When I think of the greatest golfing game I've ever played, it has to be Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color. I never knew a golfing RPG could pull me in and make me think about it even after I put the game down for the night. Well, Golf Story takes that concept and jacks it up to the next level.
Golf Story is an RPG that'll have you...golfing, but not in the way you'd expect. Playing a full 9 hole round of golf is usually reserved for the "boss battles", the golf you'll be playing consists mostly of mini challenges. Someone on the course may ask you to hit a ball at a group of birds to try and clear them off the course, or sink a hard put to unlock a door, or mine rocks with a golf club in order to get an upgrade.
The core game play loop is simple and rewarding, help all the golfers in the course you're in, match play the boss, and a set of quirky circumstances allows you to move on to the next course to do it all over again. To some that may sound boring, but the dialogue is snappy and well written, and will keep you engrossed in the cast of characters you'll grow to know and love.
This product would be a perfect 5 stars for me if not for a few glitches that cause you to have to save and quit in order to continue. One of these glitches is getting stuck in between your bed and night stand in your home, and the other is using the computer in the Wellworn Grove clubhouse.