The story of Mario Golf has been told by Nintendo and Camelot since 1999, since Nintendo 64. The Golden Sun studio has known how to orient itself to the needs of the platforms of every manufacturer, whether desktop or portable, and with five deliveries behind it, it touched to see how 22 years later they tried to refresh such an old formula, now on Nintendo Switch, a console that can be played on TV or elsewhere.
Go on, Mario Golf: Super Rush is quite a daring performance in some ways and very conservative in other ways. All of the basic mechanics of Camelot’s golf games are still there, with its satisfactory swing system, correct physical simulations, or charming presentation. This makes fans of the series feel right at home, but they’ll find some pretty aggressive news soon.
Golfing in a hurry?
The first and most shocking is the emphasis on Fast Golf, which the title refers to. While the modality itself isn’t a novelty in the series, it is the fact of controlling the character walking across the field until he reaches his ball. With this possibility, the Japanese study tries two things: that the games are more agile and that there is something to do beyond the hit, offer a touch of arcade racing and a possibility to go through all the cards meter by meter.
Honestly, for a fan of the show who had his best moments with the episodes of Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, that runaway first knocked me back. I like to meditate on every stroke, calculate all the factors and take my time. The strategy here is to hit the ball in the safest way possible to try to hole it in before anyone else, even with adding a few extra strokes along the way.
I do not want it. I was overwhelmed that my character ran out of resistance while running, that others pushed me or moved the ball. It seemed like a waste to have so many story mode games (Golf adventure) is played on the run. Over time, however, I’ve come to understand that this change in strategy also means a change in attitude, a different way of facing a game that, to be honest, has always been the same. I noticed that the focus in Story Mode is on increasing my Mii’s running-related stats (cardiac endurance and speed), which leads me to do something new on the show.
When I accepted this novelty as an interesting change of scene (you can always play traditional golf, of course), another incident pulled something out of my head. I’m talking about the so-called so Rustic golffor whom the field is an “open world” where you can decide how to face the various flags, always looking for a minimum of hits. To introduce this idea, they use Rocky Lagoons Field, a valley of cliffs where air currents can lift the ball (and your Mii) to unreachable heights. Its execution is a bit orthopedic and it seems like an idea to come up with, but at least it changes the game a little.
Mario golf courses or circuits: Super Rush
- Practice field
- Tall herbs
- Rocky lagoons
- Dry sand
- Gust forest
- Bowser’s field
- Stadium (golf fight) Technically or strategically
Once these two occurrences are accepted, the function of the Golf fight, a completely arcade nod to other party games in the house. Here the ideas of Fast Golf and Rustic Golf are combined in a stadium with bombs, acceleration zones and various dangers, so that you have to think about which flag to attack and how to annoy your rivals. Without a doubt a good combo add-on for multiplayer sessions.
Golf story is several strokes ahead
Perhaps the biggest disappointment in all of Mario Golf: Super Rush comes with this story mode called Golf Adventure. Camelot can’t find itself here, so don’t expect anything like their best works. The plot is shallow and quite silly, there aren’t many standout moments and the ones that exist take control of the player for some reason. Are you telling me that I unlocked a special power and instead of letting me use it, did you write a scripted sequence for me?
That Golf Story set a precedent for Nintendo Switch in terms of grace and sympathy may have something to do with it, but it is that this solo mode is much to be desired for the entire universe of characters and places to squeeze leaves. The choices and customization options are practically nil (you just follow the arrow), the NPCs have little to say, and the bosses got stuck with shoehorns. There’s a lot more to do with golf than an excuse, like the quizzes and mini-games of yore. A little advice from Intelligent Systems would have been helpful in finding the best Marian humor, because like this mode, it serves to unlock your Mii to the maximum and no longer count.
What it maintains very well is the golf culture that permeates every dialogue and menu. It’s a joy to learn both technique and vocabulary with this game, and the lessons are very, very good this time around. In addition, as a cool gadget and absolutely forbidden in real golf, they appear in this game Range finder and altimeter, a curious and precise way of estimating distances and examining surfaces that works very well with motion controls. Those who love detail will enjoy it.
But the presentation was generally unbalanced in the details as well. Some character models and attitudes are very pretty, the best on the series so far, and the outfits golfers wear are so cute. In addition, the meter graphs across the swing surface are now much clearer and easier to understand. But at the same time there are moments that are too pixelated, either from weather effects or loading on the screen, and certain animations are made from the days of the … Gamecube? The shape of running in Rapid Golf seems to be neglected because of its relevance, and the same is true of the hole that forms on the green when multiple characters put the putt at the same time. Or with the camera in too many situations.
The same is true for tones. Some effects are too simple and not on par with the rest of the game. What’s more Motoi Sakuraba‘We already said it when 3DS shipped: We love you and you give Mario Tennis and Golf all of its personality, but you have to start varying your music a bit because it gets very exhausting.
Speaking of 3DS and tennis, it seems that this generation has happened the opposite. When World Tour Golf triumphed on the 3D laptop and Open Tennis stalled, the opposite appears to have happened on Nintendo Switch, and we can’t help but think that Mario Golf: World Tour on Nintendo 3DS is still getting better is.
As a final positive mention, the Motion Control Swing system works surprisingly well. Hammering in is very difficult, especially on approach shots or longer putts, but the way you hold the Joy-Con and the measurement of the gesture result in quite a few satisfying shots. It’s a bit neglected in a lot of games, but here’s a real alternative to tweak the game in front of the TV a bit.
Hence, those in search of the story or Camelot’s RPG twist will be as disappointed as those who see walking around as heresy. However, it is still a round game of golf, It’s great in local or online multiplayer (Much easier and more stable to start by the way) and innovations such as the range finder-altimeter or the Golf Battle ensure quality and novelty. Think about what you want this game to be for, and you will know if it deserves your swing to become the new Jon Rahm with Mario. Pauline and society.
