Undebatably 'gacha' in its progression system, but for a low-key podcast-supported golf itch, this was amazing. Claphanz's mechanics and course design are at their absolute peak here - every hole layout perfectly optimized to challenge your route-taking, approaches and spins. Character customization was also a sleeper surprise; I think about 25% of my playtime must've been just making cool fashion out of the parts I unlocked. Lite-RPG mechanics and stat progression also help make up the difference on the usually-grindy design of Hot Shots.

Really the weakest part of the package is the writing. Most of the instructional text is repeated ad-hominem like a Genshin Impact exchange - informational beats that could be communicated with iconography get entire paragraphs in un-natural character dialogue. Also, they try to act like they've made a plot out of the campaign mode, but there's absolutely no meat here. I don't even know how I could describe it, but like, it really wants you to care about the Everybody's Golf hub like you're participating in a larger world and competition, but they make no effort to earn it. None of the characters actually have human character traits, and there's a sub-zero amount of weight or conflict. I don't think it even needs a plot, but listen: You can't have short cutscenes of shadowy figures scheming over your fledgling career, and then completely fail to elaborate on this. What Are You Doing.