Do you hate Golf? Of course you do. The clothing is ridiculous, the players appear pretentious, and those tiny golf carts would be much more useful launching off of ramps rather than strolling leisurely to the putting green. What The Golf? by Triband Productions is billed as the golf game for people who hate golf. Our What The Golf? review will answer whether you and your Golf loathing ways will find solace in this action puzzle title.
If there is one kind of Golf that everyone can get behind, it’s Miniature Golf. In Miniature Golf you have dozens of courses that depict interesting settings, with abstract obstacles, that you have to overcome to complete the objective of getting a tiny ball into a slightly larger hole. What The Golf? (WTG) takes this premise, tee’s it up with a heaping dose of comical concepts, and wallops it with some addictive puzzle gameplay. The premise of Golf is an undercurrent that runs through WTG, but even after several levels, you may never truly know what to expect.
As you navigate your way through several levels disguised as “lab experiments” you will find themed areas that can range anywhere from the void of space, to mimicking some of the most popular video games in existence, you may never truly know what your end objective is. Realistically, you will probably spend the first round testing the waters to see what apparatus you have to utilize. For example, one of the most comical jokes is a man standing at a Golf tee. When you press the button to hit the ball, rather than hitting the ball, you actually fling the man in a ragdoll fashion instead. The joke still plays every time I see it, but there is nothing like the first time you experience this, as it sets the tone of everything you encounter thereafter.
In the campaign, each level has its own set of initial challenges, such as just getting to a goal-line of some sort. The initial puzzle is just finding out how that level works. Later on, you’ll realize that you will have to go back and complete additional objectives to earn crowns so you can continue through the various lab experiments. This gives the opportunity to revisit levels you already completed, but it also opens the way for new jokes that are usually displayed by way of pun once you complete a level. The jokes land predominantly as “dad jokes”, but every now and then you’ll find something pop-culture related that deserves a chuckle or two.
What The Golf? is a solid puzzle game with some light action concepts. It’s certainly suitable for players of all ages, but some of the jokes probably won’t land on the younger generations. In addition to the campaign, there is also a multiplayer option for up to 2 players, daily challenges, achievements, and an impossible challenge, for those that are willing to take on the impossible. WTG is a fun little diversion, made for those that love the fantasy of mini golf but mixed with the imagination of a middle-aged comedic father. What The Golf is available on the Nintendo Switch now.
