Developer: Chuhai Labs
Publisher: Thunderful Publishing
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Cursed to Golf – Review
One thing that makes roguelikes so fun is that they come in so many different flavors. From typical platform adventures through shooters to card games, every genre has some roguelike variants popping up these days as they’re extremely popular. Cursed to Golf was made by Chuhai Labs and as the title suggests, it is a golf game that plays out like a roguelike. An odd combo, but pulled off in a way that really works. And with its setting being purgatory, it couldn’t be a better game to get into around Halloween.
Story
The game is clever in that it combines the tutorial and plot setup into one. You start the game at the world championship of golf, learning how to play while your character attempts the final hole which would win them the title of world champion. That’s a lot of pressure, so imagine their disappointment when they get hit by lightning just as they’re about to win. The lightning kills them on impact and throws them into golf purgatory where they meet an eccentric ghost calling himself ‘The Scotsman’. The Scotsman explains that the place the main character has ended up in is somewhat between life and death, meaning not all hope is lost. While it’s nearly impossible, golfing your way through eighteen consecutive holes would allow you to ascend back to the world of the living. Of course, our main character isn’t deterred by this challenge. No matter how many tries it will take.
While it’s not the main focus of the game, there is actually a semblance of plot here. Between levels, you encounter other ghostly characters of purgatory in cutscenes, and in these, you do actually learn more about this strange place and how your character ended up cursed to be stuck there.
Graphics
Cursed to Golf has a delightful retro art style that makes beautiful use of colors to make things pop. Near the start of the game, the screen even has a rounded border around it to enhance the feeling that you’re playing it on an arcade machine. You can choose to play the game like this or go for a more traditional full-screen approach but whichever the case, the game looks great. While the levels themselves might not have that much variety in their general style, there are several worlds with their own aesthetic theme and those changing backgrounds and colors keep things fresh.
Sound
We can say the same thing here as we did above: Cursed to Golf is delightfully retro. The music will be sure to induce 16-bit nostalgia in many players. Tracks differ between locations and holes, never playing long enough that they’d get on your nerves. There’s no voice acting, but each character has their own unique vocalizations that still give them a ‘voice’ and this adds some personality to the already unique designs.
Gameplay
Cursed to Golf is a golfing game that includes elements which surpass both the roguelike and deck builder genres. All the basic golfing elements are present: you have different clubs to choose from which will change how hard you hit the ball. You also decide the strength and angle of each hit and try to get to the little flag at the end of the course. Free camera movement makes it easier for you to judge where to aim. Unlike most golf courses though, the ones in Cursed to Golf are not a straight line but rather winding dungeons with obstacles, teleporters, TNT, and other strange things that you have to take into account.
Each run generates its own unique map of eighteen holes for you to beat, as well as stores and surprise loot. Between worlds, you face a boss battle, which essentially means going up against an AI-controlled character with you both trying to complete the hole first. With over seventy holes in total and only eighteen you will play in any given run, there’s enough variety to keep things interesting even if you die and need to restart several times. “Dying in a golf game?” we can hear you ask in surprise. Yes, since you only have a limited amount of hits to complete the hole, you can actually lose. Thankfully there are special statues on each level that give you extra hits when you smash them.
Further helping you is your deck of aces, which are cards with special powers that you can use to gain an edge. Anything from exploding obstacles to stopping time to reversing your most recent move. These cards can really help you in a pinch and are essential to winning your run. Each hole you complete gives you money that you can spend in stores to buy more cards for your deck. As is typical for roguelikes too, you can purchase and unlock upgrades that will stay active for your next run so you gradually become stronger even after failure. The only issue one could have with the game is that the courses are quite elaborate, meaning they take a long time to finish. Too long for a roguelike, really. One run can easily take a ridiculous amount of time this way.
Conclusion
Cursed to Golf is an amusing combo of different gameplay elements that blend really well together and are also contained in a package that looks and sounds great. If roguelikes are your style, give it a try. Even if you’re not too big on golf games, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you’re an avid golf fan, this will be up your alley too.
Cursed to Golf - Review,
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