PS4 Review Code Provided by Blacklight Interactive / PC Version Purchased during Early Access
After running one of the longest early access titles on Steam, Blacklight Interactive and Team17 officially launched the finished version of Golf With Your Friends on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. Over the time period of it being in development, did the team manage to create a party game out of putt-putt golf? Is it worth getting whether you want to play solo, locally with friends, or online with others? My quick answer to these questions is “yes,” but my detailed answer includes a few issues that I kind of expected to be resolved.
Gameplay
Before you even begin, you will have a few options at your disposal when it comes to game type. I started with the classic putt-putt game, but there are other options that include hoops, hockey, and power-ups. While these are all different games in their own right, the power-ups are the aspect that can be applied to any game mode you choose and can really put a spin on things. Plus, with a game that offers up to 12-players in their multiplayer options, power-ups can get chaotic quick!
Once you pick a game mode, you choose the color ball you want to use and pick from their multiple map options available. Ranging from basic and beautiful to difficult and intricate, these maps will provide a variety of skill difficulty options without the need for a game difficulty setting. I’ll let you decide your own easy-to-hardest map list, but I suggest starting with Forest, Oasis, and Museum to get the hang of the game.
Starting with classic putt-putt, you get the hang of the controls fairly quickly. Simply aim where you want the ball to go and then hold the swing button to adjust your power level. On PC, you will have to slide your mouse to adjust the power level, but I think using a controller gives you the best amount of control as I found the mouse to sometimes move at the last second. That is obviously human error, but I know I am not the only one affected by this.
The other game modes, like hoops and hockey, can introduce you to other mechanics in the game like jumping. Sure, even in the regular putt-putt mode you use jumping when you fall in a water area, but in hoops it is mandatory. Hockey has it’s moments where jumping can be useful, but that is player discretion. These game modes are nice additions and are what makes this game more of a party game rather than just a putt-putt gathering game.
Now, the power-ups option is in the pre-game settings that you can modify before starting. Of course, you can use these settings to change numerous things for the game, adding another bonus amount of content that helps make this more of a party game, but the main game-changer is the power-ups. This will add tokens for the player to collect by hitting their ball through them, much like the power-up boxes from Mario cart. Once you do this, you will be given a random power-up that will either aid you or hurt your opponent(s). This power-up will be replaced if you go through another token and don’t use it, but if timed well enough you can use your current power-up before grabbing another token to get a second one to use on the same turn. Power-ups can be used as long as the ball is in motion; there are no other criteria for their use.
Visual
While holding a cartoon-style overall, the game has a beautiful atmosphere and the maps do a great job showing off their environment. There are some maps that are more intricately set up than others, both in design and map layout, but that just adds to the difficulty range the various maps provide.
Sounds
There isn’t a large variety of music options, but each map is given is own unique track. All of the music can easily be described as “yeah, this is kind of what I would expect to hear when playing putt-putt somewhere in real life.” Other than that, they do have good sound effects added that helps bring each maps atmosphere to a semi-realistic level.
Replayability
You can play this game as much as you want! Change the settings to change up the game style, try different game modes, play with friends locally or online, create challenges for yourself or your party to play through, and the list goes on. As long as you can have fun by yourself or with your friends while playing putt-putt golf, there will always be a reason to come back to this game.
What Could Be Better
I felt like the hoops game mode could use some tightening. It seemed like the game didn’t always register when the ball went through the hoop. There were plenty of times I was more than sure I made it, yet the game didn’t register it.
Camera angles are incredibly wonky and difficult to work with. It would be nice to have a zoom option so the player could pull away from the ball rather than constantly being right up on it. Especially when you get next to a wall and the camera starts freaking out because of the collision, yet there are no options to just pan away from the ball a little to give more visibility for the player.
They should add a ghost power meter. By this, I mean that they should show on the meter itself where the player last powered up to. Often times my wife and I would use too much power and end up going out of bounds, but when it was our turn again we didn’t recall how much power we used last time. It would have been nice to have a ghost power meter showing me the last amount of power I used.
The way that player turns are set up simply doesn’t follow properly. It shouldn’t be “the first player always goes first” because then it makes for an uneven amount of turns. If a player sinks a putt before another player, then the player that won the last hole should go first. If for no other reason, they have to sit there and watch the remaining player(s) take turns, possibly multiple turns, in order to complete the putt that they finished already.
Conclusion
Golf With Your Friends is a great putt-putt party game! Sure, it has a few issues to work on, but these are aspects that can be updated to the game through continued development. I’m not sure why this game took so long to complete, but I am happy to see it finished and on multiple platforms. It is a worthy game to get for anyone looking for a way to play putt-putt from home or online with their friends.
