Every once in a while, a title comes along and really surprises you...really makes you want to play it start to finish. Golf Story on the Nintendo Switch somehow became one of those games. Golf Story is a golf/RPG hybrid game done in a pixel art style, but that barely starts to describe the adventure you are about to go on.





Golf Story is the story of a kid who wants to disprove his father and join the golf pro tour. The exposition leaves something to be desired, but it is short, sweet, and to the point...which is where a lot of Golf Story's strengths lie. The story overall follows the kid through 8 different courses, each with their own "local map" and 9 hole challenge.

Each course in Golf Story functions in a similar manner. First, you typically need to complete challenges from NPCs scattered around the course area near the clubhouse. Eventually, you follow the story enough to be able to challenge the actual golf course and get to play a 9 hole challenge. Afterwards, it is more NPC quests and then on to the next one.


The challenges the NPCs give you can wildly range from landing shots near the pin, to running through a graveyard to charge up some electrical material before it can be forged into your new wedge, but ultimately almost all of them help improve your golf game via player skill, new gear, or cash that can be spent on new gear.

The game's local areas also have one really neat feature: you can drop a ball ANYWHERE and take a shot. Many of the games puzzles will actually require you to hit hidden switches, or sink hidden holes to unlock new content. The puzzles are simple enough once you figure them out, but some of the hidden stuff takes a little looking.


Sometimes you can even unlock minigames, such as minigolf, disk golf, or "Galf"- an NES Golf ripoff. Yes, you play a golf game in your golf game.

The story is full of golf quips and puns that should be relatable to anyone who has even heard the word "golf". A few slightly deeper jokes make the cut, but none that require a deep following of the sport. The story is otherwise pretty straightforward and full of tropes, but the game is short enough that the humor and the tropes do not overstay their welcome.

Presentationally, the game is quite sub-par. The graphics are typical pixel art and are done in a way where they are pretty good, without being anything to write home about. Sound design is above average, with the sounds being quite good and the music mellow enough not to get in the way of gameplay. The high-pressure putting music, and the failure sounds are particularly whimsical and reinforce that the game is a "for fun" style, and less of a sim.


Gameplay is your standard 3-click swing system, which you should be familiar with if you have ever played Mario Party or Hot Shots Golf. As you level up your golfer, you get a wider impact zone and a slower swing meter, but it doesn't really matter, as you start the game with a harder swing that you learn to work with. Otherwise, everything feels good; driving, chipping, and putting feel right at home...if not a little too easy.

Overall, Golf Story doesn't sound like something you should run onto the Nintendo E-Shop and spend $15 on, but the combination of relaxing gameplay, and a little bit of humor kept me clamoring for more at every turn. The game is never really hard, but provides a little challenge when you want it. I'd have to say that Golf Story may have been the best new game I've played in a good while, and I hope you give it a look.

Till next time,
~Neo

[img width=550 height=309]https://i.imgur.com/TlfJPX5.jpg[/img]

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