Many people may not realize it, but golf games were one of the first sports titles to make the jump from the real world to personal computers. And believe it or not, some of the very first golf games were all text adventures where players would be told about the distance to the hole and the conditions, and were tasked with typing back about which club they wanted to use and how hard to hit the ball. And believe it or not, in an era when most games were still in their infancy, it was pretty fun to play that way. Most players were able to imagine that they were out there on the links as part of the PGA Tour, at least in their minds.
It’s probably that rich history that has helped golf maintain such a huge popularity among gamers, with developers trying to outdo one another in terms of realism and graphical fidelity with each new generation of console or uptick in PC processing power. The Golf Club was one of the most recent of those high-fidelity titles to try and fully mimic the look and feel of actual gameplay. According to the developers, that game’s creation was rooted in their love of both golf and computer games, so a natural fit for them, and also a big commercial success.
Golf, alongside of other genres like fishing, driving, online baccarat and, oddly enough, commanding WWII submarines (in classic games like Gato), form a rather rich history for realistic computer simulations and games.
And then there are some developers who really want to lean into the game aspect of golfing, tossing away the rules in favor of pure fun. Mario Golf: Super Rush is a perfect example of those kinds of golf titles.
And now we have the release of Cursed to Golf from Thunderful and Chuhai Labs for every major console and PC, which takes that zaniness even further.
Calling their game ‘Golf-Like,’ as opposed to a realistic simulation, Cursed to Golf drives its way onto PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch today. Cursed to Golf is a genre-twisting 2D roguelite golfer title that features outlandish special abilities, diverse biomes, challenging bosses and a soundtrack that slaps harder than any heard in a golf game before.
Editor’s Note: GiN’s Modern Gamer will be reviewing Cursed to Golf in the near future, so stay tuned.
“We’re so excited that people are finally being let loose on our dungeon-like course today on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC,” said Chuhai Labs’ Game Director Liam Edwards. “Best of luck beating my scores on the online leaderboard!”
“A quote? Dude I dunno, just like… buy it,” said Mark Lentz, Producer at Chuhai Labs. “It’s a Thursday, treat yourself.”
Step into the (golf) shoes of a would-be golf champion who tragically dies just as he’s about to win a tournament. Instead of making it to heaven (or hell), you find yourself in Golf Purgatory. If you can golf your way through the ever-changing 18 hole course spread across four biomes (Purgatory, The Oasis, The Caverns and Hell), you’ll be able to ascend back to life. Prepare for dungeon-like holes, often with multiple paths to the flag, littered with Grave Grabbers, deadly spikes, explosive TNT boxes and all manner of other traps and hazards.
Fear not, cursed golfer. For all the hazards that stand in your path, consider Chuhai Labs your friendly caddy, handing you a host of helpful tools to give you a chance of overcoming them. Shot Idols are a blessing from the golf god, awarding you extra shots for smashing through them, teleporters will take you closer to the flag, even TNT boxes can sometimes hide shortcuts, should you detonate them properly! On top of that, ACE CARDS offer you awesome single-use abilities that you could never use in real life. Rewind time with a Mulligan, freeze water with the Ice Ball, guide your ball to its target with the Rocket Ball, get out of sticky situations with a Portal and blast your ball into three with the Scattershot. These are just a few of the over 20 power ups you’ll have access to.
In between holes, you’ll be able to drive around the map in your Golf Cart. You might discover some treasure chests, card packs, or come across a totally-not-shady-at-all guy who will meet you at forks in the road and help you choose a path to take. It’s always a good idea to stop by the Eterni-Tee shop to buy card booster packs, switch up your outfit, or store a few special cards in your binder so they can survive in between runs.
We can’t wait for the review of this one.