Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots (Nintendo Switch)
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is the first entry I’ve played in the long-running, if sporadic series. I do remember reading reviews of the original, which was developed by Camelot, later of Mario Golf fame. Despite being a video golf fan, early Hot Shots releases (as they’ve been known in North America) escaped me—blame the PSX hosting the late ’90s PGA Tour Games, as a guy can only own so many golf titles per console. Anyway, how does Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots (an odd blend of the European and North American names) fare to someone who’s not new to golf video games, but is new to this series? When it was first launched, it started “rough”.
For a game that heavily boasts about its accessibility, I found it surprisingly difficult, at least initially. Mastering “simple and intuitive” controls sounds super on paper. But in practice, I began to question my decades of experience with dozens of golf video games. There was a seeming delay in my reflexes that I couldn’t account for, even with three variations of the familiar three-click setup, which dates back to the early days of the NES. In all of them, I struggled to time my shots in the admittedly small sweet spot with consistency. It was no mere trivial irritation.
Patience was a virtue, though, and thanks to a couple of patches, the game has improved since launch to become much more playable. I should’ve been suspicious when there were no pre-launch press codes available for the Switch version. I also should’ve checked that I was running the most up-to-date version much sooner. Still, I went from thoroughly unimpressed to pleasantly intrigued. I could finally adjust properly to see the genuinely good game buried in the bunker.
Still, I did the whole “Virtual Game Card” thing, and eventually played it on my Switch 2. Perhaps it’s my middle-aged eyes, but I recommend players who plan to play this game at length try it this way, if possible. Not that the game looks bad on older hardware, but some blurred images look a little less washed out, among other things. Colors fare better, too, and I’m not just talking about Wacky Golf’s colorful mode.
On that note, this game promises a cast of “colorful characters,” and I don’t mean vividness. Unfortunately, the first girl, Aile, is annoying, to put it charitably. I originally planned to pen this entire paragraph in her manner of speech, but couldn’t bring myself to endure the pain. She might look “totes adorbs” in her skimpy outfit, but she speaks like nobody I’ve ever heard in real life. Did AI write this dialogue? Smartly, you can mute them.
While more characters can be unlocked in the world tour to experience their stories, it involves a lot of repetitive gameplay. Still, I couldn’t wait to have an option to pick beyond the annoying Aile, so I powered through her seven chapters, admittedly not complete 18-hole courses for each one. I disagree with this unlock setup and suspect it will disappoint many, a frustration for those seeking more diversity straight away. Still, it adds some long-term goals to reward committed players.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other modes. The usual solo round, match play, and stroke play modes are included. There’s also a challenge mode where you earn prize money and rewards in various tournaments. My highlight is probably “Wacky Golf,” with four different variants—including the previously mentioned Colorful mode—beyond the traditional gameplay. Scramble is my favorite among these, with an emphasis on teamwork as players alternate their shots.
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots clearly needed more practice before teeing off on the Nintendo Switch. Thankfully, some necessary updates have significantly improved the game; however, one could argue that even more improvements are desired. I’m glad I held off on this review, because now (as a fan of video golf), I can appreciate it as a pretty good and content-rich title. Those less forgiving of its restrictive unlockable structure might bump it down a point, and wait to grab the game on sale.
