Video Game Review - Golfie [Early Access]

Rob reviews Golfie on PC...

Minigolf is the staple to many seaside resorts (well around my local area at least). It features small bite-sized courses that are littered with various zany obstacles to avoid -  with plenty more to hit. However, when it comes to video games, this offshoot to the much larger sport of  'golf' isn't as prevalent. 

Enter Golfie, a minigolf adventure that's a deck builder - and also a roguelike!?  While on paper it's a mash-up of vastly different genres that really shouldn't work - Triheart Studio and Yogcast Games have crafted a gorgeous minigolf adventure, with all the thrills and spills of a heavy-hitting rogue-lite. 

As of writing Golfie is currently within Early Access on Steam, which means that the game will still be receiving updates and its further development will be helped along via the Steam community. However, this isn't to say that the game we have now is a bare-bones experience. In fact, for those of you who do pay the £14.99 entry fee, there's a lot of minigolf for your buck. Top this with an already informative road map and Golfie is shaping up to be that something special. 

So what about the here and now? 

Our grand golfing adventure begins with a short interactive tutorial. It's here where we learn the fundamentals and to its credit - it's incredibly simple. Using the mouse you simply point your cursor in the direction you wish to hit the ball to then drag it back backwards. Once you've powered up your shot a little arrow will appear around your ball which does a good job of showing where the ball is going to go. Once happy you just hit the ball and watch it fly. It's also here where the deck builder comes into play. Before each shot, you'll draw a card that when activated affects the shot, ball, or environment for that turn. To begin with, you'll only have access to basic cards such as curved shots and adding power. However, as you progress some cards allow you to teleport and others that allow you a mulligan if you mess up. These cards can also be stacked to give more powerful shots or shots with multiple abilities. 

What makes this mechanic more interesting is that as your card deck grow, so does the number of different shots you take. To keep this fresh, the level design also becomes crazier. There were times when I really had to think about what card to use, as going over par does start to chip away at your health.

Much like in real life, each hole has a preset amount of shots that it should take for you to putt the ball. Unlike real life, Golfie is quite generous in the number of shots it gives you before you start losing health. This does give you some leeway to further explore your surroundings, rather than just going for the hole. Each level features coins to collect which can be used at vending machines to purchase more cards. On occasion, there's also a giant crystal which in destroying will also reward you with cards or coins. Going out of your way to gather these collectables is entirely optional, but can often outweigh the risk of going over your shot allowance. 

If the worse does happen and your health diminishes then it's back to the start to try again. Much like any other roguelites, Golfie keeps this endless cycle of golf-death-repeat fresh by having levels repeated at random and a pretty generous amount of cards to collect. During my play, I never felt frustrated at how wacky the levels got. If anything Golfie is a great game to lose a few hours to without raising your blood pressure...I'm looking at you Elden Ring! Away from the main game and there are a couple of other modes that you can select. One offers a daily challenge which naturally gives you a target to achieve in 24 hours. The other simply removes the health bar to offer a relaxed game of miniature golf. 

But what about multiplayer? 

Currently, Golfie does not offer any form of multiplayer. Granted there are online leaderboards but there isn't a dedicated multiplayer mode. However, as per the road map, a multiplayer mode is being worked on and will come with title update #4. 

When it comes to its presentation Golfie is a gorgeous game in both visuals and sound. Its level design is very bright and upbeat with plenty of vibrant colours and visual flare. Levels all feature a certain theme which ranges from tranquil Oriental zen gardens to industrial dungeons and sandy beaches. While these levels aren't procedurally generated there's a heck of a lot of variety before you start to see them repeat. Your friendly golf ball also has a lot of personalities and comes complete with a digital display. This "face" will often pull some pretty quirky expressions as its zips across the environment, to then be launched into hyperspace to the next course. 

For an early access title, Golfie is the perfect game to spend a few hours lost in. It's a charming mash-up of three genres that really shouldn't work together - but do. Whether you're a fan of golf or not, Golfie is a great game for all ages. You don't need a high degree of skill to enjoy what Triheart Studio and Yogcast Games have created, which in turn makes the game that much more accessible. With an already well planned out road map, I'm excited to follow this hidden gem on its journey! 

Rating 8.5/10 

A code was kindly provided for this review. 

Golf is out now as part of Steam's Early Access and can be purchased by clicking here. 

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