As a man of a certain vintage, you find yourself starting to develop an interest in certain things. Golf, for example. That’s not to say I’d never played or been keen in the past, it’s just that eventually, time comes for us all and, well, you just have to give in and accept it.
That being said, golf is eye wateringly expensive when starting from scratch. Not to mention the time commitment and all that walking. Thankfully, I found another solution.
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots.
The latest in the long-running series, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots, is an easy, breezy way to get out on the golf course without ever leaving the couch.
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots retains the series’ classic anime style, three-button press system, and weird and wacky elements under new developer Bandai Namco Hyde, stepping in for Clap Hanz. Even with a new developer, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots feels exactly as it should and fans of the long-running series will feel right at home.
Right off the bat, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots feels packed to the gills with content. You’ve got single-player modes, multiplayer and party modes, multiple courses and golfers and more. That being said, much of Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots content is locked behind progression. So, you’ll need to spend a fair amount of time grinding if you want to see everyhting there is to be seen.
Fortunately, you’ll unlock new stuff just by playing and playing Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is a blast. Beneath the colourful, cutesy and often ridiculous exterior, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots features a deceptively deep and complex game of golf. It’s not at the same level as PGA Tour 2K, but it’s deep enough to provide a sense of achievement and not feel as though every hole is a gimme.
At first, your golfer will be relatively mediocre, no matter who you select. Each golfer’s initial skills mean that you’ll be hitting shorter shots, having less control and generally taking more shots to sink your putt. But the longer you play, the better your golfer becomes, and it isn’t long before you’re hitting 350m drives and chipping in for Albatross…ok I did that one time and it felt incredible. What a rush.
I spent most of my time in Challenge mode, which sees you playing different courses to unlock a 1v1 battle against a new golfer. Each stage includes a varying number of holes, different weather conditions and sometimes additional challenges like stroke penalties for hitting rough or bunkers. Should you play well enough in these stages, you’ll get to face off against your opponent, and when you beat them, add them to your roster.
Challenge mode is also how you unlock new courses, as each new rank in challenge mode comes with a new course. Course and hole design in Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots runs the gamut from simple and realistic to insane, and could only exist in a video game. I like a mix of the two, and most courses will cover both. Just be careful when Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots starts adding in gale-force winds, tonnes of out-of-bounds areas and stroke penalties for hitting the rough…My relaxing game of video game golf took an occasional diversion into rage-quit territory, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed.
Outside of Challenge Mode, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots offers a plethora of other ways to play. I spent quite a lot of time playing local multiplayer with my 7-year-old son. He struggled a bit with the mechanics at first, but in a testament to the pick-up and play nature of Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots, didn’t take long to get the hang of things.
At first, he was just desperate to make Par. Then he wanted a Birdie, then an Eagle. He’s still chasing the elusive Albatross, but now he’s giving me a run for my money, and when we play, I can’t even go easy on him lest he mop the floor with me.
Overall, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is a genuinely fun, often silly golf game that lures you in with its apparent simplicity and gets you hooked with its deep mechanics and limitless replayability. If you’re looking for a great way to relax without having to walk 18 holes, grab a copy and get to teeing off.
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots was reviewed on PS5 using a code provided by the publisher.
