Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots Review (PS5, Switch, & PC)

Sounds familiar? That’s because Everybody’s Golf and Hot Shots Golf have been around for years now, each a regional franchise, primarily for the PlayStation console. Since 1997, Sony and Clap Hanz have taken the reins of publishing and development. But now, Bandai Namco and Hyde are ready to take charge, with their first venture, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots. 

Naturally, long-time fans will have doubts about the new game, even with its transition to Switch and PC. Will Hyde deliver the same core experience that has continually made the series one of the best golf arcade franchises ever? Will they put their own unique spin on the gameplay, taking the series to the next level? Let’s find out these and more in our Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots review below.

Cup of Tee

There is a certain crop of golf lovers who will never give up realistic simulators like the PGA Tour. But thanks to Mario Golf and Hot Shot Golf, a new player base has arisen of casual golf gamers. It’s less strict and definitely goes easier on younglings looking to try their hand at the sport. But despite its arcade roots, it doesn’t make them any less fun and enjoyable. In fact, the level of entertainment you stand to gain could make it way better than any virtual simulator out there.

Let’s be frank. Golf is no easy sport. But Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots finds plenty of ways to make it fun and accessible. Even though young kids will easily grasp the core systems, veterans still enjoy it thanks to a hard-to-master control system. There’s a handy tutorial to get you up to speed. It should usher you well into your first playthrough. However, it certainly could have made it easier for newbies with storied sessions, perhaps. 

A Birdie

In any case, you’ll quickly learn Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots’ returning three-click system. Quite easy, determining your swing, power, and accuracy. It’s all in the timing to hit the perfect shot, which you’ll quickly realize will need quite a bit of time to get right. Don’t worry, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots takes it slow, introducing new mechanics and controls at a steady pace.

When you’re just beginning to perfect your shot, you unlock new factors and features to consider. Obstacles like trees force you to adjust your distance. Putting spin on the ball is also a prime way that sets apart casual golfers from veterans. And they range from back to top spins. There are elevation considerations, whether uphill or downhill. Meanwhile, the wind and its direction are also crucial factors in how hard to hit the ball.

Suddenly, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots begins to show more layers than initially presumed. Hence, the easy-to-learn, hard-to-master consideration for this game, where it’s always a continuous climb to practice more and get better. Ultimately, it’s your power and shot type that matter, alongside loyalty. And these can vary your strategy regarding who you pick to be your caddie and golfer. Meanwhile, loyalty is your golfer’s rank/level, and hugely determines your power and super shots. 

Slam Dunk

All of the strategies and depth that Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots continually reveals already make it a perfect golf game for every gamer to enjoy. And as it is, I’m sure many gamers will already want to take it out for a spin. But the game takes it further, adding a variety of game modes to keep you coming back for more. Two of the most significant are the World Tour and Challenge single-player modes. 

World Tour provides you with storied chapters to hone your skills. You gradually unlock new playable characters and courses, progressing through six or seven chapters. Every character has a story woven around them. However, they are never compelling enough to hold your attention. If anything, you’re likely to skip through the visual novel-style storytelling in favor of each character’s set of challenges to complete. 

I’d have loved for the characters to have more intrigue or personality, or for the courses to be more exciting and varied. Because otherwise, you’re left with the one-on-one challenges that are much like the second game mode, Challenge. Here, you go through varied challenges and short tournaments that test your golfing skills. They increase in difficulty, prepping you for the more intense Stroke and Match plays.

Par-Tee

Multiplayer does add more variety, whether four-player or online competitive play. Thanks to Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots’ already loyal following over the years, you’ll, at least, have some worthy opponents to challenge in quick rounds of golf. But what’s new and different is the Wacky mode, featuring Colorful, Survival, Scramble, and Boom golf.

Well, not quite different from Mario Golf’s own wacky golf games. And the same way they can often get chaotic and frenzied is the same way Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots has the potential to do so with friends. Still, not all of the variations are quite a hole-in-one. Colorful mode can be genuinely surprising when you score random buffs or debuffs. And they can be wide-ranging, like spawning animals to disrupt opponents or extra holes. 

The same goes for Survival and Boom, each advantageous depending on how you make the most of the surprises. A mode like Boom explodes your ball if it lands in certain explosive zones, launching your ball in random directions that could be the saving grace you needed. It’ll, of course, be unfortunate if your ball had been a perfect shot, only to be launched elsewhere. 

I figure these bizarre twists will be perfect for game parties, especially with Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots’ easy-to-learn controls. But keep in mind that surprises won’t always work out in your favor. 

Tee-utiful Day, Indeed

What’s left is the salad dressing, the visual and audio design that brings your gaming experience full circle. And for the most part, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots has nailed a likeable cast and charming world design. The visuals are nothing that will blow your mind away. Perhaps a little too simplistic in the grass and textures. And at other times, suffering from texture pop-ins and frame rate drop issues. 

Yet, there’s a simplicity in the environments, with their colorful and charming vibrance cementing you in a stress-free world. The courses are serviceable and have a decent variety. It’s not a masterpiece work of art that will win any awards, but it does a good enough job not to be entirely disappointing. The same goes for the characters, in their anime-style design and whimsical animations. These help maintain a laid-back, casual golfing experience free from all the pressures that realistic simulators often impose on you. And the soundtrack has lovely tunes, too. 

What may annoy you is the voice acting, largely due to the writing and repetitiveness. Characters often repeat the same one-liners, hardly helped by the same high-frequency intonation the game uses. And even more frustrating are how the voice lines overlap one another from the golfers to your caddie, taking away any form of concentration you might need to make a perfect shot. If the repetitiveness is toned down, and the characters talking over one another are tended to, perhaps the voice lines and quips could actually be tolerable, maybe even fun to keep things fun and lighthearted. I don’t want to resort to turning off the characters’ voices entirely when there’s a much better resolution that Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots could implement.

Verdict

Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots has many things going for it, mostly a core gameplay experience that has been proven and tested to be true over decades. It’s a system that has been fun and enjoyable for millions of casual and veteran golfers, even choosing this pleasurable arcade experience over the likes of Mario Golf and realistic golf simulators. 

At the heart of your playthrough is a control system that any gamer will easily pick up, making it perfect for quick spurts with friends. All through your gaming session, you’ll be engaged in a playthrough that challenges you and pushes you to improve. Various strategies and features are introduced as you progress, adding to your considerations to make before taking that swing to the fairway. 

Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is, indeed, way deeper and more strategic than initially thought to be. And the more you dig deeper into its systems, the more you can’t help returning for more. From the varied golfers, shot types, balls, caddies, courses, game modes, and more, everything carries depth and enjoyment across several gaming sessions. 

Sure, there are areas that can certainly use patching up. The voice lines, particularly, can be grating over time, with their repetitiveness and high-pitched frequency. The story is also bland, and the overall visual design can definitely use a facelift. Considering the flaws you’ll run into against what you stand to gain with friends in tow, it’s abundantly clear that Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is very much a worthwhile venture for anyone with the slightest interest in golf.