My first impressions of House of Golf 2 were a real surprise. There are so many golf games these days that try to recreate the feel of mini golf that it’s become quite difficult to judge whether they’re actually any good or not. Browse through any digital storefront and you’ll find countless titles that include the word “golf,” often with a windmill or a strange loop in a haunted house.
There’s probably nothing wrong with most of these games, but very few that I’ve tried have really excited me. It’s hard to get anyone excited about a game of mini golf, it’s just about hitting a ball into a hole, right? Occasionally you’ll bounce it off a wall for a cheeky birdie, but House of Golf 2 subtly asks you what would happen if you ignore the rules of the course.
An example of this can be found on one of the later courses, which is set in a child’s bedroom. The course is littered with numerous hazards and hazards; toys from the toy box are scattered on a tabletop and a path runs between books and toy trains. From the tee, however, there is a small eraser with a slope upwards. Beyond that lies the drop in the ground where your ball goes out of bounds. In the distance lies the hole, tantalizing.
House of Golf 2 – Starlight Games
After several courses and lots of practice, I knew that if I aimed at the eraser with a lot of force, the ball would fly over the gap and land either in the hole or right next to it.
Luckily, you can reset your shot if it goes wrong, but you’re limited to nine attempts on nine holes. If you use them all up early, you won’t be able to save it on later holes. I point the camera at the flag in the distance, push the power bar almost to the max, and hit the ball. With luck, the ball will bounce gently and land on the green, ready for me to smack it in for an eagle.
That made me quietly say “Wow.” Other things that made me say “Oh wow” with varying degrees of enthusiasm were: splashes of paint to slow the ball down and guide it toward the green, the D20 golf ball, a very long shot that whizzed between two moving toy trucks, a full-power shot off the tee that threaded the ball through a small gap, the ball bouncing off a wrench on a shelf, causing the ball to fall two shelves down and onto the green. These anecdotes mean nothing to you, but they blew me away.
House of Golf 2 – Starlight Games
It took me a while to gain this kind of trick shot confidence. The opening courses, where everyone is judged on the number of shots before being rewarded with a bronze, silver or gold trophy, are pretty straightforward. I learned how the ball bounced and rolled, got to grips with the slightly awkward camera setup and had the chance to practice how power is transferred to the ball.
There is the option to aim the shot precisely and, as mentioned, to re-hit it if something goes wrong, but otherwise it’s a simple affair. No nonsense with backspin or turbo shots, just get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.
The courses are themed, but the variety is low. You go through the children’s room, a workshop full of tools, and a kitchen with tables full of ingredients and utensils. They’re not boring, but they’re not exciting by any means. They do look really slick, though, with lots of reflections, lots of detail, and beautifully rendered surfaces. The designs also contain a lot of humor, usually through the naming of products or the extra features of things like pinball bumpers that make the shot a farce.
House of Golf 2 is arcade-like enough and you can play with several people taking turns to shoot the ball. However, once you’ve played a hole, you’re more likely to beat your opponent because you know all the tricks. For example, courses have one-way portals that either lead you to further sections or allow you to collect medals that unlock new ball designs.
House of Golf 2 – Starlight Games
When I was playing against my best friend, she called me a “dirty cheater” because instead of taking the route she chose, I hit my ball full force off the tee, flew over a gap, bounced off a cardboard box, and rolled onto the green for an easy putt.
Because House of Golf 2 forces you to think outside the course, you start taking risks that pay off in big scores and big dopamine hits. Staying under par on every hole feels like Tiger Woods come back. You might think the ability to re-shot shots is cheating, but you’ll need it as you learn the courses. Eventually, you’ll master the shots so well that you can do them in your sleep, which doesn’t take away the excitement, but it does reduce the game’s replay value.
Once I got to the end and completed each course with a gold trophy, I was able to try my hand at the online tournaments where you have to compete against other players’ scores and shots, but with only a few medals at stake, I didn’t spend much time on it. Sure, the ball designs are lush and often beautifully crafted, but that wasn’t important enough to me.
House of Golf 2 then this is a very good way to play mini golf. It looks great, plays smoothly and gives you the chance to feel like a golf god. The dopamine rush ends after about 8-10 hours unless you have a lot of friends to play with, but you’ll probably crush them unless you’re drunk. I had a good time and will play again when new courses are added, but after those few hours I’ve had enough.
Pros: Beautiful graphics, fast-paced trick shots, lots of multiplayer options
Disadvantages: Lack of variety outside of the golf balls, loses its charm after a while, limited replay value
For fans of: Golf With Friends, any PGA golf game, real mini golf
6/10: Good
House of Golf 2 is available now on PlayStation 5 (tested version), Xbox Series S|X and PC. The test code was provided by the publisher. A complete guide to GAMINGbible’s test results can be found here.
