Golf Peaks

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Title: Golf Peaks
Developer: Afterburn
Publisher: 7Levels
Website: http://www.7lvls.com/golfpeaks/
Genre: Puzzle, Sports
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Audience: 3+
Release Date: 14/03/2019
Price: £4.49 – Rapid Reviews UK was very kindly provided with a review code for this title.

What the Developers say

Golf Peaks is a relaxing, award-winning puzzler where you climb mountains by playing golf. The title uniquely combines puzzle mechanics with an easy-to-learn card-based movement system, providing the player with numerous action cards. Each card moves the ball in a different way and a different distance. Solve enjoyable yet challenging puzzles and make your way to the hole. Immerse yourself in the relaxing music accompanied by minimalist, eye-pleasing graphics. Complete over 100 handcrafted levels and conquer the summits!

• Challenging gameplay: complete over 100 levels and discover 9 worlds;
• Diversity: experiment with various block types;
• Strategy: use the cards to move the ball;
• Mind-soothing: minimalist visuals and a relaxing atmosphere;
• Immersive: integrated HD Rumble enhances the gameplay experience;
• The possibility to play the game using either Joy-Con™ controllers or touch screen;
• Zero understanding of golf required!

Introduction

Why did the golfer carry an extra pair of trousers? In case he gets a hole in one! Is Golf Peaks as bad as my jokes? Or is it a game that I couldn’t “putt” down once I started playing? You can tee off and read my Rapid Review right here.

Looks and Sounds

I liked the simple, elegant design of Golf Peaks. Visually, Golf Peaks reminded me a lot of the game Monument Valley. The animations when the ball sinks into the sand or splash in the water are gorgeous. You’re also treated to a mini confetti explosion when the ball reaches the cup.

The sounds effects were authentic, and the noise of the ball falling into the cup never stopped being satisfying. I must mention the soundtrack – it’s relaxing and soothing and suits this genre of game entirely.

Gameplay and replayability

Like an excellent caddy, the first couple of levels serve as a tutorial to teach you the controls. Talking of controls, I liked how easy they were to master. You can use the touch screen, Joy-Cons or Pro Controller. My preferred method of control was using the Joy-Cons.

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— Rapid Reviews UK (@rapidreviewsuk) March 20, 2019

On each level, you have a certain number of cards you can play — each one representing a different golf shot. If you end up in the water or a hazard, you can rewind to your previous shot or even start the hole again.

I enjoyed finding different ways of reaching the holes and the fact that some holes required a lot of planning out and trial and error. There are some holes where it’s necessary to make a mistake to continue. You will need to think outside of the box to reach some holes.

Replayability arrives in the form of wanting to complete all of the holes and also finding different ways of tackling each hole. It will be interesting to see if the developer adds more courses to the game as this would add significantly to the longevity of the game.

The only way I would improve this game would be to have a scoring system, like in golf or have a timer for each hole. Instead of a pass or fail, players could be given a score on which they could try to improve in their next round of golf. A hints system would also be a good idea to help some players who are stuck on a particular hole.

Conclusion

Golf Peaks is the perfect sports, puzzle, golf game. It provides the right balance of reward and frustration which will keep you coming back for more. Mastering each different shot type and learning the nuances of each tile effect is entirely satisfying. For the low price of £4.49, this is a must-have on the Switch, and it will appeal to fans of puzzle games, not just golf fans.

Rapid Reviews UK Rating

You can purchase Golf Peaks at the Nintendo eShop on the following link,
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Golf-Peaks-1526611.html