Are you a golf fan? Get this game. Oh, so you're not a golf fan eh... GET THIS GAME!!!
Golf Story is an excellent little RPG, with fun and at times challenging gameplay, great characters plus an avalanche of witty and eccentric humour throughout. The art style is charmingly reminiscent of SNES era titles, and you'll travel to a variety of landscapes on your quest to become the ultimate golfer!
You play as a down-and-out young man, keen to rekindle his love for the game he spent his childhood years playing with his dad. Practice makes perfect, and while you start out as a nobody with worn-out clubs, in time you'll be levelling up your stats, purchasing better equipment and learning new techniques.
On the course you'll need to carefully consider a number of variables in order to keep your scorecard low, including wind direction, slopes, surface type and which clubs to use. Watch out for hazards though, such as water, sand, forests and yes... ducks! These can really mess up your day, but some may also provide unexpected assistance. Nothing is as satisfying as seeing your shot fall short into the lake, only to have it bounce off a turtle and reach the green.
This game is so much more than simply playing 9 holes however, and in between games you'll be helping out strangers, solving mysteries, hunting down quest items and digging up buried treasures. Ever witnessed a golf themed rap battle between a teenager and an old man? Nope, neither had I until I played this game and it's still one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
The fun isn't limited to traditional golf either, and along the way you'll be able to try your hand at mini golf, lawn bowling, disc golf, driving ranges and even an old Atari-inspired cartridge game of 'Galf'.
My only real criticism would be that there are certain bugs and glitches from time to time, though I myself never encountered anything game-breaking, and from what I remember they were few and far between.
All in all, I got 15 hours of enjoyment from the single-player, and once that's finished there's a superb multiplayer mode where you can test your skills against friends and family.
Golf Story comes highly recommended, and if you're looking for an unFOREgettable experience then pick this one up!