Tiny Discs Review – “Everyday Disc Golf Fun”

by
url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url, url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url

  • An easy way to try disc golf
  • It's never the same course every day – random permutations breed fun
  • For disc golf, the floor is lava, so get to the baskets with as few throws as possible
  • Try your best to achieve some results through creative ways

Is that a bird? A plane or maybe an alien spaceship? It turns out to be a Frisbee, whose UFO-inspired shape was all the rage in 20th century America. While the fad passed before we could ascertain the truth behind the existence of these enigmatic visitors, we can always savor disc golf, a sport centered around the Frisbee.

It exists in the subset of niche sports that its traditional cousin, golf, overshadows. Thankfully, Short Circuit Studio has stepped up to convey its charm in a portable format, making the sport more accessible considering the small number of disc golf courses around the world.

Meet the records over there

Trying to hit a hole on water with a golf ball

The objective is simple: you throw the disc into five baskets scattered across the map, or, more precisely, within its circular radius. To achieve this, you have three types of throwing techniques. Discover Putter, Midrange and Drive; correspond respectively to short, medium and long range.

The putter, as the name suggests, finds its utility in putting the puck in the basket if you are close to it. Midrange is self-explanatory, while Drive is useful for covering long distances between two points. There's also a button that lets you decide whether to steer the disc left or right, with its effect most noticeable in medium-distance throws. Once you've got everything set up, prepare your shots by dragging and holding, then releasing to see your puck soar through the skies.

Launch and take flight!

Animals running around the golf course

You don't progress step by step like in Candy Crush. Instead, each day you'll be greeted by a different golf course with randomly generated layouts and basket placements. On Monday you may have a tundra that reflects your Monday Blues; on Friday you could have a tropical beach to celebrate next weekend.

Flexibility is at your fingertips; the game doesn't dictate a path for your puck, nor does it force you to follow a chronological sequence to score baskets. It's up to you to plot the optimal route that involves as few throws as possible. There's a set of achievements with fun ways to unlock and it's the best way to flex your creative muscles.

The acceleration discs bounce

There are many elements that make things difficult. Not only do you have to work around foliage that makes your discs bounce, but there's also topography you have to account for when making throws to ensure they don't miss their target or, worse, end up in a deep-water abyss. If you intend to do something bad, you can command the pigeons with your disc – a perfect punishment for them invading the hawker center near my house.

The disk in the IV

Fire in the hole

Tiny Discs also satisfy your inner fashionista by allowing you to add a unique touch to your saucer friend. In the closet you get course effects and stickers for the price of a couple of hundred coins, which you earn after completing the course. If delayed gratification isn't your thing, you can purchase them outright for a price. Beyond that, there is no arbitrary upgrade system to boost your disk.

Each course is tastefully decorated with the minimalist cel-shaded style that Short Circuit Studio is known for. As for the musical composition, you just get a funky beat-box tune to accompany the aesthetically pleasing graphics, which can break immersion at times.

Here's the problem

Shop in Tiny Discs

Get ready for an ad apocalypse as it's essential for replayability (and aesthetics to a lesser extent). As things go, you only get one free game a day. Subsequent attempts on the same route or replaying those from the previous day will cost an announcement.

However, there is always the option of paying a flat fee of four pounds (around RM22.90) for the unlimited game pass, a fair price required to maximize your enjoyment while avoiding loss of sanity due to advertising. As for competition, a ranked match mode is sneakily hidden behind a trophy icon, but it feels more like a waiting game thanks to the matchmaking time stretching into eternity.

The absence of an upgrade system can be a double-edged sword. While coins have no uses other than cosmetics, the game is free from any level upgrade system that increases your disc throwing ability, much to the chagrin of minmaxers. Likewise, if you're not too keen on shaping your drive, you'll be saved from binge-watching a cascade of lifeless advertisements just to accumulate coins.

Small discs icon

Download on the App Store

Leave a Comment