By Ian Rapoport
Executive Arts Editor
The iconic video game character Mario is undoubtedly the worst plumber of all time, spending most of his time racing go karts and playing sports, instead of getting any work done. His latest release, “Mario Golf World Tour,” demonstrates that it is time for Mario to stop fooling around.
As the newest release in Nintendo’s acclaimed “Mario” sports franchise, developer Camelot fails to do justice to the legendary series. While the game has a solid gameplay foundation and some fun mechanics, it is far too riddled with poor design decisions, robbing the overall experience of anything notable.
“Mario Golf World Tour” is a mobile arcade-style golf game set in the popular “Mario” universe. The game is split between two modes, the first of which is Castle Club, a country club in which the player uses his avatar and competes in a series of
tournaments. The second is Quick Round, which allow players to play as iconic characters from other “Mario” games, like Yoshi or Donkey Kong, as well as play on golf courses of their choosing with a series of modifiable rules and different game modes.
The actual golfing aspect of “World Tour” proves solid. The core swinging gameplay is divided between easy mode, which has the player doing a simple timing mini-game to pull off shots, and manual mode, which adds an extra series of mechanics to allow the player to add spin to his shot. The two styles can be switched at a moment’s notice, and the varied difficulty levels effectively accommodate to the player’s level.
However, the game’s core appeal comes from the satisfyingly unrealistic gameplay additions. Certain modes incorporate the use of “item swings,” in which players use items scattered around courses to do things, like turning their ball into a missile that shoots across the map. This is coupled with modifiers on the courses, one of which is a booster pad that shoots the player’s ball forward if it lands on it. These silly additions to the game echo those seen in other “Mario” games, like “Mario Kart,” and successfully add a distinctive dynamic that keeps the game from becoming too realistic and dull.
Unfortunately, much of the fun in the gameplay is undermined by the fact that the game seems to play itself. Instead of choosing which club to use and how to line up a swing when taking a shot, players are instead given the optimal golf club for each swing, with the game automatically lining up the shot. This takes any sense of strategy away from the player, leaving the experience rather mindless and unenjoyable.
Even worse is the slog that is the Castle Club. In order to progress through the game’s disappointingly-lacking three club courses, players must first set a handicap, win a series of tournaments to reduce their handicap and then win a course championship. What this boils down to is having players repeat a course about three or four times in order to move on to the next course. At 18 holes, this process can take hours, and by the time the first course has been unlocked, “World Tour” has become so repetitive that it is difficult to find a reason to keep playing.
“Mario Golf World Tour” illustrates how a few poor mechanics can easily undermine an otherwise quality game. The game’s central design proves engaging while still being ridiculous, but unfortunately, it is robbed of any entertainment value by its tedious layers. This leaves “World Tour” as no more than a blight in the generally enjoyable series of “Mario” games.
“Mario Golf World Tour” is rated E and is now available for $29.99 on the Nintendo 3DS.
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