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Arcane Golf is a miniature golf puzzle game set in a fantasy world full of dungeons, dangers, gems, and geometry.

Post news Report RSS What Is Arcane Golf?

Find out about the different elements that combine to make Arcane Golf fun and unique. It's not quite the mini golf game one might expect!

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In our latest Dev Diary for Gold5Games we talk about the difficulty of genre blending. Specifically, of balancing difficulty for a wide variety of players that might be interested in our game for one specific genre versus another. Here we thought we'd demonstrate how the different genres within our game are utilized in unique ways, and what specifically those genres are (at least in our minds).

Arcane Golf is made up of 3 primary genres: Mini Golf, Puzzle, and Arcade.

Mini Golf is straight forward enough. Bounce a ball though an obstacle course into a hole. The fewer shots the better.

DD level02(Pictured: Level 2 of the Dank Dungeon. At the beginning of Arcane Golf, we introduce you to the basics. This should feel familiar to anyone that has ever played a mini golf game.)


In Arcane Golf, however, we decided to control the amount of shots each hole would require. You'll notice in the above gif, the player starts with only 1 shot- they can't bogey or birdie. In later levels we give and take away control from the player to facilitate more structured goals and experiences. This gives our game a puzzle-solving element. Unlike in a normal golf game, reaching the end isn't a foregone conclusion altered only by how many shots it takes you. We give the player only as many shots and power-ups as it will take to reach the end if they play the level correctly. It's up to the player to figure out how to best utilize these elements to reach their goal.

WT Level50
(Pictured: Level 50 of the Water Temple. This is an example of a level that doesn't even give the player a shot at the start, but as the level progresses, and the ball collides with mana potions, we give control back at specific moments.)

Arcade, as a genre, is a bit broader, but no less important to the essence of our game. We grew up gaming in arcades, replaying the same games over and over, training our reflexes, and memorizing patterns to dive ever deeper into those quarter munchers. We borrow from those experiences in a number of subtle but important ways (don't worry, not the quarter munching part). A number of the abilities, hazards, and ultimately the levels they make up lead to high speed, reflex heavy, gameplay experiences. Some of these levels play unlike anything you might expect from a mini golf or a puzzle game. In some cases we don't even require any of the accuracy or puzzle solving of other levels, and instead focus on pure reflex and timing.

AL Level21
(In this level, players are required only to make 1 small, insignificant shot before the entire level becomes a game of timing and reflexes.)

Every level in Arcane Golf focuses on one or more of these gameplay experiences, but as the game progresses these experiences blend into one another in more challenging and exciting ways. At the same time, we also became more comfortable diving heavily into one style or another, creating pure experiences that are wildly different level to level.

FR Level29b
(Without spoiling too much, here is an earlier example of a mixed gameplay experience that asks players to use all of the skills they have learned- from precise aim and timing, to reflex and even light puzzle solving.)

If you're a fan of any of these genres, we think you'll find something you like in the 200 levels included at launch on July 26th. Thanks for reading!

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