I have to imagine that Triband’s quarters in Copenhagen are a lot like that one scene in The Simpsons where Bart gets a peek into the MAD Magazine office, only a lot more wholesome. Between the original 2019 launch of What The Golf? on mobile devices and then the subsequent VR banger What The Bat? and fresh Apple Arcade joint What The Car? the studio has developed a reputation for the silliest, goofiest video game experiences that routinely have very little to do with what their titles imply.
Now, that first brilliant entry (which earned a spot in our GOTY list for 2019) is getting a second third fourth wind with its latest porting effort, this time to PlayStation consoles. The good news is, this new version comes with a huge amount of content stretching back to the original launch, including the Among Golf update and has all the bells and whistles like daily courses, bonus challenges, leaderboards and even proper DualSense support so you can get the full sensation of flinging a cow across the green.
The bad news is, light touches like that aside it’s hard to really say much that hasn’t been said about this game. In case you’ve somehow missed it up until now, the crux of What The Golf? is that it isn’t really about golf at all. You’ll do golf-like actions, sure, but instead of a traditional club, ball, cup situation it’s a lot of throwing around cars, whole houses and doing increasingly weird things as the 300+ bite-sized levels roll by. It’s basically one big joke based around the classic golf video game mechanic of aiming and setting your swing strength, but every new course is out to bemuse and confound you in any way possible, including switching up perspectives and gameplay completely.
Playing What The Golf? on a PlayStation console on the big screen is definitely the most beautiful experience I’ve had of the game, too. The controls work great, though I do think this is a game that lends itself well to portable play on the Switch or a mobile device. That said, I’ve taken to picking it up on my PlayStation Portal for a few quick holes in bed (heh) and that’s been lovely so far. It’ll shine brightest as a party experience, I imagine, chucking it on in the background for guests to have a bash and a giggle or compete in the very unserious two-player mode. Of course, there’s a healthy list of trophies to strive for as well.
If you’re already all golfed out from the same game on other platforms, I wouldn’t call What The Golf? on PlayStation an absolutely essential purchase, then, but it’s just as fun and funny as the other numerous times I’ve played it and I can see myself routinely jumping back in all the time on my PS5/Portal to have a go at new courses or compete with my partner to decide who has to pick where we’re getting dinner from. There’s still plenty more content coming to the game in future, too.
