I am not one for sport games, but seeing it was a Switch exclusive and an RPG, it got me intrigued and bought it. Boy, I am glad I did. It was one of the most charming games I have ever played.
The story is fairly basic but the characters were quirky to keep the plot interesting. The controls are super tight which is important in this type of game. I wasn't fond of the disc golf, as I found the control and momentum kinda odd.
The courses were diverse and difficulty was steadily increased. The over-world ending was a very nice surprise in the end and made me smile.
The game took around 24 hours to finish (with extras). Comes highly recommended as something different to RPG players

This was a big surprise for me! I'm used to NES and Mario takes on golfing games - decent arcadey simulators at best, impenetrable golf-themed walls at worst. It's easy to see the influence from these types of games on Golf Story, which makes it all the more impressive how well-refined Golf Story is.

And it doesn't sound like it's gonna be a particularly well-refined game from its high concept! A 2D golf game, framed exclusively from an overhead perspective, with RPG mechanics stapled in and a zany narrative that reads like a parody of a sports movie arc? I wouldn't blame someone who thought the game was little more than parody.

But it does a great job simplifying the parameters of golf into a video game while also retaining a lot of the sport's mechanical depth. I think it's quite inspired how the main concession is the reduction from 18 holes per course to 9. Meanwhile, things like draw and fade, slope on the green, and even golf etiquette are still considerations. A lot of the decisions you're making here are earnest considerations you'd be making in golf proper, even in more gimmicky situations like driving off ice, contending with kleptomaniac molerats, and caroming off turtle shells.

And that's the thing - for as out-there as the story gets (for goodness sakes, there's a murder mystery at one point involving mini-golf, a werewolf, and Diner Dash), there's always a reliable through-line with the types of mechanics the game wants you to be learning. Even exercises that are clearly not going to be on the final test - lawn bowling, frisbee disc golf, aqua golf, drone golf - feel like natural expressions of a game looking to simulate all modes of the sport. You definitely feel like, in spite everything, you've gone on your own rookie-to-champion arc over the course of the story.

And this isn't even getting into all the little character arcs! Obviously the no-named pompadoured protagonist is the guy with the main plotline, but most recurring NPCs have their own thing going on, too. Coach learning to love again. The old golfers at Tidy Park learning to accept new blood into the sport. The necromancers coming into their own power. The best was easily Lara, who went from being raw power and aggression to a friendly rival and quite respectable golfer in her own right.

And, like, Galf. Whaaaaaat a fun thing to throw in there. Let's learn to respect the fairways of galf.

Honestly? One of the most pleasant surprises I've had in a long while. Even with my buddy hyping this up, I was blown away by how good this one was. Highly recommended.

a wonderful experience. when this was announced in a nintendo direct i knew i was going to enjoy it although i loved it way more than i thought i would. what starts out like a simple golf based RPG branches into a great little adventure that has so much charm shoved into every location and character. all of the courses are unique and all of the quests and characters on each one are like no other. it kept a smile on my face the whole time i was playing and the actual golf game play is pretty great as well. from what i have heard sports story does not live up to this game at all but it still doesn't change that this game rules

This game has taught me that I do not possess a strong patience for real golf. And I'm okay with that.

I really did enjoy this though. It has humor, charm, and terminology in golf. I got a quick education on the sport. The art is delightful and bright. There are a handful of different golf courses with biomes; colorful environments with variety. Most of the characters are funny and remember-able. Throughout the story, you can change your gear and you'll have stats when you level up.

Couple of tweaks I would love to see: being able to opt out of a lesson or tournament instead of mashing the A button. Sometimes you could hit the plus button and quit but most of the time that option wasn't available for some reason? So it was quicker to just hard quit the game.

Some of the quests are SUPER vague. I had to Google to understand what TF I was supposed to do. But I had a good time playing and definitely recommend.

One of my favorite games I had when I was younger was Mario Tennis on the GBA, where if you only ever played the console version on N64, you’d think, “Why?” Well, because on the GBA, it was an RPG where you play Tennis through a bunch of story stuff, and it’s awesome. I’d always wanted a remake or a way to play them on something modern. Enter Golf Story. This is pretty much what I always liked about Mario Tennis (again I never played Mario Golf on GBA), and it’s great. The writing is funny, and the game is quite fun, with lots of different things to do and unlock. I found it more interesting as I’ve been working on a golf broadcast recently, so I understood a lot more Golf jokes that I would have normally.