RPGolf Legends

RPGolf Legends is actually quite impressive, when you think about it. The developers didn’t just have to create a fun RPG, they also had to make a solid golf game. They succeeded in both, and made one heck of a game in the process.

When RPGolf Legends is flowing, it’s incredible and greater than the sum of its parts. I adore how you’re filling in a golf course through various countrysides while also fighting bears and snakes and junk. The boss battles that deftly mix combat and golf are tons of fun. But then you might hit a wall where you just need to grind, whether it’s by pounding down enemies or golfing on loop, and the whole experience suffers. Still, I’m heartened that we live in a world where we have multiple options for retro-ish golf RPGs and they’re both pretty good.

While RPGolf Legends doesn’t have a robust story to match the vibrant personality of its protagonist and has to overcome some recurring lulls in gameplay, it’s a simple, charming game with enough allure to make it worth its relatively short run-time. Give it a swing and go for par.

Still, if RPGolf Legends’ greatest sins are being a little bland, it could be a lot worse. Its mashup of golf and action RPG is a fun idea, and those disparate pieces come together well to create an adventure that’s full of playful charm. It’s an enjoyable enough romp in its own right, but it also shows there’s potential in this sort of genre clash, and I sincerely hope that’s something ArticNet continues to explore.

RPGolf Legends can be good fun, but it’s also heavily flawed at present. With more focus on golf and dungeon puzzles and less on awful combat, this game would be an easy recommendation. But the fusion is bizarrely out of whack, and the game needs more polish.

Ultimately, RPGolf Legends could be a suitable distraction for those who have been waiting too long for a game like Sports Story. It’s forgettably pleasant and largely inoffensive, a stopgap for those who need it. If ArticNet continues to work on the franchise, we’d really like to see a focus on mechanical depth in the next installment.

RPGolf Legends is leaps and bounds above developer ArticNet’s original title and features a bevy of perfectly average game systems. However, all these average systems lack any standout hook for the game to hang its hat on and set itself apart from the indie pixel-game scene. This leaves the whole game feeling less than the sum of its parts. While the game wasn’t a standout for me, it was such an improvement that I’d be interested to see if they can take another large step forward in future titles.