Golfing and Puzzle Platforming Collide in Golf Zero
To many, golf has a frustratingly slow pace of play. But don’t let the sport’s association with sluggishness keep you from ever trying Golf Zero, simply because this newly released iOS game happens to have “Golf” in its name. On the contrary, if you want a game that rewards quickness of thought and action, then Golf Zero is likely to be well worth your time.
Golf Zero is touted by its developer, Colin Lane Games, as “a crazy mix of golf and platforming.” And how! At first glance, Golf Zero looks like a run-of-the-mill platformer game, with its pint-sized hero ready to take on whatever perils the pixelated world has in store. As it turns out, though, the game cleverly incorporates elements of golfing for its core challenge.
Like most mobile platformers, Golf Zero offers control buttons for moving left and right and for jumping. Golf Zero differs, though, with the addition of a swing button. After tapping the swing button, you have just a few seconds to use the left and right buttons to adjust the angle of the golf club and then tap the hit button to take your shot with the ball.
In each normal level of Golf Zero, your primary aim is to fill the flagged hole with your ball. Doing just that, you earn a silver medal. If you want to earn a gold medal instead, you also have to pop the balloon. Oftentimes, this entails having to jump, bounce, and slide your way around obstacles and then taking your shot in midair — in which case time is slowed down to give you just enough leeway to adjust your swing angle and aim your balls (you’re allowed three in each level) not only at the hole but also at the balloon.
There is nothing quite like a nice round of Golf. The freshly cut grass, the birds singing, the razor sharp saw blades, the mid-air bullet time shot as you dodge a bone crushing boulder.
- Colin Lane Games, developer of Golf ZeroAt launch, Golf Zero includes 40 increasingly difficult normal levels set in the Grass Islands, with more levels, set in the Sunset Hills, coming soon. Golf Zero also includes speed run levels that let you compete for the best time with other players from around the world.
And if you’d like to relive your best moments, especially given the challenge of locking in the right position and trajectory to beat each level, you can use the game’s screen recording feature.
Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, Golf Zero is available now on the App Store for free, with a one-time $1.99 in-app purchase for removing ads.
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Following the likes of Golfinity, Super Stickman Golf 3, and OK Golf, Golf Zero is the latest game to take the otherwise languorous sport and make it more exciting through a novel take. In Golf Zero’s case, it’s quickly puzzling over the best way to go around obstacles and then making your shot count to get the ball in the hole.
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