Like golf? Like RC cars? Dig the aesthetics of a miniaturised futuristic city? That’s what Hugecalf Studios’ ‘Turbo Golf Racing’ hopes to pull you in with. In this fast-paced game of Golf, Racing, and Time Trials, players can customise and take control of their own toy car as they clash not necessarily with other players but the mechanics of the car and the annoying little ratchet of a ball. As you play, you’ll unlock more customisation and all that good stuff to stand out in the crowd. The game also supports crossplay across PC and PlayStation 5 devices but no cross-saving, so keep that in mind when choosing a place to play the game.
You might be tempted to say “this is Rocket League”. But outside of visual similarities I can assure you Turbo Golf Racing is in a league of its own. TGR has two main modes: Race and Golf. The beginning tutorial will give you the option to play either of those at first and you can always try the other one later on. Race pits you against seven others as you punt your ball from start to finish real-time against other players, using an assortment of field items you pick up to hasten your progress and slow down others. Golf is quite literally golfing… But with cars! The mechanics change slightly, and it becomes a turn-based game of who can putt their ball into the goal under the par score for the course.
First up is Racing. This is easily my most favourite mode as its relatively straightforward and quick to get me into the action. Across three maps, you’ll blast past others and their balls as you try to juggle yours across fields of green, purple, orange, you name it. These courses twist and turn very well for this mode even (though they’re more suited for the Golf mode) and blasting opponents with rockets to come out on top is a lot of fun. You have the ability to glide here as well, which comes into play once you figure out the ball physics a bit.
Golf mode is quite literally golf. You and seven others get the par score of the course plus three to get your ball into the hole. Powerups aren’t here, instead you have more control over where the ball goes and how much power you can blast into it by turbo-ing or dashing. Timing and how you hit your ball are crucial in this game mode, as you only have one shot per turn—even a fumble will count, which can sting a lot. This mode is a lot more relaxed as you can take your time getting your ball to the hole and admire everyone else’s efforts as they too, punt their ball into the abyss.
Turbo Golf Racing is fun yet frustrating. Over the week that I played this game, I found the Golf mode of the game to feel rather uninteresting compared to Racing. Part of that feeling came from dealing with the ball itself along with the controls of the car. See, in a golf game like ‘PGA’, there’s less “chaos” involved from punting your ball from Point A to Point B, as all you’re doing is timing meters and using the right golf club for the job. Hitting the ball in TGR can be a hit or miss, even with the directional lines giving you an idea of where the ball is going, more often than not you will probably hit it in a wildly different direction. Maps are usually the right size but big maps take longer to finish and sometimes feel more like an exercise in frustration especially when your ball decides to make a sharp left out of bounds. There’s also very little interaction with other players in this mode and in a multiplayer game I feel there is missing potential.
Mind, there is a learning curve here and I’ll have to admit that I couldn’t quite overcome it entirely. I found the slow pacing of this mode a lot less interesting than Racing, where I became much more skilled at bouncing my ball and knocking opponents off course. Rushing to first place feels great in this mode, but depending on how you good you get the actual amount of playtime you’ll see in Race is very little. A game of race lasts at most three minutes, I want to say, and most of that time you’ll either be waiting in a loading screen or watching other players (mostly bots) finish their turn. Like Golf, all other players are invisible, but you can at the very least send these nerds out of bounds to secure your win.
Finding matches in TGR is fairly quick, but unfortunately many of your opponents will be bots. I ran into a decent number of people in Race mode, but my time with Golf was mostly spent with bots. Which is a shame, because the mechanics and feel of the game are sound even if the modes don’t quite compliment them. Thankfully, the bots help fill matches quick so you can complete the free Season Passes the game runs. There’s a lot of customisation available in TGR and it’s mostly all free sans a few DLC packs, which I wholly appreciate. All cores are unlockable through in-game achievements, and these cores are essentially native powerups that recharge and can be used to help you inch forward to the goal faster or actually keep ahold of your ball, such as making it sticky.
Outside of the multiplayer modes and 1-on-1 Golf, there’s no offline play besides Time Trials. Time Trials are the Race mode but you’re alone and there’s no powerups. I like this mode as it’s all skill and tests your ability to handle the RC and juggle the ball to victory. Across all maps there are boost pads and portals that will throw your ball ahead—learning how to incorporate this into your race to score the ball is key and is a lot of fun.
Turbo Golf Racing is a great racing game and an all right golfing experience. It’s got an appealing visual style and music and it’s a casual title that’s easy to pick up and play but it’s also hard to master. There’s lots of customisation you can unlock to stand out of the crowd, no matter the playstyle. If RC cars and balls appeal to you, this game is for you. It’s on Game Pass and has crossplay enabled. ∎
Turbo Golf Racing
Played on
Windows 11 PC
PROS
- Appealing visual style and presentation.
- Car and ball mechanics are (usually) fun!
- Lots of customisation, almost all free.
CONS
- Golf mode is pretty boring.
- You'll spend a lot of time in Race mode waiting for loading screens and other players.
- Limited interaction with other players.
