When I hear “mini-golf,” I always imagine first-date scenes from romcoms, or movie CEOs trying to tee off inside the office putting green. Mini-golf is recreation that anyone can enjoy and is usually one of the first suggestions that come up when planning the weekend with family or friends. For the same reason, it’s an activity that should translate well into Virtual Reality, and Cloudlands: VR Minigolf exceedingly proves that to be true.
Let’s Tee Off
Cloudlands can be played in single player mode, or in multiplayer mode, in which players can take turns using the Vive or play together online. The game is set in a fantastical environment, with the courses designed in three season themes: Spring, Autumn and Winter. You start off inside the selection mini-course where you can first tinker with the ball color and putter length, and configure the settings before choosing which mode to play. Once you’ve done that, you can go through the tutorial and go back to the main menu where you choose to start playing, or to create your own course in the level editor. At the main menu, select from one to four players. Next, pick your course from random holes, the full 18 holes, 9 holes, or custom courses made by other users.
The controls could not get any simpler for Cloudlands VR. You’ll be using one of the Vive controllers as a golf club. The game uses “intuitive 1:1 control mapping” between the controller and virtual putter. The club also adjusts its length if it hits the ground, so you’ll never have to worry about burying the club head in the VR green. After you hit the ball, you can teleport to it by pressing the trigger. No need to spend an hour looking for your ball, as a helping “hand” appears and points to it. You can also teleport anywhere by aiming and then pressing the touch pad. To view your scorecard, press grip.
Custom Courses
In September, Futuretown updated the game with a level editor. In it, you can create custom courses using assets as seen in the game’s courses. I’ve given it a try and had an absolutely awesome time. There’s a wide variety of floors, holes, props and landscape pieces to create with. What’s so cool about it is that right after you’ve put your course together, you can test it out first and set the par for that round. It’s so easy to use, I could spend hours designing courses.
Cloudlands VR is such a relaxing game, with its picturesque landscapes and soothing background music (new music was recently added in an update). There’s also a fun, medieval twist to the props, and the overall visuals are beautiful and simple in a sophisticated manner. We are happy to report the game plays smoothly, with no jitters or tracking issues. Most VR ready machines should be able to run Cloudlands without problems.
Futuretown was thoughtful enough to provide a free demo available via the Cloudlands Steam page, so if you’ve never tried it, go give it a whirl!
Find your happy place and get Cloudlands: VR Minigolf, currently on sale for $13.99 (regular price: $19.99).
-shurl
Vive Report 
One Pingback