IGF 2016 Spotlight on: Project Rocket Golfing
As I continue wading through the 775 entrants in this year’s Independent Games Festival, whittling my way to a highly polished list of the Top Twenty, I thought I’d highlight some of my favorites.
Every year there seems to be at least one recurring theme in the IGF entrants. With games pouring in from all over the world it’s merely a coincidence that some of them hit on the same ideas. The one I’ve seen a lot of in this year’s offerings is “2D procedurally generated universes” and that is by no means a bad thing. As you may have guessed from the title, Project Rocket Golfing takes things in its own unique direction by basing its exploration around intergalactic golfing.
A simple pull-back-and-release interface lets you putt from asteroid to asteroid or hit a long drive into the stratosphere around a planet. Sink the shot and it’s off to the next celestial body in a big red rocket ship. While the setup is fantastical the science of orbits and gravity is very much grounded in reality. Professor Morgan McGuire set out to make the game casual, approachable and informative with facts and quotes about space science and no Game Overs or in-app purchases. He also made it in two months!
The combination of 2D, space exploration and golf is right up my alley but unfortunately the game is only on iOS devices. While I may not get to play it the idea is so great that it immediately landed on my short list of top picks. For those who DO have an iPhone or iPad, Project Rocket Golfing is available right now on the App Store for $0.99. Check it out and tell me about it!
