Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Name: Hole in One
Item: Hole in One
Author: Retro Replay

Hole in One delivers a straightforward yet satisfying golfing experience, offering both stroke play and match play across a standard 18-hole course. The top-down perspective gives you a clear view of each fairway, green, and hazard, allowing you to plan each shot with precision. Controls are intuitive: you select your club, set the power meter, adjust for wind and terrain, and then time your swing. It’s easy to pick up, but the deeper strategy of reading slopes and judging distances keeps experienced players engaged.

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The inclusion of both wooden and metal clubs adds a subtle layer of tactical depth. While wooden clubs are the baseline equipment, the CPU-controlled opponents often wield metal clubs that provide extra distance, challenging players to make the most of their own gear selection and shot accuracy. This difference in club performance can turn a comfortable lead into a nail-biter if you misjudge your approach shots or fail to account for wind changes.

Hole in One shines in its multiplayer offerings, supporting up to four players in stroke play or head-to-head match play. Whether you’re competing locally with friends or battling the computer, the game strikes a nice balance between accessibility and competitive edge. The match play mode feels particularly engaging when you’re jockeying for hole wins on the back nine, turning every birdie putt into a tense showdown.

A standout feature is the password system, which records any spectacular shots—eagles, holes-in-one, and double eagles—so you can revisit and share your best moments. This small but clever addition not only rewards skillful play but also encourages players to push for remarkable feats. Replaying these highlights in a separate viewer gives the game a modest but welcome replay value beyond simply replaying holes.

Graphics

Visually, Hole in One sticks to a clean, colorful 16-bit aesthetic that’s instantly recognizable as a HAL Laboratory creation. The pixel art isn’t groundbreaking, but the course layouts are crisp and charming, with clearly defined fairways, bunkers, water hazards, and greens. Each hole has its own character, from gently rolling meadows to narrow, hazard-laden doglegs, and a simple touch of animated windmills or waving flags adds life to the scenery.

Course detail is sufficient to read terrain undulations at a glance, which is key for planning bank shots or gauging green speeds. While the palette is somewhat limited compared to later console golf sims, the art style remains pleasing and never detracts from gameplay. Animations for your swing, ball flight, and ground roll are smooth enough to convey ball physics without distracting stutters or graphical glitches.

The user interface is clean and functional, with minimal on-screen clutter. Power meters, club icons, wind indicators, and shot previews are all clearly displayed, leaving room on-screen for the course itself. When you unlock a spectacular shot replay, the full-screen mode gives you a close-up look at the ball landing in the cup or bouncing off the pin, which feels surprisingly cinematic for an early ’90s golf title.

Story

As a pure sports simulation, Hole in One doesn’t offer a narrative-driven experience or character progression. Instead, its “story” unfolds through your rounds and competitive matches, creating personal rivalries and memorable shot-making moments. There’s no career mode or tournament bracket—success is measured solely by your scorecard and the bragging rights you earn among friends.

That lack of an overarching storyline might disappoint players looking for RPG-style progression or unlockable courses through a story campaign. However, for golf purists and casual gamers alike, the absence of non-golf distractions means you’re diving straight into the core mechanics without any fluff. Each round tells its own micro-story, with bogey-filled collapses, clutch putts, and surprise holes-in-one providing all the drama you need.

Ultimately, the game lets you author your own golfing narrative. Whether you’re staging a comeback on the back nine or battling windy conditions to secure a par, each challenge feels authentic. If you crave character-driven cutscenes or a manager mode, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But if you simply want an honest, back-to-basics golf sim, Hole in One delivers.

Overall Experience

Hole in One stands as a solid, no-frills golf title that excels at what it sets out to do: simulate an 18-hole round of golf with precision and charm. The core mechanics are well-tuned, with responsive controls and a fair difficulty curve that ramps up as you progress through the course. Whether you’re a beginner learning to judge wind and power, or a veteran chasing double eagles, the game accommodates multiple skill levels without feeling either too punishing or too trivial.

The multiplayer modes are where the title truly shines. Gathering friends for a local stroke play tournament creates an atmosphere of friendly rivalry that remains engaging round after round. The match play option adds a strategic head-to-head flavor that can keep you invested well beyond a single 18-hole session. And thanks to the password feature, you can immortalize your greatest shots and relive them whenever you like.

While the graphics and sound won’t compete with later golf sims featuring digitized sprites or licensed commentators, Hole in One’s crisp visuals and clean audio provide a pleasant backdrop for the gameplay. It’s a game that values functionality over flash, and that focus pays off in a smooth, dependable golfing experience.

For buyers seeking a classic golfing challenge with minimal setup and maximum replayability, Hole in One is an excellent choice. It may not reinvent the genre, but it delivers everything you need for a satisfying round of virtual golf—solid mechanics, charming course design, and the occasional spectacular shot that keeps you coming back for more. If you’re in the market for a retro golf sim that gets right to the point, look no further than this HAL Laboratory offering.