Alright. FLEX Disc Golf is truly disc golf. If you've ever played disc golf, this game emulates that experience well. It is in early access, and from the look of things, I'd guess it'll be in early access for probably at least another year. While the gameplay is already there and enjoyable, the rest of the game is definitely still being sorted out.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290833929

At present, there is no character generator or select, so you get to play as a big dorky looking dude. Big dorky looking dudes are not inconsistent with the disc golf experience, so that isn't a knock lol. But it will be nice when/if you can create a character and have some sort of progression system outside of earning cash to buy more discs.

Currently, outside of enjoying the courses that are available, earning cash to buy new discs to then use in future rounds is basically the gameplay loop. Related to that, I'd like to see a quick switching mechanic whereby you can place discs in hotkeys. Currently, unless I missed something, you have to click escape, go to discs, and manually switch discs each time you'd like to use something different. Now, as it stands, the game can be played entirely with your driver, but in reality, having a quick switching method will definitely help to improve course scores.

Speaking of courses, there are currently five in the menu. I've played through two of them so far. Each was cool and very typical of real-life disc golf courses, replete with plenty of trees and other stuff that can affect your throws. Will a tree branch slap down your disc? Yes, yes it will. Will you also get some tree love from time to time? Yes, yes you will. For the uninitiated, tree love simply means that hitting a tree actually helped your throw. I did notice that the game didn't track the second course for the purposes of earning cheevos, so something for the devs to look at there.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290833945

Throwing is of course the core gameplay mechanic, and this is done quite well. You have two motion meters, one after the other, which determine the strength of your throw, and it's done in a fairly intuitive manner where you will have a pretty good idea of how far your disc is going to fly assuming you click the meters at the appropriate times. You can also adjust the trajectory of your throw, both by aiming and by adjusting your angles. Hyzer, flat, and anhyzer are all represented by simply using your mouse scroll to get the angle you think is appropriate. I do note that you can't skip discs, pancake throws aren't available, intentional rolling, and a couple other alternate throwing styles aren't a thing. I tested skipping and didn't see an option for other throwing styles. I'd like to see more throwing options implemented since they're most definitely used IRL and can offer some fun new mechanics to play around with. Additionally, on occasion, the throwing meters show how far it is to the closest obstacle rather than the distance to the basket, which makes using the meters a bit of a crapshoot under those circumstances.

The disc store: that is pretty unrealistic in my experience, although I guess it also depends on where you live. Typically though, you'd just buy discs from sporting goods stores and used sports equipment shops, and from mobile shops set up in the parking lots of disc golf courses. However, for the purposes of this game, it makes sense and although seemingly a bit of a departure from reality, it is definitely practical. The mobile shops IRL will generally also sell drinks, snacks and disc golf swag. And since the sport is very 420 friendly, they usually also sell lighters and papers lol.

Some other things that are probably in the pipeline, but that I'd like to see added even if they aren't: Tournaments of course. At least singles and doubles. It would be pretty hilarious if there were casuals also playing while a tourney was underway. And maybe bag upgrades. Also, while you can find lost discs in the game, it would also be pretty funny if there was a minigame wherein you can get your disc stuck in a tree and have to knock it out of the tree with a rock or stick. We all know that pain after all. Why not embrace it, lol?

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290833957

As the game is currently, it already is completely playable AND enjoyable, and is very true to the sport. And the $4.99 price tag is very reasonable for the content available as well as the content expected to drop with future updates. I'd say this is a fairly niche game, but anyone interested in disc golf should definitely consider picking this game up. It's about as true to form as a game can be. Me personally, I'll be following the game's development and return to play it more as new updates drop.

I received this license via our IndieGems Curator program.

Alright. [b]FLEX Disc Golf[/b] is truly disc golf. If you've ever played disc golf, this game emulates that experience well. It is in early access, and from the look of things, I'd guess it'll be in early access for probably at least another year. While the gameplay is already there and enjoyable, the rest of the game is definitely still being sorted out. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290833929 At present, there is no character generator or select, so you get to play as a big dorky looking dude. Big dorky looking dudes are not inconsistent with the disc golf experience, so that isn't a knock lol. But it will be nice when/if you can create a character and have some sort of progression system outside of earning cash to buy more discs. Currently, outside of enjoying the courses that are available, earning cash to buy new discs to then use in future rounds is basically the gameplay loop. Related to that, I'd like to see a quick switching mechanic whereby you can place discs in hotkeys. Currently, unless I missed something, you have to click escape, go to discs, and manually switch discs each time you'd like to use something different. Now, as it stands, the game can be played entirely with your driver, but in reality, having a quick switching method will definitely help to improve course scores. Speaking of courses, there are currently five in the menu. I've played through two of them so far. Each was cool and very typical of real-life disc golf courses, replete with plenty of trees and other stuff that can affect your throws. Will a tree branch slap down your disc? Yes, yes it will. Will you also get some tree love from time to time? Yes, yes you will. For the uninitiated, tree love simply means that hitting a tree actually helped your throw. I did notice that the game didn't track the second course for the purposes of earning cheevos, so something for the devs to look at there. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290833945 Throwing is of course the core gameplay mechanic, and this is done quite well. You have two motion meters, one after the other, which determine the strength of your throw, and it's done in a fairly intuitive manner where you will have a pretty good idea of how far your disc is going to fly assuming you click the meters at the appropriate times. You can also adjust the trajectory of your throw, both by aiming and by adjusting your angles. Hyzer, flat, and anhyzer are all represented by simply using your mouse scroll to get the angle you think is appropriate. I do note that you can't skip discs, pancake throws aren't available, intentional rolling, and a couple other alternate throwing styles aren't a thing. I tested skipping and didn't see an option for other throwing styles. I'd like to see more throwing options implemented since they're most definitely used IRL and can offer some fun new mechanics to play around with. Additionally, on occasion, the throwing meters show how far it is to the closest obstacle rather than the distance to the basket, which makes using the meters a bit of a crapshoot under those circumstances. The disc store: that is pretty unrealistic in my experience, although I guess it also depends on where you live. Typically though, you'd just buy discs from sporting goods stores and used sports equipment shops, and from mobile shops set up in the parking lots of disc golf courses. However, for the purposes of this game, it makes sense and although seemingly a bit of a departure from reality, it is definitely practical. [i]The mobile shops IRL will generally also sell drinks, snacks and disc golf swag. And since the sport is very 420 friendly, they usually also sell lighters and papers lol.[/i] Some other things that are probably in the pipeline, but that I'd like to see added even if they aren't: Tournaments of course. At least singles and doubles. It would be pretty hilarious if there were casuals also playing while a tourney was underway. And maybe bag upgrades. Also, while you can find lost discs in the game, it would also be pretty funny if there was a minigame wherein you can get your disc stuck in a tree and have to knock it out of the tree with a rock or stick. We all know that pain after all. Why not embrace it, lol? https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3290833957 As the game is currently, it already is completely playable AND enjoyable, and is very true to the sport. And the $4.99 price tag is very reasonable for the content available as well as the content expected to drop with future updates. I'd say this is a fairly niche game, but anyone interested in disc golf should definitely consider picking this game up. It's about as true to form as a game can be. Me personally, I'll be following the game's development and return to play it more as new updates drop. [b]I received this license via our IndieGems Curator program.[/b] [code]If you found this review helpful and would be interested in supporting my Curator group, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32549618/]Robilar's Reviews[/url], it would be appreciated. Cheers.[/code] [code]Also follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]IndieGems[/url] for more reviews like this one.[/code]