Features

App Army Assembles - Is Alphaputt a swing or a miss?

|
iOS
| Alphaputt
App Army Assembles - Is Alphaputt a swing or a miss?

The App Army get their clubs out

Left Arrow
0/10
Right Arrow

There's a lot to love about Alphaputt - its beautiful graphics, the simple gameplay, its novel approach to building up level sequences. Who knew such a basic idea could be so deep?

But while we thought it was pretty decent, the buck doesn't always stop with us. That's why we turned to our App Army to see what they thought of the mini-golf extravaganza.

Hit the link below if you want to find out how they felt about whacking tiny balls about, and if you want to be a part of the next App Army Assembles, be sure to join the Facebook group!

yt
Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on
Click Here To View The List »

1
Jim Linford

I’ve only played a few words but each letter is unique and offers challenges. The design and look of the game is fantastic. Every letter is its own course with little touches I played on an S which was a sushi shop with conveyor belts I managed to knock dishes off.

Z was a Zen garden which had some in zen like slanted parts where the ball drops off.

Inputs are simple touch-and-aim, then pull back to increase power release to launch. If you hold another finger down before you release you cancel the shot so can start again. Use dual touch to rotate the camera.

I’ve only played single player so far but I can imagine this game is fantastic in multiplayer.

What is also great is making your own words that creates custom courses for you. Each letter has its own then and a blurb before you start.

This game isn’t easy but so far it’s not hard. I guess if you want to make it hard then you try to hole in one or best your scores. I recommend this game.

2
Dave van Gorkum

I've been playing this game for a few hours now and I have to say it's amazing in some areas, but a frustrating game in others. Note: I've only played Single Player so far.

Let's start with the most obvious thing: this game is stylish! It looks amazing, is animated very well and runs perfect on the iPhone X. The courses are all very different from layout and visual perspective. The N (Neon course) is one of my favorites.

The game handles very well and you know everything there is to know in 2 minutes, which fits with this type of game. One downside though is that the game is really frustrating at first, because every course throws obstacles at you that you have to encounter first, before you know what they do. It's sometimes trial and error.

The biggest downside is that once you know the 'catch' to every letter, the game is basically the same every time you play this course. If you know the power, timing and direction you need to shoot at, you can play every hole exactly the same, every time you play it.

This is my major problem with this game. What could have made this better was for example some changes in which obstacles are active, the timing in which they move/operate or maybe even some sort of 'wind-system' you need to pay attention too.

Right now, I love this game, it's well made, but once you master the 'trick' that each course requires, gameplay is pretty much over. I would recommend this for occasional play, but it's definitely not a Golf Clash, or Golf Battle.

3
Roman Valerio

iPad Air

Earlier this year I had an opportunity to check out Golf Club: Wasteland and to my surprise found out that golf games can be quite entertaining. Alphaputt undoubtedly holds its own ground in terms of really gorgeous look and a rather novel concept of turning Latin letters into golf courses.

I am in no way a big expert in technical side of golfing and thus can not say whether the physics of this game is anywhere near to its real life version. However, due to varied nature of "alphacourses" the bounces of the ball are absolutely unpredictable, so the fun factor is definitely there.

yt
Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on

In addition to an outstanding visual presentation, the game is acoustically pleasing with all those background sounds and noises completing the picture. There are two modes of play to choose from: par-fection, where you have a set number of shots to complete each letter and wordplay, where you can either choose a random word or type your own one, which made my imagination run absolutely wild.

The only downside so far is that when you aim for a power shot, at times the percentage diagram disappears from the screen and thus you have no idea how strong your shot is going to be. The only option to remedy this blemish is to switch from a side view to a top-down one.

Simply putt, this is an alpha game amongst a myriad of App Store betas.

4
Ed Davis

iPad 6

This is a great, stripped-back golf game with a excellent graphics and fantastic animations. Having a variety of words to pick from to play a round of holes from works well. Each hole feels very different and requires some clever timings to complete them. Being able to change the view of the hole works well to make sure you are aiming where you want to.

I do occasionally find that when aiming, I need more screen space than I actually have which results in my shot being cancelled because I dragged my finger off the screen. Not a big issue but just requires some getting used to. Overall, a great game.

