Normal Golf Game Review (PC)

If you’re even a passing mobile phone gamer, you’ll likely have come across the work of Luke Muscat before. Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride are some of the most iconic mobile titles out there. And so, what else to naturally follow those up with than a…golf game? And a normal one at that? Well, while I may not be a huge fan of mobile game – even those two popular ones – I absolutely am a fan of Muscat’s new work, even if it’s anything but normal.

Normal Golf Game is probably easiest described as PGA Tour meets QWOP by way of The Stanley Parable. We start the game by learning that we’ve entered a golf competition, our car has been towed (and most definitely isn’t already destroyed), and we’re down $100,000 for the entry fee to all of this. Narrator Luke Muscat (the one and only) informs us the best way forward is to just play golf, earn money, and get out of this prison of fairways and putts. 

We do this exploring this space in first person, complete with ‘excellently’ green-screened in hands and clubs. Pressing A drops a ball and we zoom out to a 3rd person viewpoint, with another ‘excellently’ green-screened character. At this point, we’re presented several windows, reminding me of the old PGA Tour titles. In the top left we have our regular viewpoint of the course, and to the right our current objective. Below is our club selection and shot angle, and in the lower right, our actual swing mechanics. 

We become very familiar with these last two in particular as they are how we play golf directly. But, much like the aforementioned QWOP or other wonky physics–based titles, this is easier said than done. Using the right stick, we swing the club towards the ball at the base of our avatar, but simply following the sticks’ outer edges will see us hitting the turf. Instead, we have to use the full space of the analogue motion to try and hit the ball. It takes some getting used to, and we fail a lot even after hours of playing, but at the same time once it clicks it feels like the only way digital golf should ever be played.

Hitting the ball flush is hard but immensely satisfying, and it’s possible to finely control not just power but angle and hit with practice. We can scoop under the ball for more lift, or top it to send it rolling. Granted, these won’t go very far, but sometimes a little nudge is all we need. 

That other little window – the shot angle one – must also be factored in of course. Simply swinging the club sees this veering off course, so using the left stick and triggers we need to try and keep this straight (or at a specific angle if that’s what’s required, wind dependent) as well as hit the ball perfectly with the other stick. It’s a little ‘pat your head and rub your tummy’ in practice, but again, once it clicks it feels fantastic to play.

Each of the clubs has a different feel to the swing, and we can also adjust our body position for more angle or power. It’s simple yet incredibly finicky, with shots easily put out of line without realisation as often as they sour exactly as we wanted them to.

We put all of this in practice in a simple 9-hole game if we want, but the bulk of Normal Golf Game is in exploring the course and trying the various challenges to earn money for new clubs and the like. These challenges range from simply landing a ball on a specific green, to slicing up watermelons as they are thrown in the air in front of us (both trickier and far more fun than personally than the phone version), or getting a hole in one on a tiny island surrounded by water. The hard challenges here really test not just our skills with the mechanics but our patience as well, often requiring restart after restart after restart to even get close to beating. 

And yet, restart again and again we did. There’s something moreish about the challenge here, and once we picked one up we really couldn’t put it down until we’d beat it. Another memorable one is smashing a pint glass on a plinth just a few yards in front of us. The accuracy required is maddening, and yet, after dozens of near misses the elation of finally smashing it felt more than worth the effort.

We’ve played this exclusively via the ROG Xbox Ally X, and it’s been a perfect place to play it. The controls work excellently and the lower visual fidelity means even on the battery it runs super smooth. We did notice some hitching on battery power if we wildly swung the club about for some reason, but this isn’t present in usual gameplay. But it’s been a blast sitting back on the sofa with this, Ally X in hand, and will remain a travel companion for those final, tricky stages.

ROG Xbox Ally X Corner

Conclusion

That seems to be the prevailing feeling towards Normal Golf Game as I sit and think about it. It’s maddening, frustrating, and simply ridiculous at times, and yet, all I want to do is keep playing and trying the harder challenges. I wouldn’t go so far to say it’ll be a game of the year contender, but it absolutely will be one of my most memorable experiences, and one that I’d recommend without hesitation.

This game was tested and reviewed on PC (via Steam). All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by the publisher.