A typical golf video game has six or seven courses and well over 100 holes.of cursed by golf? Only one 18-hole course. And struggling to get out of a sand trap doesn’t bogey you as much as your eternal doom.
This is not your typical golf video game. This is the toughest, creative twist on the golf formula I’ve ever played. And I haven’t finished those 18 holes yet.
in the meantime cursed by golf It has core similarities to the traditional game of golf (hitting the ball with a stick until it hits the hole), but it quickly deviates significantly from that model.
Here the number of strokes to complete each hole is limited. If you run out of strokes, you are dead. literally. You will be sucked into the portal and have to start over at Hole 1.typical hole cursed by golf It may take 20 or more strokes to complete, but you can start with much fewer strokes to start with. You must earn more strokes by destroying the statues scattered around each course.
Image: Chuhai Labs/Thunderful
There’s also an array of consumable cards to give you an edge. The simplest is a mulligan, which allows you to redo a shot without reducing your stroke total. But they get weird from there. With the push of a button he splits one card into three balls he splits into three and from the three balls he can choose one to hit the next shot. Another has the possibility to stop time at a moment of your choosing and freeze the ball in place before dropping it straight down, saving you from danger. There are dozens of these cards, and it’s important to know when to use them to make the most of a situation. You can get the benefits of statues without spending a stroke.
While it may seem like a tremendous advantage, you should use these cards judiciously on your 18-hole journey. It’s easy to fall behind in stroke count and start burning your cache of cards until you have no chance of surviving a hole.
![Destroy the statue in Cursed to Golf](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CjNQHK6wmOypLDQ43YsdoWLk5cI=/0x0:3840x2160/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3840x2160):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23949397/c2g_3.jpeg)
Image: Chuhai Labs/Thunderful
Due to these changes, cursed by golf It’s much more intense and strategic than most golf games, and usually puts you in a meditative trance. dark soul It’s made, but it feels more like a hardcore roguelike like Spelunky HD When kill the spireA moment of careless play can lead to catastrophe.
There is also an element of randomness to deal with.It’s a little unfair to say cursed by golf It’s actually procedurally generated, so there are only 18 holes. The placement of hazards and statues changes each time you start from scratch, so you can’t remember the most effective way to get through every hole.
To make things even more confusing, there are course themes that change every few holes, with ruined temples, jungles, and other fantastic regions. Each theme comes with its own set of traps and features (the trajectory of your ball). Going through a new theme for the first time will definitely lead to death as you misunderstand the danger and burn a handful of strokes trying to get past it. As with the best roguelikes, failure will eventually lead you to mastering the zone and even harder challenges.
most cursed by golfThe twist of the formula works well, but there are some complaints related to some of the game design decisions. Visibility is severely restricted when I often hit the ball somewhat blindly, especially when it comes to long-range, full-power shots with a driver. It mimics real golf and its blind doglegs, but video game golf usually gives you a clearer picture of where you’re actually aiming.of cursed by golfcontains several guesses, and a wrong guess can quickly end the run. But there are also things you can prepare for by playing more conservatively.
but cursed by golfThis is a testament to the skill of developers Chuhai Labs, and they were willing to take such risks with such a proven formula that even after several punishing deaths I would not quit. And I won’t stop until I finally remove this dreaded albatross from my neck.
cursed by golf Released August 18th on Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. This game was reviewed on PC using a pre-release download code provided by Chuhai Labs. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.