Those who have been following TouchArcade for a while know that we’re pretty cautious when it comes to posting about in-development games that are seeking crowdfunding. Which is tough, because we see A LOT of really interesting ideas for games that are banking on crowdfunding campaigns in order to get made, and of course as gamers ourselves we want to see these awesome games come to fruition. But cool ideas are just that – ideas, and by now we know how unreliable crowdfunded game projects can be, so it makes it tough to post about a game specifically to say “Hey throw a bunch of money at this!" With all that said, sometimes a game comes along that’s just such an awesome idea I can’t help but talk about, it even if it is in its early stages of development and seeking money via crowdfunding. RPGolf is one of those games.
As the name implies, RPGolf is a blend of role-playing game and golf. It’s played in a classic top-down style like some of the 16-bit era greats, in an open world that’s literally a golf course crawling with baddies, items and… golf holes, of course! The main goal is to play through the course but you’ll also need to contend with enemies who may get in your way, like a gigantic dragon that totally swats your chip shot. What a jerk! Check out the trailer.
So, pretty awesome idea, right? And strangely enough, an RPG that takes place on a golf course, typically lush and interesting environments, makes a freakish amount of sense. I guess you could argue the Mario Golf series is RPG-style golf, but not quite to this degree. The major drawback comes down to the whole crowdfunding thing. RPGolf is looking for $20,000 just to finish the game with a 9-hole course, with a $25k stretch goal promising a full 18-hole course. Then at the $50k mark a class system will be introduced, with a wizard, warrior and thief. Finally, at $75k developer ArticNet will add online multiplayer.
Maybe it’s just me, but these goals seem awfully high, especially for things that feel like they should be part of the game in the first place, like a full golf course and different classes. As much as I hate to say it, I really don’t see them making even their original goal, let alone the stretch goals. They’ve yet to break $1000 after 10 days of the campaign, though there is two whole months left.
We’ll have to see what happens, but I hope that even if the crowdfunding doesn’t work out ArticNet forges on and finds a way to get RPGolf made. It seems too awesome to not exist. If you’re interested in more, check out the Indiegogo page for RPGolf, and hopefully we’ll have more news on this one in the near future.
