If you were to tell me that there’s an upcoming golf game that’s part PGA Tour, part Mario Golf, and all MMORPG, I’d probably look at you funny. Yet, that’s exactly the theme of Winning Putt: combining accurate golf mechanics with larger-than-life abilities and all of the features that you’d expect from a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.
Winning Putt is a new free-to-play golf MMORPG from Webzen Onnet and Bandai Namco that mixes a true golf experience with more than a touch of MMORPG hallmarks. There’s a two-class system where you’ll choose between Power and Accuracy, and level up your characters to develop new skills, boost your stats, earn new equipment, and challenge other players. You’ll be able to customize everything about your golfer, from the robust character creator, to the different types of gear that will impact your gameplay. Your clothes will have stats, golf bags have inventory slots, and of course, your types of clubs and golf balls will make a difference as well.
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The actual act of playing Winning Putt is as relaxing and challenging as real golf can be, requiring a balance of taking into consideration environmental factors and course properties, as well as your own skill in timed clicks. You can equip three common skills, three class skills, and more to help your game, and you’ll choose between several different caddies, who will provide additional bonuses based on their grade. As you progress your character, you can also invest non-playing time into training your stats, or spend real money to speed up the process.
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The world of Winning Putt has a centralized island hub where you can trade and chat with other players and interact with NPCs, who show off the game’s voice acting. There are currently seven courses, each with different biomes and challenges, and lots of game modes, rulesets, and tournaments. You can even change the time of day on the course, which provides for some nice visual variation.
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Webzen Onnet and Bandai Namco are working on two big features for the game, including a brand new golf course and a new game mode. Whereas the existing courses are fairly realistic, the new one is based on another planet, where you’ll find maintenance drones, alien landscapes, and so forth. The new game mode will be an instanced speed run for more than four players that is a race to the finish line. You’ll be playing simultaneously and want to sink the ball first, as doing so will start a thirty-second timer for all of your opponents.
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Winning Putt has a host of other MMORPG-type features, including guilds with guild lounges, missions, achievements, titles, an enchanting system, and a career mode. The development team is planning for frequent added content, and the game goes into Open Beta this Thursday (today!).
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Will you be checking out the Winning Putt OBT? Let us know!
