For the first time ever, a game I could recommend to my dad. (Finally, we hear him mumble, through his moustache of disappointment.) For here we have an online flash game adaptation of that manliest of sports: crazy golf.
…Unfortunately, as a simulation, it’s not actually very good. The hot ball-on-course action is shown from that same set angle seen above, which isn’t very conducive to lining shots up accurately, and it’s frustrating having to guess at the exact physics of its Escher-like structures.
But you’ll find no better representaton of the game’s spirit, of what every seaside crazy golf course wishes it was, deep down; how a child understands crazy golf, distinct from the slightly depressing, chipped-plaster reality. The crazy part.
Deep in Wonderputt’s DNA are those Grow games, where you click wildly to watch a monitor-sized world bloom into something ludicrous and beautiful. Like those games, the actual ‘game’ part isn’t so important; the visuals are the appeal here. It’s like watching the sketchbook of an accomplished doodler come to life, with enough interactivity to keep you involved.
As it free associates from hole to hole, there are some surprisingly virtuoso moments: the one that finally convinced I had to link it here was a couple of holes set inside a cutaway diagram of a torpedo. It’s wonderful stuff.
Pity it’s not a great at the golf part, though. Sorry dad.
