PREVIEW : Golfie (PC)
In Golfie, you’ll be playing a sequence of randomly created holes that will make you doubt your own life as your shot ricochets off the globe for the tenth time. Golfie combines deckbuilding and minigolf in the only game where you may gather and design a deck of cards to improve and change real-time golf shots. Card skills range from boosting the range or elevation of a basic shot to out-of-this-world capabilities and power-ups that can be combined for spectacular results. But watch out: if you finish below par, you’ll lose some energy, and once it’s gone, the run is over.
Each run necessitates strategy, forethought, and dexterity. Create one-of-a-kind decks to uncover astonishing new ways to play and give you the ability to pull off a few amazing strikes.
In the single-player rpg campaign, you must beat 18 holes from an infinite supply of randomly created stages. Collect cards to customise the deck, and apply special modifiers to get benefits and powers – all of which can be combined to make absolutely unique shots.
On each level, the less bullets you take, the more money you receive. When you run out of shots, you start to lose energy. When your ball falls into the chasm, sea, lava, or other hazards, it loses energy. When it runs out, the run is ended, and you’re given a score to assess how poorly you performed in comparison to other players. You’ll never run out of holes to play thanks to daily runs, limitless modes, and seeded runs. During each run, gain experience to unlock a larger pool of cards and customising possibilities, then return to the course with even more alternatives.
The more you fall down the rabbit hole, the more difficult it becomes to overcome the hurdles. And each biome poses its own set of difficulties. Simply aiming in the approximate direction of the hole will not enough. Golfie is presently available in Early Access, with more single-player and multiplayer content planned in the future. For an estimate of when things will happen, see our most recent Roadmap.
To get new cards and benefits, you’ll need to bop more crystals or utilise a vending machine to spend your hard-earned cash. Once the routes get to be a mile long and loaded with every kind of rage-inducing barrier, the basic chips could only carry you so far. It’s a great mix of golf and roguelike gameplay. It contains fun ability cards that you can mix to gain more power, curve, place leaping pads, and more. I really hope they add visual occlusion filtering because the camera gets a little too close on some tight levels, making it difficult to gain an overview – but for the first week of early access, this game get off to a great start.
It’s quite cool how the cards combine with the concept of mini-golf. A variety of cards can be used to alter your shots. A powerful shot allows the ball to travel further. A lob shot launches it into the air, while a curve shot does exactly what it says on the tin. When all three of these elements are combined, you get a strong curved shot which flies. Although this is a fantastic game with a brilliant concept, it could need more of everything; some mini golf games are far less expensive than this one. But you won’t be able to duplicate this game’s gameplay; it’s you vs the course, so take your time.
Another thing I’d want is a gradient layer; it’s often difficult to determine which slopes are which, but that’s just me becoming a golf nerd.
When you add in the wackier cards, it gets even wackier. You could, for example, hit the ball against a tree with a sticky card. This will allow you to take the following image from the same tree. With a jet pack, you can happily rocket the ball around the course, only to lament when you find you have sloth-like timing and drop the ball off the map.
Each card generates heat, and dealing with moist balls is not a pleasant experience. When you apply too much heat, it explodes and consumes some of your energy. However, some cards allow you to lower the heat level so you can keep slapping it with fresh toys.
Certain cards are best adapted for only certain ecoregions, and you must consider this when building your deck. It works incredibly well and is a great deal of fun. You must continually choose between heading directly for the hole and attempting to collect coins, perks, and new cards. Because you’ll need them as the levels become more difficult. This game’s card system is a lot of fun. There might be a multitude of approaches to completing these stages, and I appreciate the level of innovation involved. My only criticism is that on several levels, my ball became stuck and I was unable to complete the level.
Overall, Golfie is a pleasant mini golf game with a lot of great features and a unique roguelike structure that allows for infinite modification and creativity when it comes to solving levels. You’ll keep coming back for more thanks to the leaderboards and weekly challenges. I’m really pleased with this golf game, and I’ll definitely be playing it again.
The ability to use a chute to block the shot, transfer it to a better spot, or redirect it using a redirection card becomes increasingly valuable as the run becomes more difficult.
It’s one of the most original rogue-lite deck-building games I’ve ever encountered. It gives a humorous spin on the classic physics game of smacking balls around.
Golfie is an early release game, so expect a lack of material. To its credit, however, the game does not feel incomplete. I’d never suspect Golfie was in early access if it weren’t for the “Coming Soon” banner on the multiplayer menu icon.
Rather, it feels like a completed game with limited material, if that makes sense. The card selection isn’t extensive, and you can acquire all of them in just an hour. Despite the fact that the courses are procedurally generated, they are essentially a collection of obstacles chained together.
It just needs a little bit more of almost everything. The good news is that during its early access time, it will most likely get the variety it need. The fact that the game appears to be feature-complete is a plus, as every addition will feel like an improvement rather than just filling in gaps that the game would otherwise lack.
Even though it’s early access, I’m forced to rate the game as though the makers abandoned it. Regardless of how implausible it is. And whether I’d be willing to pay for the game they’d left behind. Golfie’s chances of surviving are currently slim.
Golfie isn’t the first minigolf game to have unusual courses. However, the deck-building and rogue-lite components set it distinct from the rest. If you like one or both concepts, it’s certainly entertaining.
There can be some irritation, both with your own abilities and with the game’s idiosyncrasies. I was able to get the ball in.
