Pangya Review

Once upon a time, darkness was cast over Pangya Island from a small vortex. There, a hole had been ripped in the fabric of reality. A hero from the worlds of Ree All Itee came and shot a comet into the hole, restoring light back to Pangya Island.

So goes the myth behind Pangya, a free to play golf MMO from Ntreev. Players choose their characters, equip themselves with special clothes and items, and head out on the green to compete with other players for skill, money, and more.

Pangya begins all players with a series of mini tutorials that train the player on the basics of gameplay. The controls for Pangya are simple, and typically have both a keyboard and a mouse input option, making it easy for players to choose whatever controls are more comfortable. For those who have played golf games before, the controls are intuitive: change your club, take aim by lining your character up with where you want the ball to go, and use your gauge with three hits to take swing: one to start the meter, one to determine the distance (power), and one for accuracy.

Pangya doesn't stop there, however. In addition to reading the slope, lie, and wind, players may also use special curve, spin, and power shots to get around on the course. Items are also available to temporarily boost a player's abilities such as the strength of their shot, or their accuracy, throwing in a little extra surprise when it comes to live games against other players. Unfortunately, until you get the hang of the courses, both special shots and special items can be tricky to know when - and how - to use them correctly.

Once all the tutorials are complete, there's only one option left: get your feet wet in the real game. There are four game modes that you can play across fifteen courses. Versus Mode pits you against up to four players, taking turns, on either 3, 6, 9, or 18 holes, and the usual “lowest score wins” golf rules apply here. A Family Mode allows the same, but with players sharing your computer who don't need their own Pangya account; however, no rewards are given in this mode. Tournament mode can throw you up against up to thirty players, all competing at the same time and held by a time limit on the course; awards are determined by how everyone plays. Battle Mode puts a player's skills to the test with either a gamble on personal skill with the players' own Pang (the in game currency), or in a match to see who can get closest to the cup without the ball rolling in.

With all of these modes available, players have plenty of chance to mix and match various game modes to their tastes and skill level. There's also no non-golf surprises: Pangya is a golf-game, and sticks to what it does best.