The name of the game is Golf With Your Friends, so if you’re expecting the game to be about golf, you would be totally correct! Unlike most golf games on modern platforms, the game isn’t actually a pro golf game, in fact it’s anything but that.
The variation of golf that this game offers is that of Miniature Golf, but with a wacky side to it. You pick a ball and a course, then you start playing through each hole. You can play a half course or a full course, you can even play a single hole course, the choice is really up to you how long of a game you would like to play.
With thirteen different courses and each course having eighteen holes, there is no shortage of golfing fun to be had with this game. There are even additional DLC courses you can purchase for even more fun if you would like, but I won’t go into those in this review, as this is just the base game.
Each course the game offers is a different theme or world. Each one is unique and different from the others. It really adds a nice level of depth to the game that isn’t really expected going into this in the event you’re coming into this game blind.
The wacky part of this game is in the modes that the game offers, the number of players that it supports, and the ways you can accessorize your ball. Game modes offered here are Classic, Dunk, Hockey, Teams, Speed, Explore, Couch, and Party. Just like with the wide variety of courses offered in this game, you can never be bored with this golf game given the number of different modes this game brings to the table.
Classic mode is as the name suggests. It’s a standard mini-golf game with regular holds. Nothing special or wacky about this mode at all. Dunk mode is similar to classic with the difference being that you have to launch your golf ball into the basketball hoop instead of hitting it into the hole. Another neat thing about this mode is that it changes your golf ball into a little basketball to fit the theme of Dunk mode.
Hockey mode replaces the golf ball with a hockey puck. The cool thing about this is that it doesn’t just change the ball aesthetically with this mode, but changes the entire physics of the way the ball moves as it’s actually a puck and not a ball. Another thing that is different in this mode is that the golf ball hole is changed to that of a hockey goal net. There is even a cardboard cut out goalie that will try and stop you from getting the puck into the net, how cool is that?
With Teams, there isn’t anything too special with this mode, outside of being able to play with multiple people on teams. This opens up the opportunity to try different techniques and a different means of calculating the score.
Speed Golf, as the name implies, is all about how fast you can complete each hole. This is a ranked mode where the rankings are based on the time you take to complete each hole instead of the number of shots you took to complete the hole.
What would Golf With Your Friends be without a Party Mode? Party Mode really changes the game and makes it feel more like a Mario Kart game instead of mini-golf. You get different power ups that can help you get to the hole faster and others that can hinder your opponent. Different collision and jump settings, coupled with a longer time limit and an increased amount of allowed shots, make this game mode a must play!
Explore Mode gives you the ability to pick a hole or a course to play through and do so at your own pace. You have unlimited shots and no timer, with instant ball resets. This as the name of the mode implies, allows you to really explore the course and get a feel for it.
The last mode that is offered here is Couch Mode. This mode is a casual mode that offers random levels and a limited number of holes to play through. This mode is good for a quick online or offline session and is a great way to have quick pickup and play sessions. This mode allows for unlimited shots and time, with instant resets, making it a great way to practice and experiment with different techniques.
Golf With Your Friends has a nice cartoon-like feel to the graphics. This graphical approach gives it a kind of whimsical and silly feel to the game. Not in a bad way, but rather gives it the feel of a game that isn’t taking itself seriously. This is not a pro golf game, this is a wacky, silly and fun game of mini-golf!
Despite the slightly flash game look of everything, it looks really good on the Xbox Series X. There are things like butterflies and other animals in each environment that have great animation. Giving each course a unique and lively feel to them. Aside from the wild-life, the game makes great use of light and shadow. From the woods of a Forrest, to the dark and foreboding temple, the use of light and shadow make each course impressive, even just to stop and take everything in.
Given its graphical style, expect the game to perform extremely well on the Xbox Series X. As much as I would have liked to have a more real world graphical aesthetic to the game, I think that the cartoon look helps to achieve the level of performance that this game offers on the Xbox Series X platform. Aside from performing as smoothly as a hot knife through butter, I think it was also chosen so that you can play this game on lower spec hardware like the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One and not have to deal with too many performance issues on the lower end hardware.
Music in Golf With Your Friends is rather generic sounding and very very repetitive. Each course has its own music, but it’s the same music across all eighteen holes if you decide to play a full course game. This can get very very annoying rather quickly. Best to consider muting the games in game music, unless you like silly and repetitive music to listen to while playing a round of mini-golf; more power to you I guess.
Come to think of it, everything in Golf With Your Friends is rather generic and repetitive sounding. The music, sound effects, everything. But given this is a mini-golf game that doesn’t take itself seriously in the least, can you really expect anything more than repetitive and annoying sound effects and music?
I was able to complete each course of Golf With Your Friends over the span of about a week or so. Not because I got bored, but rather because I would play every night my wife and I completed the game. As much of a hard time as I have given to this game, mostly in the area of its sound, the game is really fun to play; especially against someone else. There is something about this game that is charming, fun, and really enjoyable.
The sense of fun and enjoyment in a golf game is not something you typically feel while playing a game of sports, especially over the course of a week straight. I mean we stopped playing Call of Duty to finish and complete this game. So if you like golf games, party games, or just want a silly game that is fun to play, you owe it to yourself to pick up Golf With Your Friends. It’s the perfect game of golf and is not to be missed!
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.