Golf Story is a smashing success and does so much more than it needs to. While the game would have been well received simply for its golfing aspect, Sidebar Games has built a great narrative and world around it.
Yes, this is just a golf game at its core, but Golf Story makes you care about the characters and their world just as much as sinking a do-or-die putt. Part of its charm is keeping you off kilter, forcing you to hit a 300-yard drive with pinpoint precision one second, then solve a murder mystery the next. A continual delight to play, Golf Story is a breath of fresh air for sports, and another fun story to follow for role-playing fanatics.
I was already hooked by the idea of a golfing game with an overworld, side quests, stats, and leveling, but it wound up being so much more than that. The fact it's not trying to be a sim makes it so approachable, and I have no problem suggesting this to people who don't even like golf. Technical issues notwithstanding, Golf Story is an unexpected and excellent addition to the Switch's eShop lineup.
The plot in Golf Story isn’t the most gripping or complex, but its world and characters simply ooze with so much charm it’s hard not to fall in love with it. Though the gameplay mechanics on show here might not be as deep as you’d want from a proper golf game, Golf Story is still a wonderful delight to play from start to finish, and it’s a gem of an RPG that Switch owners shouldn’t skip out on.
Its plot could be more involving and it feels too long on several moments, while the characters certainly won't become the player's darlings but Golf Story's redeeming factors can cover part of its shortcomings and create an interesting mixture of an RPG and golf.
There's plenty to like here - the script almost justifies a playthrough by itself - but it's a little overlong, a little padded out, it's obvious charms soon obscured by busywork, reputation and irritation. [Christmas 2017, p.122]
Good base mechanics but I have found that (on the switch) some of my inputs seem to be ignored for a given hit, resulting in inconsistent results (sometimes). At the beginning of the story there seems to be characters, and gameplay elements that would be developed later in the game, and whil each level does bring something new to the table there is a distinct feeling that the developer bit off more than they could handle and that the final product is alot less than what could have been. This is also apparent in the narrative, which although funny, seems to have been cut back due to a lack of time or resources. The result is a game that, while fun, feels a little short, and occasionally repetitive.
This is a pretty decent classic golf game mixed with elements of witty writing and RPG-like progression. The story is straightforward. You are an amateur golfer who dreams to be amongst the pros one day. The writing, while never makes me belly-laugh out loud, gives me chuckles here and there. The main character is likable but a bit too silly at times. The ending also leaves a lot to be desired but maybe the sequel will pick up from there.
However, the gameplay is very satisfying. It's the simple three-click mechanics that you have seen in other gold games (e.g. Everybody's Golf or Pangya) but what keep the gameplay from being stale are the course gimmicks. Some course features molerats which move your golfball from one place to another. Others have this particular area in the water that if you land your golfball there, instead of sinking, a turtle rises to the surface to bounce the golfball off its shell, increasing the distance even further. Sadly, only a few courses make full use of their mechanics together but overall, I find golfing in this game pretty fun.
You can also challenge your friends to play against each other in a multiplayer mode which is easy to pick-up and play.
I recommend this game to anyone who wants to have a chill time playing golf.
Well the storytelling around the golf system is fun (though I feel like the controls on Switch are not intuitive for me at all and took me a bit to get familiar with).
My main complaint : the Frisbee is just really really bad design, I have to force me to pass over these tests to go through the whole game and give it a fair chance, but the overall experience at the end wasn't THAT great.
SummaryTee up anywhere - on and off the course. Golf Story combines the sheer excitement of golf with a serious story that plays out over 8 different courses. Play the story of a golfer who is forced to give up all that he holds dear for one last shot at accomplishing his dreams. But all is not so simple in the world of golf. To best today's pl...