Google gives us major throwbacks with these playable doodles [Updated]

Starting today, April 27, Google has launched a series of Doodles. This series will give a throwback to some old playable doodles. The first in the series is the Coding from 2017.

April 27: Coding

Google had made this doodle to honour the 50th anniversary of Kids' Coding game popularly known as Logo. It used simple commands to move the turtle. Similarly, in this particular doodle, you can create simple combinations of commands. You rabbit, in the game, will thus move to collect his carrots. The game is also loosely based on the programming language Scratch, another one for kids.

From the past few years, Google has launched many games as its doodle. It has preserved all these on the Google Doodle Blog. From this archive, Google will release 10 such games, following April 27.

April 28: Cricket

The inside doodle features crickets, the insects, playing Cricket, the game. (What a metaphorical instance!). The pocket-sized game features a simple UI where you can swing your bat and score runs. The snails are your opponents, to refer to snail-like internet. Google created it in the honour of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

Google in their blog said:

We know that cricket is loved worldwide, so we wanted to make sure our Doodle works for everyone, including those on slower mobile networks. We kept the file size fly-sized, and the result is our smallest interactive Doodle ever — even snail networks can load it in seconds.

Speaking from personal experience, the game is ridiculously fun. When you click on the doodle, it takes you to a game that will allow you to bat. It is just like cricket. You can go for a sixer or a single or you can get bowled out. A beaver umpire shows up from underground with an "out" signboard if you are dismissed. The Doodle Cricket game is a match between snails and crickets.

April 29: Fischinger

Day 3 Google Doodle: Google honoured the 117th birthday of Oskar Fischinger on June 22, 2017. This is more experience than a game. It gives you a simple and fun way to create music with incredible accompanying visuals. Four settings play a different pitch and instrument. A few settings and clicks and you are ready to create your music. If you’re looking for something to create, make something for you, you can spend many, many hours enjoying and mastering this game.

April 30: Rockmore

The 4th day in the series brings back a 2016 Doodle- The Rockmore. Unlike yesterday, when you had to create music on your own, this doodle uses a theremin. Clara Rockmore was a young violinist who later gave it up due to physical strain. But when she found the theremin instrument, which made music electronically, she popularised it.

In the doodle, the G looks like a player, and instead of an O, there's a cat. This series of doodles is ca constant reminder to stay at home and enjoy doing things that we might enjoy.

By moving your mouse or finger over the notes, you can perform your own masterpiece on the theremin, which was a precursor to today’s electronic instruments. Once you get the hang of it, be sure to click the gear button to find some more controls for the instrument’s sound.

May 1: Garden Gnomes

Day 5 of "Stay home and Play popular games" brings the Garden Gnome Doodle is from 2018. Google first made it to celebrate Germany Day. Since there is a local myth that gnomes began to find homes in gardens throughout the country, . Legend has it they protect these gardens and bring good luck.

How to play the game?

Google says:

Use your trusty catapult (or trebuchet to be precise) to launch your clay gnomes into the farthest reaches of your garden. The farther your gnome travels, the more flowers you plant—and the more points you earn!

Once you learn the basics, you can choose from six colourful gnomes with different shapes, weights, and bounciness. Try each one to see which gnome goes the greatest distance towards making your garden the most beautiful of all.

May 4: Scoville

Google brought back a simple game celebrating Wilbur Scoville, the namesake for the Scoville Scale that measures how hot a pepper is. In the game, you play as a trio of ice cream scoops fighting back against various peppers, each getting progressively hotter. Can you beat all the levels and earn the “Hottest” ranking?

May 5: Loteria

As many of us are unable to celebrate Cinco de Mayo the way that we would like to, Google is helping to celebrate Mexican culture today by reviving their Lotería doodle. Lotería is a game of chance similar to bingo. It uses cards instead of numbers and beans as markers. What makes this game particularly special is that you’re automatically matched up against other players online or you can send a link to friends and play with just them.

May 6: Halloween

As we get closer to the end of the two-week series, Google is bringing out the big guns by returning to one of their all-time best and most popular Doodle games. Originally featured for Halloween 2016, “Magic Cat Academy” sees you play Momo, an apprentice spellcaster tasked with defeating an army of ghosts that seek to destroy your school. To play, simply swipe the symbols above each ghost’s head to cast spells to defeat them.

May 7: Hip-hop

On Thursday, Google gave us a major throwback with the rock band. In 2017, it celebrated the 44th anniversary of the birth of Hip-hop with this playable doodles. Players can mix samples, dual on deck turntables, and jam on many iconic beats. Google also provides some beats which you can mix and match and play!

Why is Google doing this?

Today's doodle features a young kid dressed as one of the O's from the word Google. In it, the kid is sitting on the computer and playing a game on his computer. It says, in the blog:

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we’re launching a throwback Doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!

Stay and play at home with today’s featured throwback:

Our 2017 Doodle game celebrating 50 years of Kids Coding!

In the light of Coronavirus lockdown, Google is trying to keep us busy with some small initiatives. By doing this, it is spreading the message of staying home, as well as, helping kids kill their boredom. It even tweeted the same:

As people around the 🌏 stay home, we’re launching a throwback #GoogleDoodle series looking back at some of our fan favorites.

Today, hop into our 2017 Doodle game celebrating 50 years of Kids Coding! 🐰🥕#GoogleDoodle → https://t.co/i8DB1FpPrW pic.twitter.com/Z7lgMKspvN

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) April 27, 2020

Perhaps, in the coming days, Google will also feature multi-player animations. The playable doodles are informative and date back to history.

The entire series will feature a total of 10 such games. Similarly, Google had also featured a series of Thank you Doodles for Coronavirus Helpers.