Par for the Dungeon Review

Par for the Dungeon is a casual mini-golf title where you must save your dog from the malevolent Bogeys. Traverse through over 100 levels as you try to do it in as few moves as possible to earn stars, gain crowns, and unlock various cosmetics!

I'm going to be honest with you: I know nothing about the golf aside from memories of living mini-golf as an infant and wondering why, oh why, my parents didn't take me more often. As an adult, I've never really reconnected with the sport (is golf a sport?), but I've always held it in close regard, and Par for the Dungeon seemed like a great way to try it out in the videogame version.

So, starting off your game, your puppy (you get to choose how they look) gets kidnapped by the enemies, and Sleeping Giant Games misses no opportunity to get you straight into the gameplay. Every world has a total of nine courses, and each one has three holes for you to play through, which culminates to a total of 36 courses or 108 holes to play through (for those too lazy to do the maths). The holes get more complicated the deeper into the game you get, but they eventually return to a more tutorial baseline when you start a new world.

Your Par gives you a suggested number of moves you'll need to use to complete the world, but by carefully using your shots, you can get a crown by completing the hole in about half the Par number. Do this for all three, and you get a crown in that course, which works towards unlocking some of the customisation options in the game and is in no way mandatory. Though it sounds like this would be a difficult goal to work towards, Par for the Dungeon isn't actually that complex of a title, which was an enjoyable thing for me — a novice in the sport and genre — but will likely be a downside for veterans.

As you advance through the courses in any given world, you get a couple of items to use, which you can take advantage of by acquiring them through the level or attaining the coins and buying them. These single-use objects don't take a move and can range from various different types, all interacting with the world differently and becoming a crucial part of acquiring your crowns. Using these items was a highlight, as it was fun to see which ways I could use them to my advantage and work towards attaining crowns.

After you finish a world, you then move on to the next and unlock another duo of items that work differently. And then, again and again, changing them altogether and ensuring you have new tools to play with. Though I appreciated the difference in approach, I was sad to see previous items disappear and not have the opportunity to use them at all, which would work great to give more replayability and different perspectives to each hole.

This is also where I feel the biggest issue with Par for the Dungeon is, as it's quite easy and doesn't take advantage of its unique elements enough. The items are a massive plus, and levels where I needed to use them felt the most gratifying and enjoyable, but otherwise, it was pretty straightforward to complete holes, and not only for the Par and three stars but crowns overall. 

Despite that, I actually really loved the game. I think the simplicity is such a good example of the more casual style golf game, and Par for the Dungeon is a casual experience first and foremost, making it more enjoyable than having to rattle my brain thinking of different strengths and angles to take. Is it perfect? Unfortunately not, but for me as a beginner and newcomer, I enjoyed this difficulty more than I would have anything harder because jumping in, completing a course or two or 10 (during days where I was particularly addicted), and moving on was actually enjoyable and relaxing. 

The difficulty isn't a minus, but rather, it shows the scope of the game: Par for the Dungeon isn't one for hardcore golf lovers or those who are familiar with the genre and are looking to get challenged. Instead, it's for newcomers and people interested in branching out into other genres. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a couple of holes to hit… or however the professionals say that.