese. By the way, the opposing team is made of peanuts.
When you start the game, a random snack will appear on the board. Now you have to press the spacebar to swing your bat as soon as the pitcher throws the ball. The pitcher’s ball speed and throwing style change the more points have already been scored. The game ends when the pitcher gets a strikeout, meaning you miss three times. How many points can you score?
Basketball
Staying in the world of sports, basketball is a single-player pastime that lets you shoot digital hoops. The game was part of a four-day Google Doodle campaign where you could also test your soccer and slalom canoeing skills. According to Ryan Germick, head of Google Doodle, these four games were played over a billion times in four days.
The mechanics of the game are simple: hold down the space bar to build power and then release it to throw the ball. If too much or too little force is built up, the throw will go wrong. Find out how many balls you can put into the net within 30 seconds.
Pangolin game in Sonic style
The pangolin is the most trafficked animal in the world and is threatened with extinction. To raise awareness of this issue, Google released a doodle honoring the endangered species on Valentine’s Day 2017.
The Pangolin Doodle Game is a side-scroller reminiscent of Sega’s Sonic Games. Instead of a blue hedgehog, you move a pangolin with the left and right arrow keys and let it jump over obstacles with the space bar. The task: collect as many items as possible and make it to the finish line before time runs out.
Coding for carrots
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kids Coding, the Google Doodle team released Coding for Carrots. This simple drag-and-drop game for kids introduces the concept of programming. The principle is simple: you have to send a rabbit to the carrots that are scattered around the board.
To do this, you have to drag code blocks with the direction for the next jump (left, right, up, down) into a bar. If the sequence of the code blocks is correct, the rabbit ends up with the carrot. The level is completed when all the carrots have been collected, with the required sequence becoming more complicated with each level.
Island of Champions
Island of Champions is one of the most extensive Google Doodle games with two hours of playtime. It was originally supposed to be released on the occasion of the 2020 Summer Olympics – due to the pandemic-related postponement, the Google Doodle team took the time to continue working on the game. That paid off.
Champion Island is by far the most comprehensive doodle game and offers a successful retro look.
Photo: Google
Use the arrow keys to move your character across the world map and accept challenges from the islanders. The controls are different for each mission, so you should read the instructions carefully. Take part in all competitions to see if you can make it to the top of the leaderboard.
Rubik’s Cube
Rubik’s cubes, which consist of six colors, six sides and 54 squares, have been around since 1974. In 2014, Google released the Rubik’s Cube doodle to celebrate 40 years of the colored cubes frustrating people around the world.
The aim of the game is to make each side of the Rubik’s Cube a uniform color by rotating and turning the blocks. To play the Google Doodle version, click and drag your cursor to rotate the cube. Frustration-free success!
Cheers to garden gnomes
Have you ever felt the urge to throw garden gnomes around the garden with a catapult? Either way: now is your chance. To honor the small statues steeped in history – the garden gnome that is common today was created in Thuringia in the 19th century – Google Doodle presented The Garden Gnomes in June 2018.
The aim of the game is to plant as many flowers as possible by catapulting the garden gnomes as far as possible. All you need to play is the space bar: the first press of the key sets the catapult in motion, the second presses the garden gnome. The better the timing when releasing, the further the dwarf’s trajectory and the more seeds in the ground.
Lottery
Loteria is a traditional Mexican card game, often referred to as Mexican Bingo. The announcer reveals a card and if the player has the same card on their board, they may place a bean on it. If he doesn’t have the card on his board, he has to wait for the next one. Each round requires a specific bean pattern to win.
In addition to Pac-Man, Loteria is another Google Doodle game in which you can try your luck together with other players.
Meow-loween
Meow-loween was created on the occasion of Halloween 2016. In this doodle game you control a black cat named Momo, who has to save her magic school from attacking ghosts.
Each ghost has a symbol that appears above its head. To banish the ghost to the realm of darkness, you must draw the symbol on the screen using the mouse. Speed is required because over time more and more ghosts appear with longer and longer symbol combinations.
Scoville
You’ve probably already made the mistake of putting a supposedly mild chili in your mouth in one piece. Hopefully, when you’ve regretfully tried to get rid of the feeling of hellfire as quickly as possible, you’ve been able to draw on the knowledge of Wilbur Scoville and combat it with the soothing effects of milk. Scoville also introduced a method of measuring the spiciness of chili peppers. In honor of the pharmacologist’s 151st birthday, the Scoville Doodle game offers the opportunity to show different types of chili who’s boss.
Thanks to Scoville, we know: If you feel a burning sensation after enjoying chili, dairy products can help.
Photo: Google
The virtual Scoville tries different types of chili one after the other in his laboratory and works his way up the Scoville scale. After he eats a pod, he is given an ice cream to relieve the pain. This is where you come in: At the bottom of the board there is a bar with a circle that moves back and forth quickly. To hit the pod with the ice ball, you have to stop the circle as close as possible to the center of the bar – either with the space bar or with a mouse click. The further you get, the tougher the enemies become.
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