I have played a LOT of golf games in my life.
From early loves such as PGA Tour Golf 2 on the Sega Mega Drive through to the arcade classic NEO Turfmasters and the myriad Tiger Woods-era EA titles, I’ve had some really good times with the genre (Not forgetting a gem that I discovered only a couple of years ago called Links 2004 on the Xbox, definitely one to try if you missed it, amazing arcade-style game. Also, Golf Story is a golden ray of light).
I’ve played and reviewed several games released by Marvelous Inc. over the years and I have to admit that they aren’t shy of variety in terms of gameplay...although I wish I could say the same about the characters.
Mortal Shell came along for review at a very apt time. Only the weekend prior was I involved in a lengthy conversation about ‘Souls-Esque’ titles, where punishment and difficulty are built-in to the games themselves and pushed as a focal point.
Whilst I never clicked with the Dark Souls games, personally, my friend was telling me of a moment whereby, after two weeks of trying to defeat the final boss in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, he finally succeeded and, in his words, ‘fell to the floor on his back and clawed at the air with his limbs, whilst giggling...like a happy puppy’.
This level of dedication and perseverance isn’t really ingrained in me but I did appreciate and respect someone having that approach and ‘I can do this’ attitude to gaming.
