While most of Cursed to Golf’s twists on the formula work well, there are some frustrations tied to some of the game design decisions. As with the best roguelikes, that failure will eventually result in mastery of the zone, ushering you toward even harder challenges. Your first time through a new theme will unquestionably end in death as you misinterpret a hazard and burn a handful of strokes trying to get through it. Each theme comes with its own set of traps and features (like ricochet walls that allow you to magically change the trajectory of your ball). To mix things up further, there are course themes that change every few holes, with temples, jungles, and other fantastical regions to perish in. Hazard and statue placements change each time you start from scratch, so you can’t just memorize the most effective way through every hole. It’s a bit unfair to say that Cursed to Golf only has 18 holes, because it’s actually procedurally generated. There’s also the element of randomness to contend with. Comparisons to Dark Souls have been made, but this feels closer to hardcore roguelikes such as Spelunky HD and Slay the Spire, where a moment of careless play can lead to disaster. Every shot really does matter in your quest out of hell.īecause of these changes, Cursed to Golf feels way more intense and strategic than most golf games, which usually put me in a meditative trance. It’s easy to fall behind on your stroke count and just start burning your cache of cards until you’ve got no chance to survive the hole. It may seem like you’re given a tremendous edge, but careful use of these cards throughout your 18-hole journey is required. You could, for example, use a mulligan after going out of your way to smash a stroke statue, giving you the benefit of the statue without forcing you to spend a stroke. There are dozens of these cards, and knowing when to use them to make the most out of a situation is crucial. Another stops time at any moment you choose, causing your ball to freeze in place and then fall straight down, potentially saving you from a hazard. One card splits your ball in three at the press of a button, letting you pick from one of the three balls to take your next shot.

The simplest one is a mulligan, letting you retake a shot without dwindling your stroke total. You also have an array of consumable cards to give you an edge. You’ll have to earn more strokes by smashing statues scattered around each course, which might add two or even four more life-giving strokes to your reserves. The typical hole in Cursed to Golf might take 20 or more strokes to complete, but you’ll start out with far fewer than that. You get sucked into a portal and you have to start back from hole one. Here, you have a limited amount of strokes to complete each hole. While Cursed to Golf has core similarities with the traditional game of golf (hit a ball with a stick until you get it in a hole), it quickly deviates from that model in wild ways. And I still haven’t finished those 18 holes. It is the most punishing and creative twist on the golf formula I’ve ever played. And struggling to get out of a sand trap won’t result in a bogey as much as your eternal damnation. In Cursed to Golf? There’s just one course with 18 holes.

The typical golf video game has six or seven courses and well over 100 holes.

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