Hole in the Clouds Review

Golf goes airborne (well, more so than usual) with the release of OneDrop’s nonstop golf game Hole in the Clouds. Featuring both puzzle and platforming elements, does this title shoot for the stars, or is it more of a pie in the sky idea?

Hole in the Clouds Review

The ultimate goal of Hole in the Clouds is simple – pop all the clouds before finishing each hole. However, the devil is most certainly in the details; cannons, gusts of wind, portals, and vines all vary things up and could very well turn that birdie into a bogey.

So the question is, how does it feel to launch these little balls through the air? Rather than a three-click meter or an analog stick or anything that would make things tricky, Hole in the Clouds follows the KISS principle by tying everything to the mouse. The left mouse button launches the ball with a power meter, while the right mouse button activates a special. No need to worry about any pesky laws of physics either; one can adjust their shot on the fly mid-air if the occasion arises.

As a result, this game is easy to play but still proves to be a bit hollow. There’s a par on each hole, sure, but there’s less strategy and more kattywompus afoot. While one needs a set number of strokes to progress, it often feels like players can just skirt by. Conversely, there were also occasions where we were able to get an albatross through sheer luck; it does feel a bit lopsided depending on the hole.

The aforementioned special moves add even more chaos into the mix. Moves run the gamut; one moment players will be raising up shields, another players will be shooting out cloud-piercing sprinkles, while a third will transport your ball to the nearest portal. There’s some interesting physics engines in play, but it often feels a bit lopsided to see things play out. It’s less hardcore and more casual, but it knows exactly what it is.

It’s just a shame that this title is a bit on the short side. There’s only five different courses to choose from: Cloud, Castle, Forest, Space, and Candy. However, not even the sugary sweets can make a compelling case to stick around; we felt like the presentation was a bit lacking overall, without any distinct personality. While there’s 18 holes for each course, each one can be completed fairly quickly.

Note that there is a local multiplayer mode with support for up to four people, but we did not try it out for this review.

Hole in the Clouds is a golf game in the very loosest sense of the word, but this puzzle-platformer fails to have a personality of its own.

This review of Hole in the Clouds was done on the PC. The game was purchased digitally.