The very idea of figure skating has turned me off since my childhood. It’s the sport my mother would watch for hours every Winter Olympics. It was something I dreaded. I don’t even know what I was thinking when I agreed to demo this event (watch the video below) in the upcoming version of Mario & Sonic.

The event requires Wii Remotes and starts off with the pair of players selecting one male and one female partner. No same-sex couples are allowed. In order to celebrate the Year of Luigi, the Nintendo representative chose Luigi and I followed along by selecting Princess Daisy.

The gameplay itself follows a set path for the selected song. Each player is then required to flick their Wii Remote in the correct direction in order to perform. Flicking the remote upwards at the correct time lets the player jump in order to execute skating tricks. There were also times during the song where it was necessary to wave the character's hand up or down in order to collect notes that would increase the team’s score.

The most ridiculous part of the gameplay was when the two skaters were told to join hands. At this point the female character has to grab hold of the male’s Wii Remote and press the A button. Some of the previously described actions also need to be performed while both players are coupled together. It gets even crazier when the game requires the female player to spin around the male in order to perform the same maneuver on-screen.

Overall, I wouldn’t call it the best gaming experience of my life, but it was a lot more fun than I expected. This is the type of game I think could be fun at parties. It also gave me a Spin the Bottle vibe.