House of Golf 2 review – Mini golf, max fun

“God, if I turned my house into a mini golf course when I was a kid, I’d get a right telling-off,” was my first thought while playing House of Golf 2. My second thought? Just how good this game looks. Set entirely in a house, with golf courses laid out between books, speakers, toy trains, jars of peanut butter and a whole lot more, it’s an utter delight to behold.

Truth be told, I spent a fair bit of time simply using the game’s free-mode camera to explore the rooms I was in, revelling at every little detail that developer Starlight Games has put into bringing House of Golf 2 alive. Because it really does feel it: aside from the fact that there are no people walking around, you really do get the impression that the house of House of Golf 2 is a real home, down to the pasta box on the kitchen side that is very clearly from Tesco.

Happily, you’ll be pleased to hear that actually playing a game of golf here is a joy, too. Numerous courses are available, all set around the house but somehow managing to feel individual from one another. Tournaments will see you tee off on a collection of holes, each with their own par score and unique, and often tricky, course to make your way around.

Some holes are straightforward, of course. But others will have you going through tunnels, warp points, being pushed around by toy cars and a whole lot more. What I particularly like is that there are often multiple ways to reach the hole, and getting there can often be rather ingenious. Do you take the path that seems like it’s the correct one? Or do you look for a shortcut that could get you to the putting green in super-quick time? Sometimes, it’s a risk, but sometimes it pays off. You might even earn bonus points for pulling off something neat.

Indeed, like a traditional game of golf, each of House of Golf 2’s courses has a par score, but you’ll also earn points as you play. You can pick up hidden medals as you make your way around the track for bonus points, or earn extra points by pulling off various stunts or taking interesting routes to the hole. Do you try to get the hole as quickly as possible, or do you try to wrack up bonus points? The choice is yours.

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The mechanics here feel seriously satisfying too. You get to set your putting speed and angle independently of actually hitting the ball, so you get time to set up your shot and think about how hard you want to hit it. As I mentioned, you can make use of a free camera to track your route (or go for a wander around the house) which is very helpful, especially on some of House of Golf 2’s longer, more intricate holes.

You can play House of Golf 2 on your own, and there’s plenty of fun to be had making your way around its courses, vying to get par or better each time. But it truly shines when you’re playing in local multiplayer. Up to four players can join in one game, simply passing the same controller around for ease of play. You’ll take it in turns to make your way around the same course, learning from (and laughing at) each other’s mistakes and, ultimately, trying to get the best overall score in a tournament.

I’m definitely going to be going back to House of Golf 2 any time I want a quick game to put a smile on my face. It’s the type of game you can play again and again, particularly with others. Over 100 holes are available here, each meticulously crafted and beautifully imagined in a realistic but utterly creative setting. We’ve had plenty of mini golf games over the years, but this is undoubtedly one of the best.

This review of House of Golf 2 is based on the PS5 version, with a code provided by the game’s publisher. It’s available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.