GolfTopia is an Updated Sim Golf – And I Love It

About once a year, I begin looking around the Internet for ways to get Sim Golf running on my computer – any of my computers. Sim Golf was one of my favourite simulation titles when I was younger, and I spent hours creating courses, competing in tournaments, and earning cash. With the ability to play that game dwindling, I’ve been either hoping for a re-release of that title, or something that mimics it, but alas, nothing has been released. Until GolfTopia.

GolfTopia is a futuristic golf course creation and management simulation game, and while the idea of a futuristic game threw me off initially, I decided to take the dive anyways when the publishers came forward with a code for us to use for review. So call me a reluctant reviewer with a tiny sliver of hope that something good was going to come out of this release. I was shocked, but by how much the game really did resemble Sim Golf, and how much I ended up enjoying it.

Let’s talk about this battle between futuristic golf and real golf, and how I was initially worried. There are many futuristic elements in the game, some you need to use – lasers and robots to clean trash bins, destroy weeds, restock vending machines, and more – and elements you don’t need to use – mini-golf inspired items like ramps, loop-the-loops, acceleration pads, and more. While I messed around with the mini-golf inspired items for the sake of this review, the bulk of my time was creating an otherwise normal golf course, and it played EXACTLY like Sim  Golf, but with more finite precision allowing you to craft very unique looking holes, as opposed to using the grid system in Sim Golf.

And it all works. Laying down fairways held together by patches of rough and sand traps was incredibly easy. You can change the size of your ‘brush’ to either create wide golf terrain or use smaller ‘brushes’ to be very specific, especially when laying something like a sand trap. While the game lacks all the different venues and looks that you might get in Sim Golf – who had tropical options, wooded options, etc. – using the few trees, rocks, and terrain types to create unique and fantastic courses was still a lot of fun, and I’m still invested in the game, long after my review period ended.

Like any good simulation game, you’ll slowly need to buy more land, which gives you the ability to build more holes. You can also add amenities to your courses like vending machines, ball washers, driving range, putting green, and so much more. By the time your 18 hole course is complete, you’ll have access to a wide assortment of placeable items. And like with Sim Golf, you can play the courses yourself, hold tournaments, and so much more.

If you are looking to scratch the Sim Golf itch this year, GolfTopia is the game that will do it. While it lacks some of the diversity players had in Sim Golf, there is still so much to love, and so much to look forward to, with this release.