What the Golf? professes itself proudly to be a game by and for golf know-nothings who nonetheless hate the game, but the actual product is much more light-hearted and self-indulgently silly than its cynical mission statement might suggest. At its core, What the Golf? is pure nonsense seeking to suprise you with whatever stretch of the golf concept it can produce next, and things get extremely off-the-rails. The game operates on the typical virtual golf system of a cursor with a power meter to aim your next shot, except, of course, for when it doesn't. An unpredictable array of objects that aren't golf balls find themselves putted, and gameplay styles and controls constantly shift. The levels are brief, snappy, and execute wholesome weird comedy that makes each one a delight, as the imagery, physics, puns, and staggering amount of gameplay homages are consistent presences and always fun.
The game is a simple campaign through a top-down laboratory map that unlocks in descending order down to the heart, where we see how far the scientific pursuit of a better golf game really goes. Each hole has a casual completion goal and two challenges unlocked in sequence. They're sometimes quite tricky, but they're bite-sized enough to not be infuriating. Fully completing each level in a sector unlocks trophies, and a few overworld puzzles hide some, too. The themes of the sectors are fun and the story pulls out a wonderful and fairly shocking ending for its simple premise. I also like the visuals, in that unlined flat cel-shaded 3D look you see a lot nowadays, and they especially work for the overworld map, giving it a bit of an illustrated feel.
This game has very simple and pure appeal and is a lot of fun to play casually or for completion. If you like dumb comedy and gameplay references, try this game. And if you hate golf...well, you're the target audience.
VideoGame A charming, funny surprise box.
What the Golf? professes itself proudly to be a game by and for golf know-nothings who nonetheless hate the game, but the actual product is much more light-hearted and self-indulgently silly than its cynical mission statement might suggest. At its core, What the Golf? is pure nonsense seeking to suprise you with whatever stretch of the golf concept it can produce next, and things get extremely off-the-rails. The game operates on the typical virtual golf system of a cursor with a power meter to aim your next shot, except, of course, for when it doesn't. An unpredictable array of objects that aren't golf balls find themselves putted, and gameplay styles and controls constantly shift. The levels are brief, snappy, and execute wholesome weird comedy that makes each one a delight, as the imagery, physics, puns, and staggering amount of gameplay homages are consistent presences and always fun.
The game is a simple campaign through a top-down laboratory map that unlocks in descending order down to the heart, where we see how far the scientific pursuit of a better golf game really goes. Each hole has a casual completion goal and two challenges unlocked in sequence. They're sometimes quite tricky, but they're bite-sized enough to not be infuriating. Fully completing each level in a sector unlocks trophies, and a few overworld puzzles hide some, too. The themes of the sectors are fun and the story pulls out a wonderful and fairly shocking ending for its simple premise. I also like the visuals, in that unlined flat cel-shaded 3D look you see a lot nowadays, and they especially work for the overworld map, giving it a bit of an illustrated feel.
This game has very simple and pure appeal and is a lot of fun to play casually or for completion. If you like dumb comedy and gameplay references, try this game. And if you hate golf...well, you're the target audience.