Cursed to Golf

Genre: Sports (Golf) / Roguelike

Players: 1

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Review:

Cursed to Golf, released in 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, is a side-scrolling Golf game with Roguelike elements that puts players in the role of a golfer who gets struck by lightning and finds himself in the afterlife, but is told he can be resurrected if he completes a fiendish 18-hole golf course.

The presentation in this game uses wonderful cartoony 2D pixel art visuals with some nice animation, with some catchy synthesized music to back it up, all backed by a great style that gives this game an adorably spooky vibe.

When it comes to the gameplay, this takes the standard side-scrolling Golf game and makes things interesting by adding all sorts of helpful and unhelpful devices and hazards, as well as “ace cards” you can collect and use at any time to give yourself a bonus, whether that’s extending the par on a hole, empowering your shot in some way, or giving you some other sort of temporary upgrade. You’ll need the help too, because these courses can be fiendish and bordering on impossible without getting the help of these bonuses.

The ace cards form a large part of the game’s Roguelike elements, and I think they do a fantastic job of giving you different opportunities in each run. However, it would have been nice if these Roguelike elements were expanded on, perhaps giving players more than just a few slots for “pin” upgrades that last the entire run. It definitely feels like they could have taken this idea farther. Also, I’m frustrated that when you’re using the driver for a long-distance shot, the game won’t let you zoom out the camera far enough to see where the shot will land, something that’s really important if you want both distance and precision.

There’s definitely room for improvement in Cursed to Golf, but even with its flaws this is still probably the best side-scrolling Golf game I think I’ve played. The various cards and abilities help to offset the difficulty so often present in this game, without removing it entirely, and at the same time these additions add a nice amount of variety to the game. Add to that a charming presentation, and you have a delightful take on the genre that’s well worth picking up.

tl;dr – Cursed to Golf is a side-scrolling Golf game with Roguelike elements where players try to get through 18 fiendish holes of golf in the afterlife to win their way back to the living world. The Roguelike elements here don’t go quite as far as I’d like, but what’s here is wonderful and not only adds a lot of great variety, but helps to mitigate the high challenge this style of game has. Plus, the presentation is adorable. This game has room for improvement, but what’s here is still delightful, and those who find this concept appealing should absolutely give this game a try.

Grade: B

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