Golf Club: Wasteland Review: Hole In One
“After an ecological catastrophe, the super rich move to Tesla City on Mars.” That is the very first thing you read when opening Golf Club Wasteland. Now, these very super rich visit their old home from time to time. Not to reminisce or rebuild, but play a simple game of golf. Demagog Studios’ debut title is gearing up to be a subtle, heavy, and well-crafted hole in one.
Presentation
Nostalgia Radio is the shining point of the Golf Club: Wasteland’s presentation. It’s great name aside, it brings some heat in the form of music. Not only are they absolute jams, but they really sell the overall theme of the situation and attitude of the super rich; they couldn’t be bothered when causing the catastrophe, both in the midst of it or even in the present. In their mind, they have it the hardest.
Bringing it down to the green on mother earth, I must commend some of the holes on their creativity. One was a crane holding up a statue of a severed hand, while another was the aftermath of panic aboard a yacht. The game is very aware in a fourth-wall-breaking sense, as environments contain references to reality. One being the giant neon sign of former president Trump's wonderful tweet, “covfefe.” We get references to pineapple on pizza, and as I mentioned earlier, the Martian city is coined as Tesla City.
Gameplay
You play as a suited up golfer who, to put bluntly, sucks at golf. He can only drive about twenty to thirty yard tops. However, you do move from hole to hole or spot to spot via your space suit’s jetpack. So it is very plausible that the gravity is wonky, if you will. Initially, story mode doesn't seem to have a scoring system. It appears as if you are just playing golf on a dead planet, space suit and all, taking it all in. It really serves more as subtle, yet compelling commentary rather than sport. And because it works, I really dig it. Demagog Studios managed to have sport and commentary compliment each other exquisitely.
Turns out, you actually unlock more of the story via the diary by playing well. “3 strokes or less to unlock…”; the diary puts the mind of the guilt ridden lonely golfer you are playing as onto paper. On top of that, if you are struggling to sink your ball, it will offer you to skip said hole. You won’t get the diary entry, but you can move on and get more of a feel for the game. This all really sells the overall experience as so much more than just another golf game. I would argue, in a good way, it's really not about golf at all. It's a warning, or at least the storytelling is done well enough to sell it as a warning. Additionally, this sense of challenge has a very good balance. It pairs your pars with advancing the narrative, or the narrative with a pride in your swing. It is extremely rare for me to approve of a game’s balance in terms of challenge from the get go, but I really enjoy it. I've only had to attempt a select few holes more than once; maybe three to five times tops.
Story (Spoiler-Free)
As you play hole by hole, the radio constantly plays; whether it be interviews, the host chattering away, or absolute jams. Nostalgia Radio acts as an intelligent way to tell a story. I’m sure this approach has been done before, but something about pairing it with golf and a dead planet works for me. During my time on the various holes as the radio interviews play, I gather they are specifically shared through the lens of the only ones left alive; the super rich. Like our golfer, I suppose additional listeners within this world may gain a conscience. At least one would hope. One news report, if you can call it that, from Nostalgia Radio was detailing a disagreement over people playing a game of monopoly while encouraging the audience to take Omass, a drug that takes the edge off. To once again be blunt, in this dystopian dead world, this is the sole topic the super rich give a shit about. Sounds a bit familiar, huh?
Within the titles of each hole are sentences detailing the experience of survivors watching the golfers. This serves as a sort of dichotomy between who remains on the dead planet and these super rich. Yet they complement each other immensely in terms of world building. Furthermore, the only real emotion your character shows is that of disdain when he misses a putt. This makes total sense since we are probably among the super rich of this narrative and shouldn’t care. If you take that at surface level and don’t check your diary, it will remain that way, but it appears that this golfer has a different take...
Breakdown
Game: Golf Club: Wasteland
Developer: Demagog Studios, Untold Tales
Availability: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Reviewed on PC, PS4
Pros:
+ Nostalgia Radio
+ Delivery of the narrative
+ Encouraging optional challenge without walls
+ Fun hole design
Cons:
- It is one note. If the gameplay or narrative works for you, there isn’t much else.
- Some holes can be frustrating, but the Skip Hole mechanic provides an easy out.
Final Thoughts
Golf Club: Wasteland left me pleasantly surprised, and I am eager to dive back into the Challenge Mode to perfect my scores. There's something extremely stylistic, yet simple across the art, storytelling, and mechanics that compliment each other in a very subtle and effective way. It is exactly what I wanted, but even better. In a time where golf games are becoming more abundant, Golf Club: Wasteland is a beautifully unique take on the genre. It is absolutely worth any player’s time.
Reviewed by Austin Ernst