A Little Golf Journey

A few weeks ago, I wrote a preview on Okidokico's latest title, a truly wholesome and calming golf game called A Little Golf Journey. While it hasn't been long since then, this game has now been released, which has led me to dive back into it, except this time on the Nintendo Switch, to see if its vibrant colour palette and simplistic control scheme transferred from PC to Nintendo's console.

But, before I dive into the intricacies of this system, what is A Little Golf Journey? This delightful compact title is based around a golfing adventure, where the player must travel across a variety of biomes and unique levels to unravel a story that is being slowly detailed, world by world, via a series of postcards sent by another golfer who seems to be on a similar journey, just a few steps ahead of you.

The narrative isn't really a major part of the game, more so just an added extra that serves to give this experience a little bit of extra personality. The bulk of what is on offer in A Little Golf Journey comes in its gameplay, which alike on PC, on the Switch is very easy to pick up and understand.

The objective of the game is as you would expect, to get the ball in the hole at the end of the course. Doing so will involve navigating a range of hazards and obstacles, and while A Little Golf Journey hasn't been designed to be difficult, the player is encouraged to get the job done in as few shots as possible to earn the most stars each level offers.

The gameplay mechanics revolve around aiming and judging the power of each shot, and this is done (on the Switch) with the analog sticks and the triggers, with the latter being used for power and even focussing, so that the shot is more accurate. It's a system that is at its core incredibly easy to pick up, but involves a level of mastery, as without focussing, the further you aim a shot the less accurate it will be, and it's up to the player to take a bit of a punt on shots like this as in return you might get longer or shorter shots that better befit where you want the ball to land. Obviously using this method will make you much more prone to taking bad shots that either miss the target, or rather land out of bounds, each of which will require you to take extra shots to correct these mistakes.

And that's about all there is to know when it comes to gameplay. A Little Golf Journey is that simple to understand. It's in the alternative objectives where more content, which often requires you to do some unusual things, does the game fill out. For example, most levels are ridden with secrets that you can discover, some of which will be hidden holes that open new levels on the world map, with others being wisps, glowing balls of light that ask you to follow them over a level to unlock a secret. Finding and completing secrets adds a huge amount of replayability to this game, and it's actually rewarding to do so, as the levels that secrets unlock reward stars, which are used in turn for unlocking new regions and sections on the world map.

As for the world map, this is designed like a Super Mario Bros. game, with a mainline path that hits a bunch of levels that need to be completed before the next ones unlock, but it also splits when secrets are discovered to take you on paths to find new levels. The world map, despite being connected, also spans a range of biomes, including the first, which is a bog-standard grassy, forested location, to deserts, icy wildernesses, and even futuristic neon landscapes. Each world gets progressively more difficult to beat, and requires more and more stars to unlock, but none are dull or lacking, or fail to entertain.

When I wrote the preview, I mentioned how the visuals for A Little Golf Journey are also a highlight. They are vibrant, colourful, and eye-catching, and from my experience, it doesn't matter whether you are using a PC or a Switch, the game looks fantastic across the board. It's worth mentioning here that the controls are also well designed and implemented on the Switch (as they were on mouse and keyboard), regardless of whether you are using a controller or the attached Joy-Cons in handheld mode.

And that about sums up my experience with this game. A Little Golf Journey is still a genuinely relaxing and fun title, which is hard to fault. It's not overly complex or challenging, and that's what makes it such a delight to play. It's the sort of game that's perfect for lazy Sunday morning, or take a load off on a busy weekday evening, and is equally enjoyable regardless of the platform you choose to explore it on.