WHAT THE GOLF is a "golf" game for those of us who hate golf. Really.


You don't need to know a single thing about golf to enjoy this. It might even make you a bit sad if you love the real sport, since the game makes an absolute mockery of golf in so, so many ways that its almost criminal.

When you start the game, it looks deceptively like the real thing. You quickly realize that this is no ordinary golf... Everything you knew about the sport is thrown out of the window fast, as you progress through the levels. You would think that golf here was about putting a ball in a hole. You would be wrong.

It's hilarious how the game keeps subverting your expectations up to the very last bit of content. You don't even really strike a ball for most part. What you do strike instead is something I'm not going to spoil that much since it's part of the appeal to discover that yourself. Suffice to say that it's ridiculous, silly, surprising, and sometimes even a bit evil. So many genres are parodied that it is a joy to discover just what nefarious plans the developers have for each level. My favorite levels involved those resembling SUPERHOT and first-person shooters. Yup, this game even is an FPS. Technically. The sheer silliness of the concept works brilliantly in the games favor.

Interestingly, while the game never wastes a chance to mock golf, it is entirely, unashamedly, a game of golf. Literally *everything* you have to access in the game is through you playing golf. Want to get to the next level? Putt your ball in that hole. Want to open a door? Hit that switch with your ball. Of course, this assumes that you are controlling a golf ball to begin with... which you may not. Your golf "ball" may be a cat. It may be a bomb. May be a car. Or even a house. And why not a crab while we're at it? The targets you have to hit are even more bizarre than what you hit them with. It's also jam-packed with more puns than you could ever think about golf. So. Many. Puns.

What surprised me the most (aside from the usual "expected" surprises) was the sheer volume of content the game has. Sure, if you rush through the game, you can finish it in less than 7-8 hours. But if you want to see everything the game has to offer, including the daily challenges and extra levels added by later updates, it'll take you more than 15 hours to do them all. The main campaign consists of themed segments each with a "boss" (yes, you defeat bosses in this game). When you reach the end and defeat the final boss, it feels like winning in the sense of defeating the sport itself. Which is a grand thing. You can tell the developers had and are still having a lot of fun designing all the unique gimmicks of each level. Ever since being released the game also got some major content updates and even community-made levels.

It is quite relaxing and very Zen-like in the sense that you can just play a bit every day to chill. Sure, the harder levels are practically puzzles where you have to figure out the right way to win, but even those aren't that punishing.

This game was originally released on Apple Arcade for iOS devices. It was basically the best game I played there when my subscription lasted. Not a big fan of renting games so I was happy to buy it a little bit more permanently on a superior platform. This steam version is the best one just because of the more precise mouse controls and that you won't lose access to the game when your subscription runs out.


Would love to see a sequel someday.

[b]WHAT THE GOLF[/b] is a "golf" game for those of us who hate golf. Really. You don't need to know a single thing about golf to enjoy this. It might even make you a bit sad if you love the real sport, since the game makes an absolute mockery of golf in so, so many ways that its almost criminal. When you start the game, it looks deceptively like the real thing. You quickly realize that this is no ordinary golf... Everything you knew about the sport is thrown out of the window fast, as you progress through the levels. You would think that golf here was about putting a ball in a hole. You would be wrong. It's hilarious how the game keeps subverting your expectations up to the very last bit of content. You don't even really strike a ball for most part. What you do strike instead is something I'm not going to spoil that much since it's part of the appeal to discover that yourself. Suffice to say that it's ridiculous, silly, surprising, and sometimes even a bit evil. So many genres are parodied that it is a joy to discover just what nefarious plans the developers have for each level. My favorite levels involved those resembling SUPERHOT and first-person shooters. Yup, this game even is an FPS. Technically. The sheer silliness of the concept works brilliantly in the games favor. Interestingly, while the game never wastes a chance to mock golf, it is entirely, unashamedly, a game of golf. Literally *everything* you have to access in the game is through you playing golf. Want to get to the next level? Putt your ball in that hole. Want to open a door? Hit that switch with your ball. Of course, this assumes that you are controlling a golf ball to begin with... which you may not. Your golf "ball" may be a cat. It may be a bomb. May be a car. Or even a house. And why not a crab while we're at it? The targets you have to hit are even more bizarre than what you hit them with. It's also jam-packed with more puns than you could ever think about golf. So. Many. Puns. What surprised me the most (aside from the usual "expected" surprises) was the sheer volume of [i]content[/i] the game has. Sure, if you rush through the game, you can finish it in less than 7-8 hours. But if you want to see [i]everything[/i] the game has to offer, including the daily challenges and extra levels added by later updates, it'll take you more than 15 hours to do them all. The main campaign consists of themed segments each with a "boss" (yes, you defeat bosses in this game). When you reach the end and defeat the final boss, it feels like winning in the sense of defeating the sport itself. Which is a grand thing. You can tell the developers had and are still having a lot of fun designing all the unique gimmicks of each level. Ever since being released the game also got some major content updates and even community-made levels. It is quite relaxing and very Zen-like in the sense that you can just play a bit every day to chill. Sure, the harder levels are practically puzzles where you have to figure out the right way to win, but even those aren't that punishing. This game was originally released on Apple Arcade for iOS devices. It was basically the best game I played there when my subscription lasted. Not a big fan of renting games so I was happy to buy it a little bit more permanently on a superior platform. This steam version is the best one just because of the more precise mouse controls and that you won't lose access to the game when your subscription runs out. [h1]My rating: 8.5/10.[/h1] Would love to see a sequel someday.