Mini Golf Worlds is a multiplayer putt-’em-up that sees you taking on players from around the world in little golf matches. It tries to keep things simple, but in doing so ends up taking a decent chunk of fun out of the mini-golfing experience.
The drag-to-aim-and-shoot controls are going to feel familiar to anyone who’s played a golf game since touchscreens were invented. There’s a hole, get the ball in it in as few shots as possible. Rinse and repeat.
The Worlds of the title refer to the different themes of the levels. There are pyramids, spooky labyrinths and pirate islands to putt your way through, and they each have their own special obstacles and hazards you need to avoid.
You’ll also find gems and gold on the levels – picking these up gives you extra points. The player with the most points after a few holes is the winner. But the thing is, the golf part isn’t actually all that important.
Finish a hole in a single shot but don’t pick up any of the gems and you’ll get a lower score than if you finish it in three and grab them all. It leaves you batting the ball around trying to get gems, which can lead to some pretty frustrating misses.
Everything is reasonably polished here, but the level design isn’t all that exciting, and there are some obstacles – the cannons in the pirate levels for example – that just don’t quite work the way you want them too.
Mini Golf Worlds could have been a slick, entertaining multiplayer game to dip in and out of, but the game loses its shine pretty quickly and you’ll start having pangs for a golf game that actually focuses on the golf.
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