As a parent, I frequently visit mini golf courses, including the fancier glow-in-the-dark version called Glow Golf. Whether you’re with kids, friends, or co-workers, mini golf is often regarding spending quality time together. That’s why my interest was immediately piqued by House of Golf 2, created by the British developer Starlight Games. There’s not always time to go to a real mini golf course. Wouldn’t it be great if you might hit a few balls at home on your couch?
I’ve been previewing the Steam version of House of Golf 2, but I don’t think I should be playing the game alone at a desk behind my PC. That’s why I decided to connect my laptop to the TV and play House of Golf 2 using a PlayStation 5 controller. Since the game supports native DualSense controllers, it was easy to get it working. This means I’ve been able to preview the game played together in couch co-op mode, bypassing controller turns and switching.
When I first booted up House of Golf 2, my first impression was quite positive. You’re greeted by a catchy tune, and each level has a variety of similar tunes, creating a fun and relaxing atmosphere. Graphics-wise, this is a very colorful game, with plenty of visual variety and detail. It doesn’t push any boundaries, but Unreal Engine 5 delivers a very nice course set in and around a typical home.
The gameplay itself is very simple. Successful shots depend on the optimal combination of aim and shot power, which can be easily adjusted using the bar graph on the right side of the screen. Of the first eight or so courses that make up the beginner’s curriculum, I was initially a little disappointed with their lack of complexity. Surely a game regarding mini-golf might do more than just ask you to hit the ball in a straight line around the next bend or hole? Thankfully, the courses I unlocked later had more gameplay variety.
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As the course progresses, it becomes important to plan multiple steps ahead of time, like bouncing objects to get around obstacles. So far I’ve come across toy cranes that pick up your ball, toy robots, and tractors that drive around as moving obstacles, toy snakes that catapult your ball in front of or off the court, plus the usual mini Golf challenges like bumps and slopes. These puzzles require you to plan ahead, as do other challenges, such as the gap between two tables that requires at least two shots to be planned to overcome.
There are some well-crafted environments to look at while waiting for your turn. Set up in places like your living room or garage, you can play on the floor, on furniture, and around common household items like cardboard packaging, paint cans, bananas, toy animals, and half-melted ice cream. Some of these can also affect the way a golf ball moves, such as thick ice cream or paint that can slow down your ball speed.
It’s fun to see your ball being picked up, helped along by a robot, or shot into a hole with a toy cannon. These are indeed the things you want to happen on a real mini golf course. Additionally, the course is littered with coins, inviting you to replay the course at least once. Additionally, levels and coins allow you to unlock new golf balls in a variety of fun shapes, such as pandas, furry bees, or disco balls, which provides another incentive to keep playing.
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What I enjoy most regarding playing House of Golf 2 so far is that I have added a casual game to my library that I can easily play together. In my experience, it looks most promising as a game to play with family or friends. Just like playing mini golf in real life, you can compliment each other on well-placed shots and enjoy different challenges together. That’s why I don’t see myself playing this game solo.
I did notice a stutter whenever a cutscene started previewing a new course. I’m not sure if this is due to poor optimization or just a problem with my laptop, but it’s always there. Additionally, in order to provide adequate replay value, I think House of Golf 2 will need a ton of different courses. In my preview build, I’ve been able to play around 25 courses, and the full game will contain over 100 courses. I hope the additional games add more puzzle variety and interactive elements to keep things fresh.
All in all, I was very impressed with the preview of House of Golf 2 . If you’re looking for a fun game to play with the kids at home or with friends, this should probably be on your radar. It actually reminded me a lot of Hot Wheels: Unleashed, another game with catchy music, colorful environments, and a happy atmosphere that was fun to play along with. If the other courses in House of Golf 2 offer enough puzzle and environmental variety beyond my preview, this will likely be a hit among people who like party games. It will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox X/S on July 25th.
