I hate the frisbee guys in Golf Story

Golf Story is an amazing game. Released for the Nintendo Switch on Sept. 28, 2017, Golf Story quickly gained a reputation in the gaming community as a surprisingly solid old school RPG/sports mashup. Using sprite graphics reminiscent of an extremely early PlayStation 1 game (let’s be real, there’s no way a 16-bit system could have handled this game), Golf Story runs the player through a bizarre storyline that starts with golf, but goes veering off the rails into surprising and unexpected places. Instead of random monster battles, players gain experience and level up by, well, golfing, and completing golf related quests.

The golf mechanics on Golf Story are rock solid, and surprisingly deep, using the age-old three click system to allow players to pull off any number of trick shots. New golf mechanics are still being introduced to the player several hours into the game, keeping the challenges fresh and fun. The game is clever and bright and lively and fun.

Except for the frisbee guys. I'm only about halfway through Golf Story, but that is far enough to know that I really, really hate the frisbee guys.

The frisbee guys are three characters initially encountered loitering near the back of the opening gold course, Wellworn Grove. Elsewhere on the course, the presence of the frisbee guys is foreshadowed when another character complains bitterly about how much they hate the frisbee guys. I couldn’t agree more. The frisbee guys are fanatically devoted to disc golf, and they sneer with hostility at the idea of anyone enjoying “old fashioned” golf. The frisbee guys challenge the player character to complete a series of disc-related challenges, and unfortunately, progression is blocked until the player obliges.

Not only are the frisbee guys totally rude and awful, the frisbee mechanics in the game are extremely difficult to master. There is little in the way of explanation, and the player is expected to complete a series of increasingly impossible tasks. Controlling the disc in mid-air is possible, but various obstacles and the non-intuitive control scheme makes dealing with the frisbee guys an extremely high-stress proposition.

After completing the last task for the frisbee guys, I breathed a sigh of relief. When the player succeeds at the last disc challenge, the frisbee guys pack up and leave the golf course. “Good riddance”, I thought, glad to be done with disc golf, and relieved to be getting back to the business at hand.

But, alas, no. About 90 minutes later, the frisbee guys reappear at another golf course, Cheekybeak Peak. Once again, progression on the main campaign is blocked until the player completes a series of disc golf challenges. And this time, the challenges are much, much more difficult. Like, “break my Switch over my knee” difficult. I was forced to try the disc golf challenges over and over. And over. And over. The frustration was palpable, and the groaning was loud indeed.

In a way, the frisbee guys represent a throwback to old school style gaming. Older games did not care about sudden spikes in difficulty, and they would sometimes hurl random mechanics at the player with little regard to how these outliers fit into the rest of the game. Golf Story wears its old school cred on its sleeve, and unfortunately, this includes the presence of the frisbee guys.

I finally got though all of the frisbee guy challenges, and am ready to move on with the game, but I do so with quivering trepidation. I feel like the frisbee guys are lurking elsewhere in Golf Story, lying in wait, ready to pounce and ruin all of my good golfing fun. However, I must admit to some pride in overcoming the frisbee guys. I yelled in triumph so loudly when I finally beat the last disc challenge that I scared the cat out of the room, and my wife called out from elsewhere in the house to make sure I was okay.

The frisbee guys are not enough to ruin Golf Story. Not even close, really. Golf Story is great, and I heartily recommend it. Just go into Golf Story with your eyes open, and beware. Watch the horizon. The frisbee guys are real. They are out there. And if you play Golf Story, the frisbee guys are coming for you.