5
Bruno Ramalho

iPhone X

I was sold on the looks alone, but then I saw the beautiful animations, and that every moving object is interactive and affects your game, I saw that each letter of the alphabet is a different course with its own theme related to the word that begins with that same letter which gives it shape to the course, and then I caught a glimpse of the in game jokes related to some of the most famous movies in cinema, and I thought “well I wasn’t expecting this at all from a mini-golf game”.

There have been a few examples of mini-golf games that are completely out of the box, and this one is one of the most beautiful and ingenious ones that I could find. There’s a multiplayer mode that makes way more fun than the single player mode, where you can have 4 players trying to beat the par, and at the same time trying to destroy each other’s games pushing the other adversaries ball out of the way.

Don’t get me wrong, the single player mode is so much fun, especially when your playing the courses for the first time. I was completely anxious to see the next one, and then the next one, because there’s so much attention to detail, and it’s all so beautiful.

The ball runs over a keyboard and you can see the keys being pressed and hear the sounds, you can go on a conveyor belt with the sushi in a restaurant, you can try and get a slam dunk while trying to avoid hitting basketballs, and completing a course in a prison when you have an helicopter flying over your head trying to catch you is not easy.

But if you have an iPad, and 3 more players, well then you’re in for some fun times with the 26 courses / letters that you have here to play. I’ve fallen in love with this game.

6
Mark Abukoff

iPhone 7

Excellent graphics. Appealing sound effects. Really good looking physics-based miniature golf game with a twist. The holes are shaped like letters in a word that you can choose for yourself. Each letter/hole is replete with interesting aspects and obstacles.

I kind of like mobile golf games for the slow-paced precision and care that you can take to get a good shot. And this kind of puts that in a blender a bit and makes you work for it. But it’s fun and challenging without being scream-worthy. And certainly imaginative.

yt
Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on

As of others have noted, replayability will eventually be an issue as you learn how to navigate each letter. But pass and play multiplayer adds some variety to that. Overall a very slick and imaginative game that takes the old golf game to a slick new level.

7
Paul Manchester

iPhone SE

Simple, gorgeous and addictive. I am a real sucker for mini-golf games and this title is a worthy addition to the collection. The visuals are spot on, with great variation between each of the holes. The themes are well thought out and the sound effects just add to the joy of playing each hole.

Aiming can be a little imprecise on the smaller screen sizes but this is a minor quibble for an otherwise highly polished game. With each hole as different and fun to play as the last, this is definitely worth your time to explore.

8
Oksana Ryan

iPad Pro

If you love crazy golfing games then you’ll love this. Is there anything radically new here? No. But as far as golfing games go this is an excellent example. The graphics are colourful, the sound changes to be appropriate to the levels, and the gameplay is challenging enough without being so crazily that you can’t move forward.

The levels are designed to be in the shape of letters from the alphabet which gives the game a mini-golf feel and adds another dimension. At times the controls are a little awkward but I think that is the case with many games of this genre and almost expected. A brilliant game to have on your mobile device with an excellent pick up and play factor.

9
Quincy Jones

iPhone 8 Plus

Golf games are not my cup of tea so I wasn’t expecting much.

The game for all its cool graphics,sound effects and locations is pretty much more of the same, once you’ve played a few levels you’ll realize you’ve been down this road before.

That means if you’re into golf, it's more of what you love, but if you’re not a fan nothing really impressive.

10
Steve Clarke

I’m not generally a fan of golf games and Alphaputt was no exception. By all means, stop reading now as my feelings are likely to differ wildly from those of a golf fan.

The first word I played was mauve, and that’s a close approximation of my complexion upon finishing the course. Aiming was inconsistent and the physics seemed to have been inspired by Looney Tunes.

The levels on the other hand have clearly had a lot of thought put into them and look lovey. Each has a different theme with its own unique hazards which see you avoiding duck ponds, airplanes and even UFO’s.

It’s possible for me enjoy golf golf games, as Golf Club Wasteland proved - with Alphaputt I would have had more fun in the barren badlands of an irradiated earth.

Left Arrow
0/10
Right Arrow
Ric Cowley
Ric Cowley
Ric was somehow the Editor of Pocket Gamer, having started out as an intern in 2015. He hopes to take over the world the same way.