A Little Golf Journey
A Little Golf Journey
A Little Golf Journey est un jeu de golf décontracté développé par Okidokico et publié par Playtonic Friends, sorti le 14 octobre 2021. Proposé sur PC et Nintendo Switch, il propose une aventure où l'objectif est de repeindre le monde en couleurs en relevant des défis de golf à travers de multiples destinations.
Le jeu s'articule autour d'un voyage ponctué de plus de 100 trous répartis sur 10 parcours extraordinaires, présentés sous forme de dioramas. Les joueurs sont invités à explorer cette vaste carte pour débloquer des trous secrets, découvrir des mystères et trouver des objets à collectionner. L'expérience se veut accessible grâce à des commandes simples : il suffit de viser, de tirer et de relâcher pour propulser la balle et trouver la meilleure trajectoire vers le trou suivant.
Le titre est classé dans les genres Aventure, Arcade, Sport, Indépendant et Réflexion / Puzzle. Il fonctionne sur le moteur Unity et est proposé au prix de 3,29 EUR. La durée de complétion est estimée à environ 5 heures pour l'histoire principale, et à environ 17 heures et demie pour les joueurs souhaitant tout accomplir.
L'accueil critique a été globalement positif, avec une note agrégée de 75,33. La presse a salué l'esthétique du jeu, avec Gaming Age soulignant qu'il « capte le cœur de ce qui rend le golf addictif » et Universo Nintendo le décrivant comme « la meilleure expérience que j'ai jamais eue dans un jeu de golf ». Côté joueurs, les avis sont plus partagés. Certains apprécient l'ambiance zen et les touches de puzzle, le décrivant comme un « casu-golf parfois proche du puzzle game ». D'autres expriment cependant des réserves, notamment sur un système de visée jugé imprécis et un réglage de la puissance difficile à doser, ou encore une expérience perçue comme relevant trop du « trial and error ».
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« It’s a gorgeous game that gets to the heart of why people get hooked on golf and, as I said, if you’re a fan of the sport, it’s a must-play. »
« A Little Golf Journey is the best experience I've ever had in a golf game. With a surprisingly deep story, an innovative and inclusive gameplay, and 400 stars and 68 secret items to collect, whether you are looking for a relaxing moment or in search for the perfect conclusion, this game is for you. »
« With 400 stars to earn, dozens of Blue Things to find, and countless secrets to discover, it turns out that A Little Golf Journey is actually much larger and content-full than its name would imply. I love having it to chill out with before bedtime as I need to wind down after multi-hour Metroid Dread sessions, and I think it might actually be my new favorite golf game on Switch, closely edging out Golf Story. I did encounter a few technical issues where my ball got stuck and I had to restart the hole, but this wasn’t a frequent occurrence. If you’re looking for a peaceful and zen-inducing golf experience, there might not be any better than A Little Golf Journey. I intend to relive this journey over and over as I shoot for the stars, and yeah, those little blue things, too. »
« The most surprising part of the experience was becoming engrossed in a story that built without being noticed. The game opens with a letter that originally seems to just be a stand-in for the developer to welcome players to golf, but over time it transitions into something more personal and reflective. What was once a series of formal letters becomes something beautiful, a sincere back and forth between X and Y, the player and the writer. A Little Golf Journey is a game full of surprises and a gameplay loop that never gets old, and comes highly recommended. »
« A chilled and deeply satisfying golf game, A Little Golf Journey combines small scale courses with a pleasant soundtrack, a varied art style and a real sense of adventure in a really pleasing way. Even if you don’t like golf as a sport, the environmental puzzles and quirky narrative in this game make for a gratifying experience, even with an occasionally unwieldy camera. »
« Don’t write A Little Golf Journey off if you’re not a golfer. This gorgeous little game is more about solving puzzles than the sport, and it blends the two perfectly. Presented in a wonderful level-based package, finding the best way to putt the ball in each level provides a simple but effective gameplay loop that will keep you coming back for more. This is a game that’ll test your thinking skills, but you’ll also have a lot of fun at the same time. »
« Step aside multiplayer sports games! With an abundance of multiplayer games clogging up the virtual pipes these days, A Little Golf Journey is an introvert’s breath of fresh, solo-play, air. An arcade puzzle game with golf as the centerpiece. Take a nice, deep breath, but try not to inhale the golf ball. »
« A relaxing adventure golf game with a lot of content, but a lack of variety. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« This is definitely not your typical golf game. It has some puzzle and platforming touches, plus a zen vibe to it. The courses are more like dioramas you can freely navigate at bird's eye, so for me the experience feels closer to mini golf, even if you are performing all those powerful swings. Controls also set this game apart from the rest. They feel quite natural, a good implementation that honors both the ability and patience the real thing demands. The first hours with the game are fantastic. But then, something strange happens. Perhaps because knowing exactly where your ball is going to land eases things too much, the developers seemed to raise the bar by adding a number of new mechanics. Some of them are just weird, while others complicate things too much for a game whose beautifully simple gameplay should have remain its trademark. »
« Angry Birds golf. Nothing here but trial and error until you get full stars on each hole. »
« Part golf game, part puzzler, A Little Golf Journey is hard to put in a pre-defined box. Rather than being dominated with a sliding power gauge and then concerns like trying to get your hook or slice just right, the golf side of things is decidedly stripped down here. The focus, instead, being more on planning out your path to the hole, and perhaps taking up a special challenge along the way if you keep an eye out for opportunities. Of course, the fact that a bit of a clever narrative plays out as you progress just further adds flavor and just underlines the title’s distinctive charm. If you allow yourself to get bogged down by the lack of a traditional golfing feel, or perhaps the camera that isn’t always cooperative, it may lose some of its luster, but there’s no doubt this overall experience is the only one of its kind on the Switch… and that makes it worth a look. ****/2021/10/mini-reviews-october-19th-edition.html »
