Dangerous Golf, touted as physics-based sports mayhem, is the first game from Three Fields Entertainment and its ex-Criterion, ex-Disney and ex-Ubisoft team of veterans.
When considering what sort of Burnout-inspired projects a studio formed by ex-Criterion developers could create, golf doesn't seem like the logical first option. Yet with the announcement of Three Fields Entertainment's first game, Dangerous Golf, there can be no disagreement -- this may truly be Burnout's spiritual successor. Dangerous Golf is built around creating as much physics-based destruction and mayhem as possible by way of a drive, a chip, or a putt.
Par has no value in Dangerous Golf, because scoring birdies won't win a round of this golf game. Score is measured in property damaged and destroyed. With over 100 holes set in unique outdoor and indoor locations, including hotel kitchens, public bathrooms, and palace ballrooms, the variety of potential destruction is only outmatched by the brilliance of watching it all burn. Trick shots and ricochets add to both score and destructive power, with the ball "heating up" based on destructive performance. Dangerous Golf is an understatement.
It's no surprise that an idea like Dangerous Golf is coming from Three Fields Entertainment. The studio, formed in 2014, was founded by the original founders of Criterion Games. Most known for their work on the Burnout franchise, Criterion was eventually bought by EA and morphed into Ghost Games, who now work on the Need for Speed titles.
After starting small, the team at Three Fields has grown to include veterans from Ubisoft and Disney. Their goals are admirable: to "create magic" in a "healthy and sustainable way," and to have fun doing it. Dangerous Golf seems like a grand start.
The inspiration for Dangerous Golf should ring especially clear to Burnout veterans. After all, the gameplay seems like a clever conversion of Burnout's Crash mode, only with driving a car replaced by driving a golf ball. Dangerous Golf even uses a "SmashBreaker" feature that turns the ball into a bomb for the player to set off and cause massive devastation. As with Burnout's Crash, the focus is less on the core mechanic of driving/golfing and more on the simulated environment and how these objects interact with each other. It's an opportunity to let these veterans show their technical chops.
As a debut project for the studio, Dangerous Golf seems to be exactly what Three Fields Entertainment needs. It's unique and interesting in a way that a small independent studio project needs to be. At first glance, it's technically impressive and so stands out in a crowd, conjuring those old Burnout feelings that help give the new studio and game a familiar feeling while also doing some marketing legwork. Dangerous Golf seems fun, familiar and is only a few months away.
Dangerous Golf will be released digitally on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in May later this year. A gameplay video has yet to be released, but the developers say to expect one relatively soon.