As a fan of both golf and video games, any time the two collide, I fly into action on a pedal-powered whirligig that uses crossed 9-irons as rotors whilst screaming my battle cry of ‘Tommy Armour III’. I also have a penchant for Warioware-Esque mini-games and so What the Golf? appears to be genetically designed for my gaming palette. Good.
Set under the firm understanding that golf is boring and needs to be spruced up somewhat, the game begins with a couple of tutorial levels to get you in the right frame of mind and to get a grasp of the simple but extremely effective controls. Aim with the thumb-stick and tap a button to fire off your ball/object in that direction. Your goal? Hit the flagstick that lies up the fairway. That’s it…pretty much.
Set under the firm understanding that golf is boring and needs to be spruced up somewhat, the game begins with a couple of tutorial levels to get you in the right frame of mind and to get a grasp of the simple but extremely effective controls. Aim with the thumb-stick and tap a button to fire off your ball/object in that direction. Your goal? Hit the flagstick that lies up the fairway. That’s it…pretty much.
Except that after the first couple of basic tutorial levels, instead of the golfer hitting your ball, your ball remains stationary and the golfer himself flies, ragdoll-like up the fairway, flumping on the green and wrapping his body around the flagstick, level completed and a celebratory pun splashes across the screen.
Next, you control a house that flips and bumps its way down a street to clank into the flag in victory. It becomes quickly clear that this is a game that embraces its own zaniness but also has the gameplay and playability to back up what could have been a tediously wacky title.
What The Golf? does this in a way that not only opens the game to all skill levels but also adds depth and longevity. Each ‘hole’ needs to be finished once to make progress in the main game overworld – progress is blocked off until all holes in the area are completed – but by re-entering a level, you can complete the ‘par’ (which ranges from completing a level in a certain amount of strokes to various other, deeply odd things) and then the ‘Crown’ achievement once ‘par’ is completed.
These really add a lot to the game. I spent around five hours making it through to the end and I fully intend to spend a few hours more getting a 100% completion rate, something I never tend to do but the bite-size gameplay is really addictive here.
Yes, there are some niggles, some levels are more frustrating than fun but the sheer amount of them, sense of goodwill that pervades the game and casual enjoyment in just pottering more than makes up for a few moments of irritation, each new area brings with it surprising, new challenges from urban, cowboy, futuristic areas and beyond, all the while wrapped up in a breezy narrative told through exploration and secret areas.
With colourful visuals (and the same sense of physical humour, although much less phallic) and an anarchic spirit reminiscent of titles such as Genital Jousting, the Warioware series, Pikuniku and Heave-Ho! (with the audio very much being in the same vein as the last two games mentioned) What The Golf? is a title that will remain installed on my Switch for a long time to come.
It’s yet another reason to look forward to the end of lockdown, as I YEARN to play it locally with friends.
Right, I’m off to shoot a rocket-powered cow over some mountains.
What The Golf? does this in a way that not only opens the game to all skill levels but also adds depth and longevity. Each ‘hole’ needs to be finished once to make progress in the main game overworld – progress is blocked off until all holes in the area are completed – but by re-entering a level, you can complete the ‘par’ (which ranges from completing a level in a certain amount of strokes to various other, deeply odd things) and then the ‘Crown’ achievement once ‘par’ is completed.
These really add a lot to the game. I spent around five hours making it through to the end and I fully intend to spend a few hours more getting a 100% completion rate, something I never tend to do but the bite-size gameplay is really addictive here.
With colourful visuals (and the same sense of physical humour, although much less phallic) and an anarchic spirit reminiscent of titles such as Genital Jousting, the Warioware series, Pikuniku and Heave-Ho! (with the audio very much being in the same vein as the last two games mentioned) What The Golf? is a title that will remain installed on my Switch for a long time to come.
Right, I’m off to shoot a rocket-powered cow over some mountains.
❄️ RATING: ICE COOL ❄️
Ratings Explained
ICE COOL (Great Game Recommended)
MELTING (Recommended with reservations, one to consider if you are a fan of the genre)
MELTED (Not A Recommended Purchase)
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