The Xbox Game Pass service might not be for everyone, but one benefit that’s hard to deny is that it lowers the barrier to entry for smaller, more conceptually interesting games that you would otherwise be hesitant to take a punt on. One such game that’s launched onto the service recently as part of Xbox Game Preview is Turbo Golf Racing, a relatively simple multiplayer game that could become a sleeper hit for subscribers.
On the surface, Turbo Golf Racing has its influences from a lot of recent games. If you’ve played Mario Golf: Super Rush on Nintendo Switch, you’ll be able to see the similarities between this game and Super Rush’s Speed Gold mode. The goal is to complete the hole as fast as possible instead of in the lowest amount of shots, but the key difference with Turbo Golf Racing is that the game controls more like Rocket League.
It’s a unique blend, but if Rocket League can improve football by adding rocket powered cars, surely the same can be true of Turbo Golf Racing?
The game sees up to eight players competing at the same time to complete three holes in the fastest time. Depending on how quickly you finish, you’ll receive points based on your standing. Whoever has the most points at the end of three holes is declared the winner. As far as premises go, Turbo Golf Racing is pretty simple, but the execution of it leaves plenty of depth and room for improvement.
Each of the eight players start each hole boosting towards their ball, though crucially you can’t knock anyone else’s ball around. It’d possibly be a fun, alternative mode, but the potential would be there for games to last forever because you keep screwing each other over. As the driver of a rocket powered car, you need to hoof your ball towards the hole like Everton kicking the ball upfield, avoiding obstacles along the way. The hole has some magnetism, so you don’t need pinpoint accuracy (geddit?), but getting there is trickier than you’d think.
Maybe it’s an issue of expectation or comparing the game too much to Rocket League, but there’s definitely an adjustment period when it comes to learning the game’s physics and how the ball moves. It can feel like the ball stops a bit too quickly at times, making it harder to predict where you’ll be able to hit the ball for your next shot, though sometimes that’s because the ball hits the rough or a bunker, which naturally slows the ball’s momentum.
Another caveat that takes some getting to grips with is that the ball’s physics are more realistic than Rocket League’s as you can add curve to your ball by hitting the ball at different angles. It’s a tricky concept to pull off, but Turbo Golf Racing features a predictive line on the ball at all times to let you know where it’ll go when struck. It does take some getting used to, and there’ll be plenty of instances where you’ll miss the ball, stop, reverse and try again, but stick with it and the mechanics start to become a lot more clear.
After a few rounds of play, Turbo Golf Racing starts to come into its own, especially when you unlock gear that can give you the edge during races. Some gear causes active effects, like shockwaves to launch your ball, while some are passive, like the fact that your ball doesn’t get slowed down or that curve has been removed so you can rely on your Rocket League knowledge. There’s about a dozen or so to choose from, and hopefully more will be added in time. This is an Xbox Game Preview game, after all.
Without Game Pass, it would be hard to see a game like Turbo Golf Racing succeeding long term. The premise is interesting, and there’s enough depth to learn some mechanics, but so many non-conventional multiplayer games have been and gone over the years. Why wouldn’t Turbo Golf Racing be another one on the pile? Hopefully, Game Pass will give Turbo Golf Racing a niche but loyal audience.
Turbo Golf Racing is available on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X & S via Xbox Game Preview. It can also be played through Xbox Game Pass.
READ MORE:Â 15 Best Multiplayer Games on Xbox Game Pass
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