Golf With Your Family
I’m not normally a fan of golf. Wandering across grass trying to get a small ball into a small hole is tedious to me. However, Crazy Golf is genuinely a bit of fun. It’s hectic and weird but requires a completely different way of thinking. After all, there are plenty more obstacles aside from grass and sand.
But there’s one thing that crazy golf is inhibited by. Something that makes crazy golf video games so much better.
No need to be restricted to reality.
In a video game, reality and physics are whatever you want them to be. There are no boundaries, we can do whatever we want. Do you want to play golf in a museum? In ancient Egypt? IN SPACE? Then you can!
Golf with your friends!
Or, in my case, Golf with your Family. I actually tried this game on a free weekend, along side my brother, my sister and her BF. The majority of the game was perfectly playable, and it was a stark change of pace compared to what we normally play.
Anyway, Golf with your Friends is a crazy golf video game that somewhat takes it up a notch. There are a multitude of different, reality-defying golf courses to play with, spanning all sorts of weird areas and periods of history. Every golf course introduces new mechanics based on the setting of each map. The courses all have 18 varied holes, and are all actually quite pretty to look at.
Controls are relatively simple. The most-used button is the M1 key or left click on your mouse, which controls the direction you are aiming and how hard you hit the ball. It also controls the ability to make your ball jump, if enabled in pre-game options. However, the most useful feature is Free Camera mode, which lets you look at the whole map. However, it only lasts 15 seconds, so use it wisely.
While the graphic are nice, but the music is kinda just there. Doesn’t really do much for me.
Frustrating and fun at the same time.
As fun as Golf with your Friends is, it can quickly become somewhat frustrating. Each course has 18 holes, but the holes all vary greatly. In some maps, there is a steady increase of difficulty and an introduction to new mechanics. In others, the difficulty doesn’t scale linearly at all, and the last hole can be easier. Finally, some courses are all over the damn place, with the very first hole being far, far more difficult than upcoming later holes.
The most frustrating map by far though was the Worms map. This map’s mechanic is the Jet Pack, that lets you fly. However, when using a jet pack, but you can’t really control it at all. It’s al momentum-based, which means the jet pack can very easily send you in the wrong direction, with no way to correct it.
There’s also a lot of different game modes and they are all also pretty frustrating. The power-ups are infuriating since they screw with the ability to, well, actually play the game. And a lot of the secondary game modes kinda make no sense. Why would you want to play basketball in a crazy golf game?
A game best played drunk?
Overall, the family did very much enjoy Golf with your Friends. It’s a fun, simple game on the surface, but there are a lot of frustrating moments. However, if you are in a very I-don’t-give-a-fuck mood, Golf with Friends is a lot more fun. And drinking probably helps with that.