NOCLIP Pocket E75 - Check for Lice - Cursed to Golf

You’ve been cursed…to podcast. Welcome back to NOCLIP Pocket, and our final Pocket episode for Fanbruary! Today, we were suggested Cursed to Golf, an indie roguelike golf title, which is just the kind of genre fusion to get you excited. Cursed to Golf uses what has been established as the “golf video game mechanics” where you play a timing minigame to set your shot power and the angle of your shot and then the physics system takes it from there, but places them within something akin to a precision platforming level. All of this is then wrapped in the roguelike genre where you play semi-randomized levels and running out of shots means you start again from the beginning, with the goal of completing 18 stages before that happens. We take issues with some of the global decisions that the game makes (and you’ll just have to listen to find out what those are), but from a nitty-gritty design perspective, this game is incredibly clever and the relatively simple gameplay is hyper focused and plays extremely well. Add to that a killer soundtrack and gorgeous pixel art and this game comes off as extremely well made and something that is just fun to be in. We’re going to be talking about the merits of combining the genres this game mashes up, how the game handles its roguelike elements, and whether or not you should always have beer when golfing. Thank you for joining us again this week! This was an interesting game both to play and talk about because it really kicked our asses across the front and back nine. If you’re a fan of roguelikes generally, what did you think about the implementation of that genre in this game? Were you able to figure out the Ace Cards easily or was there a lot of trial and error involved? Let us know down in the comments or over on our Discord! And while you’re there, feel free to drop us a suggestion. Fanbruary is coming to an end, but we’re always open to hearing what people would like us to play. And as we move out of the month, we’re doing the first chosen-by-us game of the year, and we’re going with Vampire Survivors, a game that you’ve probably already played given its recent popularity, so we hope you’ll join us for that!