The Indie game market is bigger than it ever has been before, with countless titles releasing every year than run the gamut of video game genres. While some Indie genres are much more popular than others, with Soulslikes, roguelikes, and platformers often performing very well, there are always those titles that seemingly come out of nowhere, and bring something brand new to the video game landscape. Rocket League was one such game, and this year's Turbo Golf Racing is another.
Releasing in 2015, Rocket League was an instant success. Blending both the racing and sports genres, Rocket League was able to appeal to a vast player-base, and with simple controls, it's easily accessible for video game fans of all kinds. With the immense popularity of Rocket League, it was only a matter of time before other games started taking direct influence from its formula, and the recently released Turbo Golf Racing is a standout example.
How Turbo Golf Racing Borrows Rocket League's Formula
Released in early access just a few days ago, Turbo Golf Racing takes Rocket League's general gameplay formula and mechanics, and makes some interesting tweaks. Swapping out soccer for golf, it's only natural that Turbo Golf Racing would need to change up its mechanics to best fit the sport, but its bones are very much reminiscent of Rocket League.
An average match of Turbo Golf Racing will see the player ram their car into an oversized ball, launching it down a forward-facing path. The player will then need to catch up to their ball, and continue to bump into it until it eventually finds itself rolling into the cup. The player who managed to pot their ball the quickest wins the match. Though the core gameplay formula is a little different to Rocket League's, the general idea is similar, and the mechanics are nearly identical.
During the match, players will be able to use boost pads to gain the edge over the competition, and can ram into opponents to try and knock them out of the way. Controls in Turbo Golf Racing will be pretty familiar to fans of Rocket League, and players do have the ability to launch their car into the air. Interestingly, players also have the ability to glide through the air, which is a pretty unique mechanic.
Though the controls may not be quite as responsive as Rocket League's, the same addictive gameplay loop is there, and the same high level of accessibility is present. In fact, Turbo Golf Racing might even be easier than Rocket League, as most of the action is kept in front of the player, as most courses will require the player to just keep moving forwards. This high level of accessibility ensures that just about any player can have fun with the game, regardless of their skill level.
With crazy golf being the inspiration, Turbo Golf Racing is also allowed to get pretty creative with its course design. While a good portion of Rocket League's maps are quite simplistic, often being a square field with goals at either end, plus a little set dressing, Turbo Golf Racing's courses are sometimes a little more exciting. Different pathways are often open to the player, boost rings in the sky propel a well-placed ball further, and foliage and rocky terrain can force a player to think strategically about how to clear the obstacles effectively while still keeping track of the ball. It's fair to say that while Turbo Golf Racing certainly draws a lot of inspiration from Rocket League's formula, it makes the structure all its own.
Turbo Golf Racing is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.