Should you tee off at the Mushroom Kingdom again?
Tee off with family and friends in the biggest Mario Golf game yet. Hit the green with up to four players locally or online and golf with familiar Mushroom Kingdom characters. Modes range from Standard Golf to the energetic Speed Golf and an RPG-like golf adventure in story mode. Intuitive motion or button controls, a shot gauge that adapts to the curve of the course, and other new features make it easy for both new players and seasoned pros to drive and putt with power.
I haven’t played a Mario Golf game since the N64 classic and amazingly a Wii/Wii U version never materialised, so the last console entry for the series would be for the GameCube. The 3DS did get a version, but that was 7 years ago…so it’s been a while since Mario and the gang went for a few rounds of golf.
I have to admit that I’m pretty terrible at golf games, I understand the game rules but can’t get my head around wind trajectory, the right club to pick and the right amount of power to put on your shot. Despite this, I was able to get quite far in the game’s story mode which lets you create a Mii to take on classic Nintendo characters through different golf modes, it even has RPG elements such as equipping clothes for stat boosts or additional benefits and levelling up skills.
You do get to play classic golf, but there are other modes like Speed Golf where you hit the ball and have to run after it alongside your rivals, sprinting and hitting boost while trying to grab coins and mushrooms to replenish your stamina meter. Other modes will have you try and complete a course in a time limit with each shot adding 30 seconds to the overall timer along with how long it takes you to reach the ball each time. This becomes brutal towards the end of the story mode as they want you to complete a long course in 30 minutes and that’s ultimately where I’m stuck currently.
Speed Golf is a nice addition to the game, though I do like taking things at a nice pace and luckily that’s still part of the course. The game’s controls are spot on and while I messed up a lot, the game can still give you a little helping hand with shots now and then thanks to a power meter and a tap of the left trigger for a straight shot at whatever power you select. Visually, the game couldn’t look much better. The combination of Mario and golf come together to provide an amazing looking game that runs smoothly and has decent load times.
The Verdict
Mario Golf: Super Rush is the first Mario Golf entry for just over 7 years and the wait has been worth it. The new play styles and story mode are more than enough reason to pick up a club and hit the course, as well as classic play for veterans. Now if I can only finish up that 30 minute course…