One of the most memorably explosive experiences of the last decade was a unique arcade racing video game, which combined great visual graphics with a thrilling sensation of vehicular carnage. By its third installment, Electronic Art’s BURNOUT franchise had gained popularity, but it is with the third game that the wheels began to burn rubber.
Introducing amazing particle effects, exceptional gameplay, and a buffet of explosions, the BURNOUT franchise was a must-own for any action or racing fan. The series would continue for many more games on every platform available at the time. It would conclude on a high note with 2008’s Burnout Paradise, which introduced the chaotic racing into an open world setting.
After so many years working on the franchise, the team decided to pursue their own ventures, forming Three Fields Entertainment. The studio, comprised of only 11 people, consists of the hearts of the Burnout franchise. These specific individuals were responsible for developing the very mechanics and digital DNA that made the Burnout franchise a legendary racing milestone in the world of video games. Trading vehicles, gasoline, and car crashes, all staples of the past but now the team has set its sights on something else: Golf.
Golf is a quiet sport, known for its precision, quietness, and acute focus on details. Your posture, club, and uncontrollable elements, such as wind and turf, all factor into making the million dollar shot into a hole so many yards away.
It’s safe to agree that it is a sport that is not quite exciting as other sports, such as Football, Soccer, Baseball, and Basketball. Three Fields Entertainment has decided that golf needs a lot more fire and excitement. Golf needs to be more dangerous! And so, in July 2016, Three Fields Entertainment Studios has put their DNA forged in the speed of Burnout, into their first big video game, Dangerous Golf.
Dangerous Golf dismisses many of the rules associated with golf, except for the most important one: Sinking the ball into the hole. But, instead of keeping quiet and steady, Dangerous Golf focuses on pun-rock style, flaming balls, and of course, many explosions, which yield thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage. The result is an exceptionally fun game that left me wishing for more.
Dangerous Golf places you on a world tour, with the ultimate objective of utterly destroying a variety of rooms, loaded with extremely fragile objects. From vases to chandeliers, to paintings and fuel tanks, there is no shortage of what players can destroy in each level. Each level has a set of objectives. It is up to players to meet those goals in each level. The higher the score, the better shot at getting the platinum medal.
Each level is entirely different and often has its own set of targets to destroy to get the biggest bonuses. Hidden in the level are secret sauces for extra cash, and in some cases, teleporters. To get the high scores, it’s important to specifically target the highlighted, money-making targets.
Most special of all, though, is the Breaker. When enough objects have been hit, the ball will explode and become a spherical tool of great destruction. The game will slow down and allow you to control the ball into anything inside the room. Any object that meets this ball is completely and utterly destroyed. Metal is dented, glass shatters, wood splinters, it is a complete symphony of destruction. The break doesn’t last too long, however, and eventually, it runs out. Following the destruction, it is up to you to sink the ball into the hole.
After getting the basics, Dangerous Golf is a precise, fun destruction game. It is absolutely thrilling to see a nice, pristine bathroom, become shattered into pieces from a flaming golf ball, and watch the damages rises higher and higher. The game uses the UNREAL engine 4, allowing for delicate pieces of glasses to shine as they shatter to pieces.
Some other nice touches include some the return of DJ Stryker, from the burnout games, who introduces players to the core mechanics of the game. A big patch was also released for the game, which introduced new gameplay features, faster loads, and instant restarts.
Dangerous Golf allows you to destroy the interiors of a convince store, a bathroom, a gas station, a kitchen, and a castle. The player will destroy statues, pianos, book shelves, and a variety of other objects. Each level presents its own challenges, and players will learn unique tricks to accomplishing the feats of each level. These variations in challenges help keep the game fresh.
Dangerous Golf is a great feat by such a small developer. However, there could be some adjustments. Controlling the ball takes some getting used to, and can lead to some frustrating moments. Also, it would have been fantastic to see more levels. I can imagine bedrooms, hotel event rooms, dorms, yachts, trains, plains, cars, and other material. It’s a great idea; that really could have been expanded upon.
However, Dangerous Golf has plenty of to offer with the levels available, plus online play, and split-screen versus. Presentation-wise, the game is sharp with great particle effects and a punk rock audio vibe. There is a sharp mixing of sounds during the destruction, really giving a particular sense of what exactly you are destroying. There are a couple of unusual sounds also, such as shooting a statue in the in the groin.
Dangerous Golf is an excellent start for Three Fields Entertainment. From the sheer, chaotic disaster action to the solid presentation, Dangerous Golf is a solid addition to any action aficionados gaming library. While there could have been more levels and more expanded variations in gameplay, this is an explosive first step and a fun game.