Two things are certain when it comes to miniature golf games; they are consistently good fun and they are a dime a dozen. Rarely does a new game, for all its colour and over-the-top takes on the classic pastime, do something fundamentally new and entertaining with the subject matter. Not so for Golf Gang, though. A title daring to combine mini golf with calamitous competitive racing, Golf Gang offers a necessary and enticing refresh to a frequent favourite party game format. The question, as ever, is does it come off condor?
Low-quality golf puns aside, Golf Gang is good clean fun. As the store descriptors aptly suggest, the new hybrid sport that the team at Lazy Monday have created dictates equal parts “frenzy and finesse” as you combine classic putting prowess with fast-paced competitive action. No more waiting for the last player to take their shots – you can be sure they’re on their way as the race for the finish is as critical as nailing the target. An unnatural pairing though it may seem, Golf Gang sells itself swiftly and sweetly with the fundamentals. And there is plenty to appreciate beyond those, too.
Across a variety of modes and making use of a raft of mutators akin to both Golf It! and Golf With Your Friends (see low gravity, ball sizes, the usual), Golf Gang ensures that the map, feature and gameplay options are fun and plentiful from the point of purchase. As with all of the genre titles which preceded it, though, the game really comes into its own when playing mods with friends. Naturally, this is where things get “silly”, with over-the-top designs providing please and pain to the players aplenty. The mod scene is still warming up but with intuitive and enticing creative options on the table, it will no doubt continue to grow and flourish.
What is truly great about the modding scene for Golf Gang is the ability for creators to adapt as much as they desire to the game using Unity. Whilst some competitors offer built-in tools for adapting maps, Golf Gang goes the whole hog and puts balls, accessories, maps and the kitchen sink in the hands of the community to do with as they will. It is rare (though, naturally modders always find a way) for a team to declare “have at it!” in such a broad, open and positive way. Only time will tell how popular this offer will be and just how far a said community will go…
What Golf Gang also does which sets it somewhat aside from its neighbours is the offering of a mild, low-stakes but highly-attractive competitive side to proceedings. Beating your mates is one form of victory, of course, but topping the leaderboard offers an opportunity to transcend a small win upwards to notoriety and glory. Ok, a slight oversell for a fun, casual golf game perhaps, but it is good to see some thought going into both community and player retention in this field. After all, who doesn’t want to be the VERY best?
If the question in your head amidst all of this has simply been “is this a fun spin on golf games?” then rest assured the answer is yes. And truly, whilst all of the creativity and competitiveness on the table is great to see and welcome, the most fun to be had in Golf Gang is, as ever, in multiplayer chilling with the crew and laughing the night away. Mini golf games are already, and will more than likely continue to be, a top pick amongst my gaming friends and Golf Gang has been a fun alternative to the norm to jump in on. If you have already played the big-name titles in this field for hours on end, spend a little pocket money on Golf Gang and embrace the calamity it offers.
Grab your copy of Golf Gang here – https://store.steampowered.com/app/1151050/Golf_Gang/
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