Topic: 3D MiniGolf (Switch) Review

[Daan]

Solid movement can't save this terribly bland minigolf video game.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/46408/3d-minigolf-switch-review

A good Golf game can do wonders for a console or handheld. Not only is it my favorite sport to play, but there is a layer of strategy that I just can get behind. When I first noticed 3D MiniGolf, I was really hoping for the best. With a decent course variety and solid mechanics, this experience could have provided some mild enjoyment. Unfortunately, as it turns out, 3D MiniGolf is extremely bland and a stern reminder that not everything that looks good is worth playing.

The controls are surprisingly quite decent, and it always feel that you're in control of where the ball is going. The camera movement is quite nicely handled, and objectives are always clearly in sight. Once you’ve made your shot, now that’s a different story. In some instances the ball will bounce harshly and still continue to move forward. This is far from a nice feeling, and it can throw you off by a lot.

While the various levels have different shapes and visuals that add value, the texture work is quite rough. It is colorful, sure, but it doesn't make a grand impression on me. As someone who isn't that picky, that is truly saying something. On top of that, the music can be described as simply acceptable. The tunes have incredibly short loops, and fade in and out whenever that happens. After a couple of loops, it just annoyed me a lot.

How much content is truly available you might ask? Well, 3D MiniGolf offers 57 courses spread across four different environments. You will have three fully featured 18 hole courses, plus 3 located in a weird Candy Land setting. These locations can be played in three different ways. Challenge sees you hopping from course to course at will, Tournament asks you to finish a place without quitting, and finally you and two to four friends can duke it out in local multiplayer. It took me about 70 minutes to see everything this game had to offer, which is truly the biggest crime of everything here.

3D MiniGolf is a bad piece of software that can't even serve its purpose correctly. With only 70 minutes worth of content, I found myself quickly erasing this game from my memory. The skeleton of a minigolf game is absolutely there, but it is buried under way too many annoyances. Ultimately, the game plays alright, but that doesn't make it something worth looking into, which is a shame.