Free - to - play games often look appealing , but it ’s difficult to fuck at a glance whether the business organisation modeling is insidious and playfulness ruining , or reasonable and worth pumping a few buck into . With Freemium Field Test , we ’ll take a recent free - to - play iOS plot , put it through its footstep , and let you know if it ’s really worth your prison term ( and money ) .
Super Stickman Golfis one of the all - time iOS classic in my Good Book , deliver a sport and tight - pace twist on the sport that make perfect sense for Mobile River . By transforming the game into a streamlined side - scroll experience , Noodlecake Studios one - upped the likes of EA ’s old Tiger Woods serial , which inelegantly squeeze a more traditional 3D pretence onto touch screen .
The 2011 original was follow by aneven larger sequelin 2013 — and then thedelightful Flappy Golf , a silly - yet - amazing Flappy Bird riff — and now we ’ve come atSuper Stickman Golf 3 . No surprise here : It ’s fantastic playfulness , softly enhance and expanding upon the intimate formula . But unlike the first two games , it ’s a free - to - maneuver secret plan from daytime one , which means it ’s up to you whether you sway capable your billfold to cast some hard cash into the plot .
The pitch
Noodlecake ’s series still give you the perfume of golf , but does so in a all unfermented way . You ’ll still go for long drives and precise putts , try out to ward off sand sand trap and other hazards , and finish each hole at or under the equation score . But here , the entire trend live on a 2D planing machine , which may intend the mess is to the rightfield or left of where you tee up off — or quite often , above or below as well . Or maybe even through a colored portal site !
Completing this muddle involves vaulting your chunk into gravity - thwarting accelerators and either using or ward off the glutinous wall . Yeah , it gets a little complicated .
It ’s a sports biz but also a program game and a puzzler , as you pass your ball up and around danger and try on to figure out every curious obstacle that ’s in your path . And each of the 20 nine - hole grade is totally different , whether it ’s slide along the jagged edges of Crystal Cliffs , get the better of the perfidious rotate saw blades of Buzz Land , or navigating the gooey walls of Sticky Zone .
And there ’s more creativity at manoeuvre , too , thanks to the various ball types and hat . New balls are unlocked as your participant level rises , and you ’ll be able to switch your vernacular golf game ball for one that fires in a full-strength line until it hits something , for example , or one that at once zags in the opposite steering when you tap the screen . golf player hat also add a ready to hand fringe benefit for each round , such as pay you a shot preview while purpose or make the ball leaping more than usual .
There ’s strategy in how you aim the orchis and how much great power to put into the rap - base metre , but also in how you practice the superpower - ups and when . That ’s what spend a penny Super Stickman Golf even brainier than you might expect , but also a slew more fun — and it tot up a ton of rematch value to what is already a fairly large biz .
Used up all of your allotted bollock major power - ups on the course of study ? give a few in - biz bux for another .
Super Stickman Golf 3 ’s one notable upgrade to the moment - by - moment gameplay is the ability to add whirl once the lump has landed , which you ’ll need to subdue to shave strokes off of your count and dominate your ally on the leaderboards . Meanwhile , the game also lend a Daily Race modal value , which allow you unite with random online players for a one - fix shootout to be the fastest to sink your ball . It ’s a nice footling nimble - hit addition , plus it ’s tied right into the freemium side of the game .
The catch
It ’s all passably undecomposed word , actually , and here ’s the best of it all : Super Stickman Golf 3 does n’t limit the core individual - player experience at all , and you may play through all 20 courses as quickly or as often as you ’d like without hitting a paywall or vitality beat . That ’s a crucial move that hold the game as engaging and welcome as preceding accounting entry , and it also think of that a wad of players likely wo n’t even consider make up for the bounty upgrade . They wo n’t need to .
You will run into a large tonic - up ad image after playing a course of instruction , which can be easily cleared by tapping the X , although a couple times I accidentally tapped the advertizement while rush through menus . Still , they ’re not overwhelming or objectionable . You ’ll also hit some restriction on multiplayer : you’re able to only play a smattering of asynchronous twist - base mate at the same metre , and the Daily Race trammel your number of free attempts to gain the hollow .
Paying for Super Stickman Golf 3 is optional , but the benefit are well deserving it .
Longing for Super Stickman Golf ’s premium daytime of old ? No trouble : There ’s a $ 3 in - app purchase that brushes aside most of the freemium flavour , taking away the ads and Daily Race limit , bump the turn - free-base conflict limit up to 25 at a time , and even giving you memory access to all future downloadable courses . You ’ll already find six useable to download , with more coming down the phone line , and that alone could be worth it for fans .
The premium unlock also comes with five incentive packs of cards , which is SSG3 ’s new system of rules for doling out hats , cosmetic ball trail animations , experience points , and in - biz money ( bux ) too . You ’ll earn a ring after finishing each course under equality for the first time , and can purchase more with bux . Luckily , the biz never feels like it revolves around accumulate quality cards . You might find a helpful perquisite or cool - looking golfer costume or clod lead , but you wo n’t be hobbled if you do n’t buy supererogatory packs or pay for the unlock .
unanimous pop culture reference , Hazmat Suit card . Solid .
But if you plan on playing Super Stickman Golf for the longsighted haul , you should leap on that $ 3 rise . Not only does it give you more courses , but killing the ads save a lilliputian hassle and competitive players will appreciate the thrive multiplayer limits . Also , for a game you may well spend oodles of hours playing , you ’ll hopefully feel good pay a pittance to the developer for so much fun .
Beyond the premium rise , a couple of other fillip features are sold separately : you could double all bring in experience points for $ 2 , or get an indicant that shows how strong your last shot was for $ 2 as well . And packs of bux are trade for $ 1 to $ 20 apiece , with the in - game cash used to corrupt excess superpower - up balls , level up your golfer visibility faster , and so on and so forth .
The verdict
Super Stickman Golf 3 really does n’t break the cast , and as far as sequels go , it ’s a pretty safe one . That ’s not a trouble , though : The small-scale tweaks are meaningful , the fresh courses are just as fun as the familiar ones from past game , and the Daily Race way add something to reckon forward to each day .
And good of all , the freemium model is wholly great , let you play as much as you want without spend a dime bag — although you’re able to pop in $ 3 for a feature article - pack upgrade , or pay a couple bucks each for other premium perks . pass free - to - bid from the start certainly did n’t hurt Noodlecake ’s latest , and if you ’ve revel the wily challenges and mad golf slipstream of the previous entries , then you ’ll require Super Stickman Golf 3 in your aliveness , stat .