House of Golf 2: A Fun Mini Golf Experience for the Whole Family
As a parent, I frequent mini golf courses, including the fancier glow-in-the-dark version called Glow Golf. Whether you’re with kids, friends or co-workers, mini golf is often regarding spending quality time together. That’s why my interest was immediately piqued by House of Golf 2, created by British developer Starlight Games. There’s not always time to go to a real mini golf course. Well, wouldn’t it be great if you might hit a few balls at home on your couch?
I’ve been previewing the Steam version of House of Golf 2, but I don’t think I should be playing the game alone at a desk behind my PC. That’s why I decided to connect my laptop to the TV and play House of Golf 2 using a PlayStation 5 controller. Since the game supports native DualSense controllers, there’s no problem getting it working. This means I’ve been able to preview games played together in couch co-op mode, bypassing controller turns and switching.
A Colorful and Relaxing Atmosphere
When I first booted up House of Golf 2, my first impression was quite positive. You’re greeted by a catchy tune, and each level has a variety of similar tunes, creating a fun and relaxing atmosphere. Graphics-wise, this is a very colorful game, with plenty of visual variety and detail. It doesn’t push any boundaries, but Unreal Engine 5 delivers a very nice course set in and around a typical home.
Simple Gameplay with Increasing Complexity
The gameplay itself is very simple. Successful shooting depends on the optimal combination of aim and shot power, which can be easily adjusted using the bar graph on the right side of the screen. Of the first eight or so courses that make up the beginner’s curriculum, I was initially a little disappointed with their lack of complexity. Surely a game regarding mini-golf might do more than just ask you to hit the ball in a straight line around the next bend or hole? Thankfully, the classes I unlocked later had more gameplay variety.
Creative Obstacles and Interactive Elements
As the course progresses, it becomes important to plan multiple steps ahead of time, like bouncing objects to get around obstacles. So far I’ve come across toy cranes that pick up your ball, toy robots and tractors that drive around as moving obstacles, toy snakes that catapult your ball in front of or off the court, plus the usual mini Golf challenges like bumps and slopes. These puzzles require you to plan ahead, as do other challenges, such as the gap between two tables that require at least two shots to be planned to overcome.
There are some well-crafted environments to look at while waiting for your turn. Set up in places like your living room or garage, you can play on the floor, on furniture, and around common household items like cardboard packaging, paint cans, bananas, toy animals, and half-melted ice cream. Some of these can also affect the way a golf ball moves, such as thick ice cream or paint that can slow down your ball speed.
It’s fun to see your ball being picked up, helped along by a robot, or shot into a hole with a toy cannon. These are indeed the things you want to happen on a real mini golf course. Additionally, the course is littered with coins, inviting you to replay the course at least once. Additionally, levels and coins allow you to unlock new golf balls in a variety of fun shapes, such as pandas, furry bees, or disco balls, which provides another incentive to keep playing.
Designed for Shared Fun
What I enjoy most regarding playing House of Golf 2 so far is that I have added a casual game to my library that I can easily play together. In my experience, it looks most promising as a game to play with family or friends. Just like playing mini golf in real life, you can compliment each other on well-placed shots and enjoy different challenges together. That’s why I don’t see myself playing this game as a soloist. And that may not be the case.
Room for Improvement
I did notice a stutter whenever a cutscene started previewing a new class. I’m not sure if this is due to poor optimization or just a problem with my laptop, but it’s always there. Additionally, in order to provide adequate replay value, I think House of Golf 2 will need a ton of different courses. In my preview build, I’ve been able to play around 25 courses, and the full game will contain over 100 courses. I hope the additional games add more puzzle variety and interactive elements to keep things fresh.
Overall: A Fun Family-Friendly Option
All in all, I was very impressed with the preview of House of Golf 2 . If you’re looking for a fun game to play with the kids at home or with friends, this should probably be on your radar. It actually reminded me a lot of Hot Wheels: Unleashed, another game with catchy music, colorful environments, and a happy atmosphere that was fun to play along with. If the other courses in House of Golf 2 offer enough puzzle and environmental variety beyond my preview, this will likely be a hit among people who like party games. It will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox X/S on July 25th.
