A Sports RPG Done Right: Golf Story Review
- Patrick Bardenett
- Nov 2, 2017
- 3 min read
When the Nintendo Switch came out, Nintendo knew they were going to have to rely on exclusives to compete with the well-established PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Classic characters such as Mario and Link were going to lead the way forward, both in sales and popularity. Debut titles of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8, and even Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle were the best bets to top the charts. What no one, not even Nintendo, could predict, was that a small indie game exclusive to the Switch would top the charts for weeks at a time and continue to stay in the top three most downloaded on the Nintendo eShop.
Enter Golf Story.
For a mere 15 dollars, the adventure begins with heroic sense of urgency to live up to your father’s legacy and to compete on the Pro Tour. As you learn about both yourself and the world around you, Golf Story creates the perfect learning curve to allow the player to pursue excellence while still enjoying the game at a reasonable rate. Throughout the journey, players find themselves in a Pokémon like atmosphere in the sense that completing tasks often leads to a domino effect of furthering the story. With bit-like graphics and enjoyable text bubbles, Golf Story has all the nostalgia any long time gamer could desire and the simplicity any new gamer could want.
Speaking of simplicity, playing the game could not have any simpler controls. Similar to Mario Golf, tapping (A) creates the distance and accuracy, and the game often boils down to the timing mechanism set in place. Where the strokes are often made up, though is through learning the delicacies of the game through trials and tribulations. Wind speeds, slopes of the green, and more often contribute to the success or failure of the impending shot. Where the game truly shines though is the perfect blend of the RPG elements meeting the Golf Simulation.
Much of Golf Story’s charm comes from the beautiful forge of the best of RPG games and sports competitiveness. Increasing your player’s stats has drastic implications as to how you use your player throughout the rest of your adventure. One thing that should be noted though is that your ability to hit the ball far (Distance Stat Points) can be reduced or added to throughout the game to encourage players to try different techniques through their quest to be the best.
Zany quests and humorous dialogue highlight much of the RPG –style campaign mode that the game was built upon, however the multiplayer options still hold their respective ground. With the ability to choose the course, green speed, clubs, and much more, each round is a different experience from the last, leading to an increased sense of replay-ability most RPGs can lack and most sports games can thrive upon. No matter the lie, distance, or wind, Golf Story strikes the ball true.
With all the new releases that have come out and the plenty that are due out this month, Golf Story shouldn’t and hasn’t been lost in the mix. With a genuine attention to detail often lacking in sports games, its emphasis on the player and their mechanics is the focal point of an enjoyable and lasting journey. It’d be hard to review Golf Story without mentioning that it's serviceable Career Mode is a full fledged story lasting upwards of 15 to 20 Hours. Repetition is always the worry in a simplistic style game, but with fresh courses, adventures, and NPCs, Golf Story always keeps the player on their toes as they go onward to pursue their ultimate goal.
Final Verdict: Golf Story is a lovable tale with easy-to-learn/hard-to-master mechanics that reward the player for embracing their own play-style, which is often lacking from popular sports simulations. Find some spare change and buy this indie title on the Switch, and enjoy the wacky, beautiful, and genuinely enjoyable journey Golf Story takes you through.
Patrick Bardenett, Contributor
Patrick is one of Game Chop's first contributors. He covers reviews and news, and keeps his finger on the pulse of the indie game field. He enjoys story-driven games, and loves diving into the more complicated plots of some of the world's best games.
Comments