UPDATE: Warlach of the Nintendo Switch subreddit has posted this screenshot of an email with a Sidebar representative. A patch is in the works.
Golf Story patch incoming! ????️ Sent the Devs a link to the Master List of bugs and...Original story below.
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Golf Story has been privy to positive reviews and player praise since it released on the Nintendo Switch eShop Thursday, but, despite the acclaim, users found the game to be riddled with bugs. One thread on the Nintendo Switch subreddit listed over two dozen issues related to graphics, crashes, saves and more.
One of the most troubling issues concerns the camera that follows the player. In certain instances, it randomly refocuses on other parts of the map, making gameplay and reading text impossible. This becomes especially frustrating on the driving range, where strong shots hit a series of washing machines closed. The sound dings to suggest increased XP, but it becomes impossible to see when the camera pans away from the character. Others report a long black line that covers the whole screen and moves with the camera on its path.
The issues become a lot more unique when it comes to crashes. In one reported case, the player’s sprite became unusually tiny and they were unable to progress because of it. Some have gotten stuck as soon as the avatar hops from his bed at the start of the game. In gameplay, there are several reported cases where talking to certain NPCs or hitting the ball to specific spots triggered unexpected crashes that not only impact the Golf Story app, but the entire Switch console.
These numerous issues are especially frustrating because Golf Story seems like an otherwise strong game. As one reddit thread so aptly put it, “Golf Story is a delight… and really buggy.” The game has earned a strong recommendation from major publications like Eurogamer and currently has a 9.3 out of 10 score from Nintendo Life. That being said, the good news is that once these bugs are sorted out, Golf Story can become another strong contender on the growing list of amazing Nindie efforts on Switch. An update is assumed to be in the works, but, considering the small size of the Sidebar Games team and the large number of issues, it could be a while before a patch is ready.
As with all events of this kind, it’s important to note not all players have experienced problems as serious as the ones described above. The most pervasive bug seems to be the game’s unfocused camera, but even that has only happened a few times for some Switch owners.
Despite being optimistic about fixes, though, there’s no denying that buggy launches have been characteristic of several smaller Switch titles since the system’s launch. Games like NBA Playgrounds, Overcooked Special Edition, Mr. Shifty and Snake Pass have all received significant patches to resolve strange bugs exclusive to Switch hardware. In other words, the story of Golf Story is shared amongst many teams developing Switch games. As familiarity with the console grows, we hope it stops being the norm.
Golf Story is available now on Nintendo Switch.
Has your Golf Story experience been riddled with bugs? Are you waiting for an update? Tell us in the comments section!
