Turbo Golf Racing, we tried the golf variation of Rocket League

A brand new adjective has recently appeared in the lexicon of gamers, at least of people who tend to browse the web pages of private sites, used to describe the tendency to draw a lot of fun components of a given experience as a game. defective productions already exist in the market. When we talk about a “derivative” video game, it’s often done to briefly reiterate what’s been seen and reviewed before, to highlight how it failed to bring anything original to the evolution of the reference genre. But being derivative… is it really that scary?

Take, for example, the example of Turbo Golf Racing, an arcade racing game developed by Hugecalf Studios that borrows the physiognomy of the much better known Rocket League to reject golf courses. We’re certainly not talking about an example of originality, but are we really sure that the tendency of toy cars to hit a ball to hit a target has only been adequately researched by Psyonix? What if there was room for more games of this kind away from the four corners of a football field?

ours Tried by Turbo Golf Racing We will try to answer this question by trying to find out if this athlete has the character and texture to distinguish himself from his famous older brother.

Seemingly chaotic, purely technical

We had the opportunity to talk to you about Turbo Golf Racing back in May, but as the game is close to release in Early Access on Steam and on Xbox family systems via Game Preview and Game Pass, it may be worthwhile to review the quality and flaws of the build that will be available in the digital stores of both platforms starting tomorrow. . At least officially, the title released by Incognito Mode is a racing gameHere, the goal is to reach a goal represented by the hole in the middle of the green area at the end of the track before the opponents. A bit like golf, the winner is the player who gets his ball in the hole first, proving to be the most adept at dodging obstacles and taking advantage of speed boosts, shortcuts, and turbo platforms along the way.

While it may be difficult to understand how it works at first, the gameplay experience is instant and fun. balloon physicsas a result, the first games saw us come to the last position where the ball got stuck on a beach.

It’s never easy to pinpoint where the ball will go after it’s hit, even if a very thin line that emerges as you approach suggests its trajectory. But after several major defeats, we glimpsed the subtle nuances that make Rocket League play in Turbo Golf Racing, as chaotic and confusing as it may seem at first glance, extremely technical.

We figured out how to give the ball precise direction at the end of each round, and at this point it was child’s play to take advantage of all the bonuses scattered around the field. For example, being able to hit one hanging rings Up the map can be crucial to victory, because when you hit one, the ball is thrown a great distance. In the end, the winner is not only the one who manages to send the ball into the rings more often, but also the one who manages to find the hidden shortcuts while gaining plenty of extra speed reserves thanks to the turbo-charged light paths. It’s much easier said than done.

Not just Rocket League

To be sure, Turbo Golf Racing also draws inspiration from other popular arcade racing games like the Mario Kart series, which often sabotages characters with a host of offensive items collected during the race. Hugecalf Studios has something like this in its title as well, but it has to be said that the system currently doesn’t like a certain depth. It’s unclear whether the amount of items collectible will increase during the Early Access phase, but it’s already a release starting with this release. small upgrade kit In addition to the turbo tanks, it includes a rocket that will save other pilots from losing precious seconds, and a shield to protect themselves from incoming missiles.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that there are two unique abilities that any driver can bring with them on the golf course and that, after a short cooldown, can be used to decisively capitalize on their effects in the heat of the race. we’re talking about”Strengthening the Cores“You can catch the ball with active and passive skills, or hit it with an extra bounce, or even reduce or increase its size and impact in the air.

Currently the Nuclei are only a dozen, but they still allow you to customize your playstyle enough and offer drivers an extra weapon to get to the finish line first.

As if it weren’t complicated enough to beat the opponents, it should be noted that there are 8 players competing for the highest place on the podium in each game through a series of races that represent the main mode of Turbo Golf Racing. . A match is truly a solo mini league It consists of several races with points awarded from time to time in the order of arrival of the drivers. A stroke of luck will not lead you to victory, instead you will have to compete with the highest consistency to achieve the ultimate victory, which means the largest number of experience points and in-game currency at the end of the match. The first serves to climb the ranks of the most classical gods. Battle Passcontains 40 free levels with cosmetic rewards for the car. Seconds are eventually spent here in the Turbo Golf Racing shop, which also offers some aesthetic variants for the car and player profile, some of which can only be obtained with premium currency.

Single player and tracks

In addition to this mode, which embodies the true spirit of Turbo Golf Racing, there is also a single player fund Well developed that knows how to engage drivers with the beauty of trying 30 times, one for each track included in the game. Each challenge gives the player a maximum of three stars depending on time of arrival, and getting them all can be a real nightmare for even the most cunning pilots. After all, they unlock some of the Power Cores we talked about earlier, so you’ll have a very good reason to try your luck and complete them all during these time trials.

We conclude the analysis by talking to you. golf coursesrepresents the true flagship of the work done by Hugecalf Studios. Each trail is significantly different from the others, and while they all travel back and forth between greenery and beaches or fairways and roughness, each offers one-of-a-kind riding experiences, such as those that involve flying between sections. the other in large airflows. The variations are many and you never tire of discovering the surprises a track hides when you travel for the first time. The developers promise to add more with completely free updates and aim to make Turbo Golf Racing an ever-expanding title thanks to the recurring arrival of new Cores and customizations. If they can keep their word, the game will have a real chance to rise in the crowded indie market despite its similarities to Rocket League.