The end of the world was supposed to be far more impressive than it turned out to be. Instead of nukes, a meteor, the Yellowstone supervolcano popping off, or a wave of zombies, it was just us being shortsighted and unable to care about the consequences of our actions. Those who have kept on having while everyone else remained stuck at the bottom, and eventually the Earth was all used up. The joke was on the ultra-wealthy, though, because while the poor at least got to die off the rich have to keep on living on Mars while life gets more and more difficult and it becomes clear that this just isn’t going to work. The home planet is a wasteland and all the money in the world won’t make Mars properly inhabitable, but even so there’s no reason not to visit Earth to hit a few golf balls around the ruins. Golf Club: Wasteland is a cheerfully melancholic round of golf on the corpse of an Earth that, somehow, isn’t quite ready to die yet.
Overall controls are fairly simple, just pull back on the analog stick, controlling both angle and force, then tap a button to let loose the swing and hope that everything works out as planned. It takes a little practice to get the hang of how much force gives the right distance, but it doesn’t take too long for the ball to start finishing up in the general vicinity of where you were hoping it would go. Courses are set over the remains of civilization, whether that be shipping containers inconveniently arranged to get in the way of the hole, or a luxury boat that will never host parties again, or a long-deserted apartment building. The background of each hole also has details to show the state of the world before its inevitable end, but the real story is told by way of Radio Nostalgia from Mars. In addition to providing background music, Radio Nostalgia hosts interviews with survivors living out their lives on a planet not designed for human life. The voice acting is excellent and it’s easy to put down the controller for a minute to listen to someone talking about their post-Earth life and the world they lived on before.
Of all the things to hang a narrative off, golf seems one of the least likely subjects. Golf Club: Wasteland somehow makes it work, though, with the story and atmosphere amplifying the trip from one hole to the next. And who knows, maybe things aren’t so bad as they seem, because if life can withstand a 10km asteroidwiping out the dinosaursit can also withstand humanity. If the between-level bits of story work out right, then there might even be people to see it if we can just do better next time.
Golf Club: Wasteland released today for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The launch trailer below gives an excellent overview of the game and its world, so give it a view to get a taste of the playful melancholy of the post-end of the world.
