Here on Earth, the origins of golf are still debated, but on Pangya Island, a world of dreams and fantasies that exists in another dimension, the game’s history is well documented. Golf, called Pangya by the islanders, was invented to pay tribute to a hero who had defeated a dark lord not long ago by driving a ball into a hole. Of course, Pangya: Fantasy Golf is not your average sports game, but regardless of what you think about its colorful characters and amazing fairways, there’s no shortage of good golf here.

Pangya Island’s nine golf courses support single-player tournaments and ad-hoc play for up to eight players, but these are best saved for when you’ve invested some time in the lengthy story mode. In this mode, you’ll get used to the traditional three-click controls, unlock all 18 players on the roster for use in other modes (after about 15 hours), and inevitably accumulate a ton of bread, which you can use for new outfits and consumption. For your favorite golfers, we offer better equipment. There is a story of course, and while the dialogue between the characters is rarely convincing, it at least tries to explain how the magical natives of Pangya came into being: an anthropomorphic dragon, a great white bear, a young pirate, and a professional tennis player named Max. Come play golf with me. The story is good for laughs at times, but you won’t miss much if you skip all that and just focus on playing golf, because the goal is always to beat your opponent, whether they’re a pack or a die-hard fan, a criminal, a sworn enemy, or a member of a rival island tribe.

If you’ve played golf before, you shouldn’t have a problem finding your way in Pangya. You can select your club with the shoulder buttons, aim with the directional pad, and take into account different altitudes and weather conditions thanks to the map from above. Then click the hit button three times to start your swing, adjust your power, and hit the ball as cleanly as possible. As you progress through the story mode, you’ll learn more advanced techniques, such as: B. Topspin and backspin, power curves (applying an exaggerated pull or fade to go around a corner), tomahawk, cobra, spike, and other named shots. The controls for landing those awesome shots are more refined, and it’s actually harder to remember which buttons to press and when than it is to actually press the buttons.

On a normal golf course, such a shot would be considered too strong, but to play some holes on Panya Island, the shot is practically mandatory. The first course has a conventional feel and is mostly unproblematic aside from the expected bunkers and water hazards, but it’s not long before realism gives way to narrow rock-pillar fairways, tiny island greens, and hazards with everything. Everything from windmills to volcanoes is becoming commonplace. There is certainly no shortage of variety when it comes to course design, and while the most obvious difference between a course covered in volcanic ash and one covered in snow is the appearance, the environment also has some impact on the play of the hole. For example, on a frozen fairway, the ball will fly a little farther after the first impact than one lit by the sunlight. And when the water hazards freeze over, they become just as attractive targets as the fairways and greens. There’s not even a penalty for hitting them. Play ice cream for your next shot.

Even shots from the rough incur only a 5% distance penalty. So as long as you avoid water hazards, bunkers, and designated no-go areas, Pangya: Fantasy Golf feels very forgiving. With default settings, wind effects are negligible, holes are much larger than in real life, and errors in the power meter when trying to hit the ball will simply result in off-target shots rather than dramatic hooks or slices. However, unchecking “Beginner Mode” in the options screen will increase the difficulty considerably. There’s no way to tinker with the unpredictable AI of story mode’s enemies. One moment they play like geniuses and the next like gorillas, but at least they get more formidable and consistent as the game progresses. While one-on-one games can provide a welcome opportunity to observe and fast-forward your opponents’ shots, in tournaments all players shoot at the same time, with little portraits showing the location of each of their balls.

Besides the story mode, Pangya: Fantasy Golf also has a satisfying Pangya Tour mode, where you must purchase a course license before you can enter a tournament. It may sound daunting, but the license exam is a lot of fun. Challenges include achieving a score on a specific hole, playing a better approach shot than your opponent on all six holes, and sinking ten chip-in shots or holes-in-ones. The last two are pretty scary, but having a marker showing the exact location of your previous attempt makes it relatively easy to adjust your aim for the next attempt. With a license in hand, you can take part in several different tournaments on each of the nine courses, winning both cash prizes and new costumes for your character. Between the Story and Pangya Tour modes, you can play alone for dozens of hours without repeating challenges or competitions, but of course you will see the same 162 holes over and over again.

When playing alone, you can expect to unlock new characters, new outfits, new balls (known as Aztecs in the game), and new bats. Many of them have a novel look, such as baseball bats, swords, and umbrellas. Many of these items change the characteristics of your character when equipped and also look better. If you join a multiplayer game with friends, there is no limit to the use of items. This is a good incentive to unlock powerful gear, but it’s a shame that your friends can’t see the cool sunglasses you’re wearing or play as a dragon that rules the forest. It’s actually a double-headed axis. Rather, you only see a small character portrait at the position of the ball. This is because in a multiplayer game, everyone shoots at the same time and there is no way to take turns as in real life. The complete lack of online play or leaderboards is also a shame, since unless you have local friends who have their own copy of the game (or are at least interested in yours), you can’t brag about your golfing achievements or gear. Not at all.

That’s a shame, because, like other visual aspects of the game, much of the unlockable content is crafted with exquisite detail and features a colorful anime-style aesthetic that really looks great on the PSP screen. Pangya: Fantasy Golf’s character animations further enhance the anime atmosphere with expressive celebrations and reactions to failure, giving the golfers plenty of personality beyond what’s evident in the story mode’s text-based dialogue. The game has no voice acting, aside from excited shouts of “Pangya!” as characters hit the ball straight and accurately. The upbeat soundtrack isn’t particularly memorable, but it’s not distracting and complements the visual style very well.

Pangya: Fantasy Golf is a great package with a lot of content. The time it takes to unlock all the characters and collectibles is best measured in days, not hours. Even if those things don’t interest you, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy Pangya just like any other golf game. Of course, you won’t find an exact replica of St. Andrews on Pangya Island, but you’ll be busy wondering if your tomahawk swing can make it past the windmills and into the green space surrounded by rivers of lava. Think again.