Walkabout Mini Golf [Quest 2] | REVIEW

Walkabout Mini Golf has been available on the Quest for some time now, with the game initially releasing back in 2020. With that in mind, you’re probably reading this and wondering why we’ve worked on a review for the game in 2022.

Well, whilst Walkabout Mini Golf was an impressive game when it initially released, it has since seen countless additions and improvements that has elevated it to ‘must own’ status on the Quest. Whether you’re a fan of mini golf or not, this is one game you NEED to play – especially since most of the new content has come via free updates.

Check out a gallery of screenshots down below:

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I don’t really feel like I need to go through the premise of mini golf here, because let’s be honest: everybody knows how to play golf. What I will say though is that Walkabout Mini Golf offers ten 18-hole courses (two of which are available as paid DLC) spread across multiple vibrant environments, a rich selection of different golf balls and putters to unlock, and multiplayer support for up to five players to compete in epic showdowns.

The courses are some of the best that I’ve played in any mini golf game, with each locale bringing with it a creative selection of holes that will push your skills in a variety of ways. Some are straight forward and just require you to bounce the ball accurately between corners, whilst others are more creative and might see you attempting to bounce the ball off a rock across a river, sending it up a massive hill where you need to get the PERFECT amount of power not to have it surge back down, blasting it into the heart of a cowboy cut-out for a perfect shot, hitting it down a pipe in order to get the best chance at landing a hole in one, or even blasting it from atop a cliff onto the green in a ‘pitch and putt’ fashion. Of course, there are also plenty of obstacles to attempt to avoid hitting as you line up your shots… it wouldn’t be mini golf without those, right? That’s just a few examples of what to expect too, with all sorts of different scenarios to face as you tackle some of the game’s more complex but imaginative holes.

Whilst the creativity of the holes you play across is great, each course also stands out thanks to their impressive visuals. Don’t get me wrong, Walkabout Mini Golf adopts a simple visual style where it clearly isn’t striving for realism, but the sheer amount of vibrancy and personality found across each course helps make them stand out. Whilst there was one course that I didn’t quite appreciate as much as the others (I’m talking about you, Arizona Modern), places such as the windmill-filled Quixote Valley, the soothing Cherry Blossom, the buccaneering Tourist Trap, or the eerie Original Gothic all looked wonderful. It feels all the more impressive seeing them in virtual reality, with the sense of scale of the courses making you feel like you’re right *there* in the midst of these wonderful lands.

“The courses are some of the best that I’ve played in any mini golf game, with each locale bringing with it a creative selection of holes that will push your skills in a variety of ways.”

Playing golf feels great in the game, with the physics of your hits and the ball feeling both realistic and accessible. It doesn’t feel like it holds your hand too much to make each hole easy to land, but at the same time you’ll find yourself pulling off impressive long putts that you might not have been able to hit so accurately in real-life. I have suffered a few unusual wayward moments where the ball bounced off an object unnaturally, but for the most part everything is accurate and ensures that playing golf itself is satisfying. Believe me, there’s nothing more rewarding than nailing a hole in one, especially on one of the more difficult holes that really tests your skills.

There’s more to the game than just PLAYING golf though, with plenty for players to unlock along the way. There are a ton of lost balls to be found, for example, with each course having eighteen to find (one for each hole). The lost balls themselves are a bit of a mixed bag, with some of the more exquisite and flashy designs joined by some plain and simple colours, but it’s certainly addictive to try and find them all.

Each course also has a hard mode that players can unlock, which doesn’t only change up the course aesthetically (it typically takes place at night though some courses differ) but also genuinely makes them significantly more difficult. I was feeling pretty cocky after getting a -14 score in Seagull Stacks on my first attempt, but getting a +12 when playing it on hard mode certainly humbled me. These courses never feel unfair though – they just live up to their ‘hard’ name.

It’s also possible to unlock new putters on these hard courses, but not by playing golf. Instead, you’ll find a series of clues that’ll lead you to different spots across each course, with a mixture of written and visual clues offered until you reach the end and unlock a unique new putter. These were some of my FAVOURITE things to do across the whole game, with each treasure hunt carefully and thoughtfully designed to get your brain in gear and send you travelling across the entirety of each course. They’re really fun, especially when completed in multiplayer with friends, whilst the weird yet wonderful mixture of putters they reward you with add more personality to the game.

“I was feeling pretty cocky after getting a -14 score in Seagull Stacks on my first attempt, but getting a +12 when playing it on hard mode certainly humbled me.”

There is both smooth and teleportation-based locomotion so the game suits both newbies and veterans to virtual reality, whilst players are also able to grow themselves to a massive size and look over the whole course as the action takes place (I might have made that sound weird, but it works really well in-game). A new update was also released that allows players to fly around each course whilst playing, which also sounds unconventional but is a wonderful way to scout out ahead of you, find lost balls, or simply watch your friends take their shots.

One of the biggest new updates that has hit the game recently is the avatar system, which allows players to create their own little character to play golf with. It’s pretty robust too, with plenty of fun and silly ways to change up your appearance – my avatar surprisingly looks a lot like me, big eyebrows and all, albeit with a cool Viking helmet.

It lends itself well to the multiplayer mode of Walkabout Mini Golf, which really is the best way to experience the game. Whilst it’s possible to play single player or in quick matches with random players, playing with up to four other friends in a private match is absolutely brilliant. We’ve got a small group together and put a ton of hours into the game already, and we’ve been having a blast thanks to the game’s perfect blend of competitive and social play. Whether you’re roasting each other for a bad shot, complimenting a good shot, trying to distract each other by shouting random noises (we’re a childing bunch), or even working together to find some lost balls, Walkabout Mini Golf is simply one of the best multiplayer experiences that I’ve had in virtual reality.

“We’ve got a small group together and put a ton of hours into the game already, and we’ve been having a blast thanks to the game’s perfect blend of competitive and social play.“

The cherry on top is the fact that it’s such good value for money. Whilst I try not to focus on the cost of games too much whilst reviewing, the £10.99 cost for the base eight courses (in normal and hard varieties), all of the lost balls, and the treasure hunts for new putters feels like an absolute bargain. The Shangri-La and Gardens of Babylon DLC courses are only £2.29 each too, so you won’t feel like you’re breaking the bank to get them (and they also bring with them two varieties as well as lost balls and treasure hunts). You’re getting so much bang for your buck here, with the replayability offered in multiplayer or simply trying to best your scores almost endless.

It’s pretty difficult to come up with any real flaws for the game that stood out, with pretty much everything about Walkabout Mini Golf feeling great in-game. There were some of the aforementioned physics issues when hitting some objects in specific ways and I wasn’t a fan of one of the courses, but otherwise there isn’t a whole lot to complain about. If I was going to really nit-pick you could argue that some of the holes go on a bit longer than they need to with little skill needed from the player, but that’s part of mini golf (and where those risky big hits come into play). I just really, really, REALLY love playing the game.

Developer: Mighty Coconut
Publisher: Mighty Coconut
Platform(s): Quest 2 (Reviewed), Quest, PC VR
Website: https://www.mightycoconut.com/minigolf