Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is a sports title for the Wii U, which is the fifth installment on the Mario & Sonic series, along with the Nintendo 3DS version. Like the other games, it takes place in the host city of the Olympics of the corresponding year, being Rio de Janeiro.

Characters
Thirty-five characters are playable. Character costumes that can be used by Miis will return as well. The twenty-one characters that have been playable since the second game are playable in all events. All newcomers (known as guests) are only playable in one event each. Unlike the other home console versions of Mario & Sonic games, there are no character types. However, each character still has their own stats for each event. Like the 3DS version of the game, guests have to be unlocked by winning an event against them.

Team Mario

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Peach
 * Yoshi
 * Daisy
 * Wario
 * Waluigi
 * Bowser
 * Bowser Jr.
 * Donkey Kong

Guests
Compared to the 3DS version, Dry Bones, Ludwig, and Roy have been cut. However, Toad makes an appearance as the sole playable character exclusive to the Wii U version. Birdo has also been cut, but makes an appearance as a non-playable character at the sand statue at which the Heroes Showdown modes can be chosen.
 * Diddy Kong (new) (Rugby Sevens)
 * Nabbit (new) (100m)
 * Wendy (new) (100m Freestyle Swimming )
 * Larry (new) (Equestrian )
 * Rosalina (new) (Rhythmic Gymnastics)
 * Toad (new) (4x100m Relay )
 * Dry Bowser (new) (Javelin Throw)

Team Sonic

 * Sonic
 * Tails
 * Amy
 * Knuckles
 * Blaze
 * Shadow
 * Silver
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Metal Sonic
 * Vector

Guests
Compared to the 3DS version, Omega, and Eggman Nega have been cut. Cream the Rabbit appears in the game, not as playable character, but as keeper of the Sonic Edition of the Item Stand.


 * Jet (new) (Football)
 * Rouge (new) (Beach Volleyball)
 * Wave (new) (BMX)
 * Espio (new) (Triple Jump )
 * Zavok (new) (Boxing)
 * Sticks (new) (Archery)
 * Zazz (new) (Table Tennis)

Others

 * Miis

Supporting characters

 * Birdos
 * Boom Booms
 * Egg Pawns

Non-playable characters
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 * Toads
 * Shy Guys
 * Koopa Troopas
 * Goombas
 * Lakitu
 * Chao
 * Birdo
 * Pianta
 * Big the Cat
 * Charmy Bee
 * Orbot
 * Cubot
 * Omochao<ref
 * Cream the Rabbit

Events
Fourteen official Olympic Games events and three Duel Events are playable along normal events. In the Duel Events, special items from the Mario and Sonic universes are usable and certain actions increase Duel Points that are added to the total score of the team once a try, point, or goal is scored.


 * Football
 * Duel Football
 * Rugby Sevens
 * Duel Rugby Sevens
 * Beach Volleyball
 * Duel Beach Volleyball
 * BMX
 * 100m
 * Triple Jump
 * 100m Freestyle Swimming
 * Boxing
 * Equestrian
 * Rhythmic Gymnastics
 * 4x100m Relay
 * Javelin Throw
 * Archery
 * Table Tennis

Tournaments
Tornaments, unlocked after winning in five single events, are event-specific and consist in three phases (qualifications, semifinals, finals), in each of which half of the athletes are eliminated. If the player manages to end up in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place, a gold, silver or bronze medal is earned. Furthermore, a special prize is earned if a condition related to each tournament is satisfied. Three levels of increasing difficulty exist. In each torunament, difficult to beat athletes are indicated with an exclamation mark. Finally, guests of the particular event of the tournament may appear after the qualification is passed, if the player talks to them their flag is earned, furthermore if the tournament is succesfully cleared, the guest challenges the player and, if beaten, is unlocked.

Leagues
Leagues are special tournaments that can be accessed after winning 25 tournaments using either an amiibo related to the Mario universe or a Sonic amiibo. The Mario League, accessed with a Mario-related amiibo, has the player's Mii facing opponents from Team Mario, while the Sonic League, accessed with the Sonic amiibo, has the player's Mii facing characters from Team Sonic. The reward of the Leagues is either a Mario or a Sonic Mii costume.

Heroes Showdown
A Heroes Showdown mode is featured as well. It is unlocked after getting the gold medal in all the single events or after getting more than seven bronze medals in the tournaments. In it the player joins either Team Mario or Team Sonic and participates in knockout rounds against members of the other team in events chosen randomly, until either all members of one team or one of the two captains; Mario and Sonic, are knocked out.

amiibo
The game supports amiibo functionality. A Mario-related amiibo lest the player enter the Mario League, the Sonic amiibo lets the player enter the Sonic League, while all other amiibo will give either coins or rings.

Pre-release and unused content
The game originally featured Boom Boom among the playable characters of Team Mario in the introductory video of the game shown in the Nintendo Direct of March 2016. This video was also reused as the introduction of the game. Despite this, in the final game Dry Bowser, who doesn't appear in the introduction among the playable characters of Team Mario and is only referred to through his flags, replaces Boom Boom in the Javelin Throw event and the only playable Boom Booms are the supporting characters of the Rugby Sevens events.

Trivia

 * This is the first home console Mario & Sonic game to be released on the same year of the Olympics in real life, being released six weeks before the Opening Ceremonies begin in real life.
 * Like in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, there are special animations for some paired characters for whenever the player gets first place in a team event, all being recycled from that game (with some new ones added for characters like Mario and Toad, Sonic and Jet, and Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong).