[b]hole in won[/b] is a physics-based mini-golf puzzler. you're building courses with the tiles provided, then testing them to see if they work. a fail state doesn't reset the level, just undo whatever needs to be undone and try again.
[b]100-level campaign[/b], each stage unlocked one by one, every 5th also unlocks more of the [b]2 types of customization[/b], sky/background color and color palette for the tiles. there's a [b]level editor with extra tiles not seen in the campaign[/b] and the arcade lets you play user-made levels with GIGANTIC 'thumbnails' leading to days of scrolling just to see what's on offer. [b]couldn't be more mobiley, the opposite of a compliment for a pc game that doesn't even have a mobile version as far as I know.[/b]
user-made levels could add longevity, but it's always a big if. not only does the game need a bunch of players, it also needs enough creative ones to pump out decent content, but instead [b]it has achievements for uploading and playing custom levels, so you can bet your ass achievement ♥♥♥♥♥♥ will ruin the arcade pretty fast[/b], happens every time.
tiles can only be placed next to other tiles and they have to be dealt with in the order they appear on the right. all of them are visible, so you can plan ahead, but [b]selecting them in any order would've been preferable[/b] and mouseover zoom on tile selection is unnecessarily obnoxious. no mechanics besides 'it's mini-golf', but there are many ways to redirect the ball, ramps and humps, a bit of bouncing around, etc. I had to keep rotating those narrow redirectors, always placed them wrong the first time, and [b]the angled tiles introduced around level 70 turned the whole thing into tedious trial & error[/b], for me anyway. I accidentally (and later less accidentally) cheesed a couple of levels too, abusing physics ftw!
controls are mouse-based, there are hotkeys but [b]nothing is rebindable[/b]. wasd or holding the middle mouse button pans the camera, q/e and the wheel zooms, left click places tiles, right click or 'r' rotates the current piece, 'f' is undo (why?) or you can click the only button on the right. space or clicking the putter lets you try your solution, partial or full. had to find out about the putter from the developer, didn't think to try it, so a dedicated ui button would be good too, or at least highlighting this on the first few levels. space/clicking the putter also stops the current goings-on, but you can't mess with the level (it's stop, not pause), it just lets you skip watching the whole thing play out if you realize it's not gonna work.
[b]I would've liked a simple mouse action other than clicking a button on the side to undo stuff.[/b] options are nice but nobody's gonna use zooming or panning here (except on levels 90 and 91), everything is so big my dead grandma could make them out. rotate with the wheel, undo with right click (or vice versa), hotkeys would still zoom/pan.
graphics are functional for the most part, [b]some of the buttons and menus are a bit basic-looking and way too big and mobiley[/b]. nice ambience, unintrusive and unmemorable music and sfx, on-screen level numbers. settings aren't available while playing, and besides the colors there are resolutions, windowed mode and separate volumes. good enough for something like this.
it's a [b]mostly fun little thing for a good price[/b]. dead easy at the beginning, very little challenge until level 70 and the angled crap might not be problematic for others either, but it soiled the experience for me on multiple occasions and I called it quits a few levels before the end, close enough.
