Everybody's Golf Hot Shots Review

Everybody's Golf, also known as Hot Shots Golf in the West, has been one of Sony's most popular and reliable sports games for decades. The series first came out on the original PlayStation in the 32-bit era. It became known for mixing the relaxing charm of arcade-style Golf with easy-to-learn mechanics that made it fun for everyone, not just golf fans.

The series became known for Sony's hardware over the years, appearing on almost every PlayStation generation and becoming a colorful alternative to more serious golf games. But Everybody's Golf Hot Shots is a turning point. It's the first game in decades that wasn't made by the experienced team at Clap Hanz, and it's also the first one that Sony Interactive Entertainment didn't publish.

Instead, Bandai Namco is now the publisher, and Hide Inc. is now in charge of development. Even more surprisingly, this game is no longer only available on PlayStation. You can also play it on PC through Steam and Nintendo Switch. That leap across platforms puts the franchise in new hands, which naturally raises questions: Can this new direction honor the series' legacy, or does it fail to modernize a formula that fans have loved for years?

A lot of people were surprised when Everybody's Golf Hot Shots was announced. The last big game in the series seemed to end the PlayStation-only era of the franchise, after all. But the return made sense all of a sudden because Sony was letting go of older IPs and Bandai Namco was bringing back old ones. 

Fans hoped that this revival would retain the unique charm of the old games while adding enough newness to stand up to newer sports games like Mario Golf or Golf With Your Friends. At its heart, Everybody's Golf Hot Shots is still a golf game that feels like an arcade game. You won't find a simulation that is too real here. 

The focus is on being easy to get to, having fun quickly, and being charming in a lighthearted way. It has always worked best with colorful characters, expressive visuals, and that classic "pick-up-and-play" feel. Even though Golf doesn't seem like a game with a story, the World Tour mode acts like a campaign.

In this game, you compete against strange opponents in a series of cups. As you win, you unlock new characters, outfits, and gear. There are short cutscenes that show each golfer's backstory, which gives them more personality than just being an avatar on the green.

Still, the story here seems more like light dressing than a real hook. The characters themselves aren't as expressive as they used to be. The earlier Hot Shots Golf games had a lot of silly, cartoon-like animations that made every win or loss fun. On the other hand, these characters seem stiff and strangely lifeless, which makes the humor and charm less effective.

The story structure gives you goals, but it doesn't always make you want to keep caring about the people behind them. The three-button swing system is the main mechanic in Everybody's Golf Hot Shots, and it has been around for a long time. It's easy: press once to start your swing, again to set the power, and a third time to make sure you hit it.

The system has been around since the beginning of the series, and for good reason. It's simple to learn, gives you instant satisfaction, and lets you get better by practicing timing and accuracy. Once you're on the course, the simple things become more complicated.

The grids on the green help you see how steep the slopes are, the wind changes the path of your ball, and the terrain changes how much power your shot has. You can get more control and nuance by using advanced techniques like applying spins.

For instance, top spin for distance, backspin to slow down, or side spin for curves. It's not too much, but it's enough to make you think about every shot. Most courses have nine or eighteen holes, and the goal is to either reach the top of the leaderboard or outscore your opponent in a head-to-head match.

Even though Golf is a repetitive sport (line up, swing, putt), the way it flows can be strangely relaxing. You'll start to relax and go with the flow, like when you play mini-golf on a quiet weekend. Hot Shots doesn't have any real fighting, but it does have puzzle-like challenges built into its design.

Figuring out how to read the land, how to deal with the wind, and which club to use are all like little puzzles. Courses have hazards like bunkers, rough patches, and water traps that require careful planning. If you swing the wrong way, your ball could end up in the sand, which means you have to rethink your strategy.

Also, there are strange ways to play Golf, like Wacky Golf, which makes it a crazy party game. Here, things like explosions or power-ups happen at random and change the rules. These are fun for a little while, but they get old fast because they don't last as long as the more traditional ones.

The game lacks creativity in its course design. There are too many holes that look the same, with flat textures and environments that are hard to tell apart. Hot Shots doesn't take as many risks as other games like Mario Golf or Golf With Your Friends, which feature bold and creative designs. This makes the puzzle part less memorable.

Tournaments and challenge cups are how you move up in Everybody's Golf Hot Shots. You can get new characters, clothes, gear, and in-game money by winning matches. You can use that money to buy things or improve your stats at stores.

A loyalty system adds RPG-like grinding: the more you use a particular golfer or caddy, the more loyalty points they get. They give out new rewards and boosts as they level up. It's a smart way to get people to try out different characters instead of just one.

But the grind can feel uneven. Early tournaments are easy and fun, but they get harder very quickly, so you need to spend time getting better gear. This loop keeps people interested for a long time, but it might annoy people who want to play casually without worrying about stat boosts.

This is where Everybody's Golf Hot Shots has the most trouble with its graphics. AI tools create a lot of grass, leaves, and textures, which makes the environments feel fake and repetitive. After just a few rounds, the courses start to look the same. The game looks surprisingly old on powerful hardware like the PS5, with flat lighting and landscapes that don't move.

Character models are also not as good. Their anime-inspired designs are cute on the outside, but the animations are stiff and don't have the personality that older games had, which made them fun. In the past, games made you laugh with silly reactions. This one doesn't do that. That's a big step back for a show that relies on cartoon charm.

Audio is a little better. The sound of the golf ball hitting the ground, the whoosh of a great swing, and the crowd's soothing reactions all make the location feel like home. The song is enjoyable and fast-paced, but it's not very good at sticking in your head. Voice lines, on the other hand, don't always work.

Some characters say funny things that match the arcade atmosphere, but others go too far and annoy you. While swinging, one golfer keeps talking about evil dragons. It's funny the first time, but it gets old after the tenth.

Everybody's Golf Hot Shots is a game that is stuck between its past and its new name. The basic golf gameplay is still as fun and easy to get into as it always was. The three-button swing, the sport's relaxing rhythm, and the simple joy of hitting a perfect shot still work.

World Tour and Challenge Cups give the game structure, while Wacky Golf is a fun way to pass the time. Couch co-op is a great feature that allows you to share a controller with friends and have fun in short bursts. But the magic that once made the franchise special seems to be gone. The dull graphics, lifeless animations, and reused course designs drain a lot of the fun.

The systems are sound, but they play it too safe and fail to generate new ideas that could compete with modern ones. Golf fans will enjoy it, but it won't stick with them for long. This is a great starting point for newcomers to arcade golf.

For those who have been fans for a long time, Everybody's Golf Hot Shots might feel like a watered-down version of the series they used to love. The fun is still at the heart of the game, but the spark—the personality that made Hot Shots special—is fading fast.