This title is a work in progress and is in Early Access and Xbox Game Preview. This means the game is still very much in the development phase and therefore a review score isn’t given at this present time.

If you haven’t yet played Turbo Golf Racing then it’s hard to look at the gameplay without Rocket League entering your head. I’m going to try my hardest not to make constant direct comparisons, but it’s clear this project has taken inspiration from the beast that Psyonix masterminded. 

After some rigorous testing of the BETA prior to release and getting hands-on a little earlier with the solo missions before the online servers opened, I’ve had many hours poured into the game in the lead-up to launch. Does this crazy mix of golf and racing infused with vehicular combat have the ability to suck players in for the long haul? Let’s find out!

Introduction

In Turbo Golf Racing the premise is very simple. Guide your ball to the hole at the end of the course and strive to be the fastest to do so. Sounds simple on paper, but it is actually a chaotic and frantic challenge. The game is marketed primarily as an online multiplayer title but it does have a smidge of single-player missions. Developed by Hugecalf Studios and published by Secret Mode, the game is now available on the Xbox family of consoles and joins the “Game Preview” program. 

I was mindful that this is a fancy term for early access for consoles and there may be some kinks left to be ironed out. The game features cross-platform multiplayer between Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. With 60FPS+ on current generation consoles, I was keen to take this one out for a spin on launch and give it a good thrashing. Those who have an Xbox Game Pass subscription can do the same since it has joined the catalogue of games on launch.

Gameplay

Turbo Golf Racing is a mixture of racing and a game of golf, so it’s exactly what it says on the tin. Each player will start with their very own ball in front of them with opponent balls totally ghosted out. I can only imagine how much carnage it would be if the balls could bounce off each other. After the countdown, you must do your very best to traverse to the end of the course with your ball and putt it into the hole. Now there are no actual rules of golf here such as eagle, birdie, bogey or par and you can hammer the ball as many times as you like and do whatever it takes to get to the end. There is a guiding arc that appears just before you’re about to take a shot. Whilst this takes a lot of practice to master, you’ll be able to see roughly which direction the ball will travel once you smash it.

I found I had to be mindful of some of the edges surrounding the course as hitting your ball off the edge would result in you being reset back onto the course. This can also be achieved with the select button if you’re finding it tough to get back to where you want to be. Holes are designed so that once your ball gets in very close proximity it will be drawn in to earn completion of that level. When things are going your way and the ball is going in the right direction it is super fun.

When it isn’t though it leads to frustration and this is mainly down to vehicular movement. Whilst handling the cars is perfectly fine for the majority of the time if you speed past your ball you may need to turn around and head back. Unfortunately due to the rigid and heavy controls, it just didn’t feel great at all and resetting myself was just quicker. Hopefully, over time they can fine-tune this and make it a natural and enjoyable function.

Cosmetics & Upgrades

Whilst again it is early days for the game, the menus, lobby and customisation are engineering very similar to the free-to-play experiences you see out there. Whilst there doesn’t appear to be any paid battle pass systems in place just yet, there is a free-tiered system where you can unlock in-game currency, wheelsets, car skins and more. In-game credits are currently acquired by ticking off challenges and can be spent on items in the store. I believe that once Turbo Golf Racing is in a steady solid state with a dedicated user base, these areas will potentially have monetized options in place. There are plenty of options to tinker around with your vehicle to make it look cool and whilst the range of aesthetic changes are slim pickings at the moment, I am sure more are en route.

Playing online you’ll have rockets, boosts and shields scattered across the courses. Rockets are the only form of attack on your opponent and satisfying to use as you watch them smash up the rear end of your opponent and send them flying, it isn’t as humorous when it happens to yourself though. Boosts are activated by pushing the B button and holding it for as long as you want to use it. Boost pads and rings are scattered everywhere and will even propel your ball further forward than just a conventional shot.

Graphics & Audio

Visually the design team have done a great job across the thirty or so holes on offer. Whilst all of these courses are spread across three environments, none of them ever felt too similar in structure. Colours flush through the screen at a rapid pace with vibrancy and for the most part, everything looks decent enough. The ability to customise vehicles with cosmetics allows the player to take fresh approaches to show off their own designs as they unlock gear through the built-in store. The soundtrack brings some high-energy beats that are guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping before a match. Audio design all around appears solid with everything sounding as you’d imagine.

Unfortunately, I did suffer some bugs and hiccups from time to time but it wasn’t something the reset ball button couldn’t fix. I’d imagine that the development team are aware of many issues and will have these sorted as soon as possible. Performance wise I couldn’t fault the framerate and resolution even when the gameplay became frantic with loads going on, it was silky smooth to the eyes. I was sad to not see much in the way of statistics through the menus, there appeared to be no leaderboards and only my total of wins. Fingers crossed deep stat tracking is something they are looking to implement into the main hub of the game.

In Conclusion

Turbo Golf Racing has a solid start to its shelf life with some great foundations already laid for its evolution. Anyone who gives this a go must bear in mind that technically this isn’t a finished product. Since it’s in the game preview program at present, we are bound to see a feast of updates, new cosmetics and extra courses over time. I think the development team at Hugecalf Studios have been clever in putting this into the program and into the Xbox Game Pass catalogue. This will give players the opportunity to dive in and play without the risk of investing fully at the moment.

Not only this, but it will keep the servers populated and busy for the duration of its stay on the service. Those without a Game Pass subscription can purchase for £14.99/$19.99 or download a free trial and check it out. 

The future of Turbo Golf Racing really depends on its support going forwards and it sure does have potential. For me, it needs to keep players coming back with new and fresh cosmetics, new vehicles and a rotation of different modes. Having no leaderboards or deep stat tracking at present makes it feel a little empty for me. Essentially though the gameplay is fun and that’s what really matters, they just need to build on that.