Golf Story

COGConnected / Canadian Online Gamers Network (92 out of 100)

Golf Story is a smashing success and does so much more than it needs to. While the game would have been well received simply for its golfing aspect, Sidebar Games has built a great narrative and world around it. With a great look and sound as well, it is hard not to claim that Golf Story exceeds all expectations despite the late surge of hype behind it. While the Nintendo Switch has some absolutely wonderful games releasing in its first year, Golf Story is right up there with the best of them.

Game Informer Magazine (9 out of 10)

Yes, this is just a golf game at its core, but Golf Story makes you care about the characters and their world just as much as sinking a do-or-die putt. Part of its charm is keeping you off kilter, forcing you to hit a 300-yard drive with pinpoint precision one second, then solve a murder mystery the next. A continual delight to play, Golf Story is a breath of fresh air for sports, and another fun story to follow for role-playing fanatics.

VentureBeat / Gamesbeat (90 out of 100)

That this is Sidebar Games' first major release is remarkable. Golf Story is confident, smooth, and its lighter than light approach to everything from art to humor to play is perfectly matched with the Switch's play anytime, anywhere form factor. Forget the agony and ecstasy of real golf. This is a really good time.

Destructoid (9 out of 10)

Even though Golf Story isn't quite what I expected it would be, it is an absolute delight. It’s more than just a golf game with RPG mechanics, but it's not quite a full RPG with golf mechanics either. It lies in a sweet spot in the middle, where people who care about one but not the other can still get into it.

Gamereactor (Denmark) (9 out of 10)

Alle Switch-ejere bør eje Golf Story, og ligesom Snipperclips: Cut it out, together! er denne lille perle noget der let kan gå ens næse forbi, men repræsenterer det bedste platformen kan tilbyde.

Nintendo Life ( )

All told, Golf Story is a surprisingly gripping game, hooking you with fantastic gameplay, loads of content, and a well-written script. This is one that’ll have you coming back for many hours in the story mode alone, and the multiplayer does a good job of expanding on this with even more replayability. We would highly recommend Golf Story to anyone looking for something a little different. There’s a whole lot to love here, and if you’re a fan of RPGs or golf games, this is a must buy.

Way Too Many Games (8.5 out of 10)

In the end, Golf Story is truly about its personality. Each character is so well written and the dialogue boxes really do a fantastic job of presenting just how a person is feeling or the manner in which it was said. They present a sound of their own and I was able to feel the personality of everyone. An 8-Mile style rap battle between a group of older past their prime golfers and young hooligans was a moment that had me laughing out loud with its creativity, and I felt more like I was singing along rather than reading. Sidebar Games delivers a clever story that oozes with personality and, while doing so, developed an extremely competent and challenging golf sim that fits perfectly in their light-hearted world. Golf Story is a perfect companion for the Switch and tells a surprisingly heart-felt tale at times.

Switch Player (4.1 out of 5)

Sidebar Games have made a great take on the arcade golf game and added a story and RPG elements with great success! Golf Story is the best sports game on the Nintendo Switch, and arguably one of the best games available right now on the system. Whether you are a fan of golf or not, you need this game on your system!

MAN!AC (82 out of 100)

Die Kreuzung aus gelungenem Pixel-Golf und humorvoller Rollenspiel-Kampagne sorgt für jede Menge Laune.

Games TM (8 out of 10)

Backing up the solid golf game are the story missions and quests. At times the narrative can become a little laboured, but for the most part it potters along nicely. The variety of gameplay is to be praised - you'll be playing disc golf, piloting drones, and doing plenty of other bizarre but brilliant things as you progress through your career. Add to this some excellent dialogue sprites and one of the most pleasing uses of the HD Rumble yet, and you've got a great golf game that's well worth the 20 hours or so you'll sink into it.

Hardcore Gamer Magazine (4 out of 5)

While the actual RPG elements may initially appear thin at times, the well-delivered and genuinely funny writing is not only one of Golf Story‘s hidden traits, but something that will keep Sidebar's entrant a much talked-about title, even for a console that has already garnered a fair few highlights. While a story or intriguing use of narrative might have only gone so far, though, Golf Story's easy-to-grasp; hard-to-master core gameplay — that still manages to pace its teaching players the smaller details — is what will keep players coming back for more.

