In Cursed to Golf, you play as a would-be golf champion who tragically dies just as he’s about to win a tournament. Instead of making it to heaven (or hell), you find yourself in Golf Purgatory. If you can golf your way through the ever-changing 18 hole course spread across four biomes (Purgatory, The Oasis, The Caverns and Hell), you’ll be able to ascend back to life...

Welcome to Golf Purgatory

Cursed to Golf adds an interesting spin on an old format. It's a retro looking 2D game that's simple to pick up and play, but fiendishly challenging. You start the game with a cleverly disguised tutorial that explains why you're in Golf Purgatory and how to use the controls. If I'm being picky I'd argue that it's a little too long an introduction. For this style of game getting familiar with the characters isn't overly important... you just want to get on with playing.

Golf Purgatory only allows three types of club. There's the driver (for long shots), an iron (for medium length shots, or when you're in the rough) and the wedge (for short chips and for getting out of bunkers). Each hole doesn't have a par limit. Instead you have a set amount of shots you can take. This can be increased by hitting the skeleton statues around the course (5 extra shots for a gold statue and 2 for a silver statue).

The game is fiendishly difficult to master

In addition you have a number of cards you can play to help you. These offer special abilities (like allowing you to retake the last shot, adding extra shots to the hole or practice shots). You can also put spin on the ball to make it roll forward, or back, on landing. All of these elements help ensure you have the tools at your disposal to complete a round of golf... but if you fail any of the 18 holes you'll be transported back to the club house and have to start all over again. But the beauty of this is that the map to each new game is different, making it fresh every time you play.

Getting from hole to hole you'll drive your golf cart. Here you'll be able to navigate to areas that offer additional cash, help cards, special levels or allow you to visit the shop.

Collect / buy cards to help you on each hole

The game is fiendishly difficult to master and part of the fun is fathoming how best to approach each hole without running out of shots. You can zoom out and check the entire course for each hole. Or, you can go in blind and see if you can work it out on the fly (although that's guaranteed to not end quite as well as you'll be expecting).

This is one purgatory that you won't mind getting stuck in. It's a fun, novel game that you'll be drawn back to time and time again.

8

Darren Rea