Published by RedDeer.Games, Golfinite contains typical 3-hit meter-based gameplay but it’s the approach that sets it apart for better and worse.
Caught awkwardly between a realistic sim and fantasy, this is actually a really strange golf game. Presented through a pleasant pixel art style, players will play on courses composed of typical grass, forested areas, and desert landscapes. However, these standard golf environments are littered with teleporters, occasional strong winds, and turtles that bump your ball if it lands within their territory. In other words, it has a seemingly real world look but contains cartoonish, video gamey elements.
Golfinite is a strange golf game because the expected golf options are nowhere to be found. For example, I was assuming to choose between stroke play, a tournament mode, and a practice option from the main menu. Instead, players must first complete several mini game-like shots in order to earn stars. Once enough stars have been collected, then the first tournament becomes playable. The tournament, however, contains steep challenge as the player is under powered and each hole essentially demands perfection.
Like Mario Golf, the player can hit longer drives and straighter shots over time by assigning skill points. So the RPG mechanics are there but I found this game element to be tedious and unbalanced. In order to have a chance at a succeeding in a tournament, grinding will need to be involved. Playing those mini games, like landing numerous shots near the pin from the tee, gets repetitive within a short amount of time. To quickly summarize, it takes a while to get to the good stuff and the good stuff doesn’t necessarily justify the amount of work required.
There are several little annoyances that really add up quickly too. For example, after hitting the tee shot, the game doesn’t auto align that 2nd or 3rd shot directly at the hole. There is an option to zoom out so the entire hole can be seen at a glance, but the player cannot move the aiming cursor when in this view, which makes lining up shots more difficult than it needs to be.
However, the worst part comes from the short chips and shot puts. I cannot tell you how many strokes it cost me when the ball would bounce over the hole because it is easy to overshoot the shortest lengths. I feel as though the game should just automatically sink the putt for you if with a few feet to speed up gameplay and to avoid making these super frustrating shots miss. There is no need for it and can honestly break the game. Also, there are only a few tunes in the game but the main theme that plays during each hole is rather pleasant although it doesn’t really fit the mood of a golf game. Instead, I feel like this musical soundtrack would be better suited to a hero venturing through a magical forest in a classic RPG.
Golfinite deserves some recognition for trying to be something a little different but most of the design chooses are odd and half baked. Like a tee shot that lands in an uphill bunker, its going to be a double bogey at best.
SCORE: 5/10
Not As Good As: Mario Golf (GBC)
Give It A Shot: the original NES Golf
Wait For It: another mini golf game with crazy golf powers and obstacle fill courses
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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