GameSpot (8 out of 10)

It can take a little while for the narrative to ramp up in Golf Story and for you to feel like you've really cultivated the skills of a champion, but based on the sheer scope of what the game delivers, there's likely something for everyone to enjoy whether their shtick is mini-golfing or terrorising delinquents with frisbees. It has successfully captured the trappings of yesteryear's RPGs, and the witticisms and idiosyncrasies of the characters you encounter are a great palate cleanser between rounds. Switch has had a swathe of indies hit its eShop recently, but if you're looking for something that'll give you satisfaction in terms of an interesting story and a rewarding mechanic, then Golf Story is certainly par for the course.

Gamereactor (Sweden) (8 out of 10)

Under hela tiden jag spelat har äventyret varit mycket underhållande, bjudit på flera skratt, fått mig att lägga pannan i djupa veck över utmaningarna samtidigt som jag myst åt grafiken och designen. Dessutom finns ett mer avskalat läge om du vill lira med en vän. Musiken är i anonymaste laget och speldjupet matchar inte "riktiga" golfspel, men sammantaget är detta ännu en fullträff till Switch (vågar jag rent av säga en hole in one?), och ett spel du absolut bör skaffa oavsett golfintresse.

Jeuxvideo.com (16 out of 20)

C’est quand on se rend compte qu’il n’y a pas besoin d’aimer le golf pour apprécier Golf Story qu’on comprend que c’est un bon jeu d’aventure. De par ses situations et sa gestion des dialogues, il parvient toujours à être drôle, surtout si on apprécie un minimum le cynisme. L’idée de devoir taper de la balle pour résoudre tous les problèmes est déjà rigolote, mais le fait que le gameplay soit à la hauteur rend le concept encore plus efficace. Golf Story est une expérience unique, le genre de petit bijou qui n’en a pas l’air, mais qui pourrait être un de vos jeux préférés de l’année.

Switch Era (7.5 out of 10)

Golf Story is the first golfing game that I've enjoyed -- even if there's a little too much tedious padding. The core mechanics behind the actual golfing and the course design is fantastic, though. I'm really looking forward to what Sidebar Games does next, whether that's a sequel to Golf Story, another sports game, or something else entirely.

IGN (7.5 out of 10)

Golf Story's clever writing and sound golf fundamentals keep it entertaining, even through some stale moments. Despite its light-hearted RPG structure, there’s a challenging and very real golf game here that’s worth coming back to even after the story is over. But it left me wishing that more of the campaign focused on the golf itself, and less on the often repetitive side tasks.

RPG Site (7 out of 10)

Golf Story is one of those games I'd really like to see a sequel for. While the base game is fun, there are some issues holding the title back in being as good as it can be. Golf Story is a good game, but far from perfect—if you have been waiting for a golf RPG or even just an arcade-y golf title for the Switch, this is a purchase to make.

God is a Geek (7 out of 10)

Golf Story is fairly quaint, and a nice change for the RPG genre, and golf games in general. It’s not really a sterling performer in the golf stakes, but it’s easily better than the NEO-GEO game that was released at the Switch's launch, and there is a mode for you to play a quick round should you wish. You'll more than likely play for the story, and after that the occasional round with friends, but you won't really go back and play it often like you would with a dedicated golf game.

RPGamer (3.5 out of 5)

Golf Story is an easy recommendation for all early Switch adopters out there. Very solid gameplay is well backed up by plenty of humour and a lot of nicely varied entertainment. Though it can be argued that the game doesn't provide anything overly new in its implementation of the game, even those who aren't fans of the sport will find lots of fun throughout.

4Players.de (61 out of 100)

Ich liebe schwungvoll animierte Pixel, ich mag virtuelles Golfen – aber Golf Story zündet bei mir nicht. So unterhaltsam die Geschichte auch ist und so amüsant die klein geschriebene Entschuldigung mancher Sprechblase zur Seite kippt, so dröge reiht sich eine Zielübung an die nächste. Eine Zeitlang ist das ja durchaus unterhaltsam. Auf Dauer ist es langweilig. Und obwohl Golf Story die Finessen des echten Sports im Kleinen gelungen nachahmt: Die Steuerung ist umständlich, die mangelnde Übersicht eine Zumutung und man darf nicht einmal klassisch Golfen. Schade, aber so sympathisch mir der Mix aus Rollenspiel und Sport tatsächlich ist, so sehr mangelt es ihm an Abwechslung und cleveren Herausforderungen.