How to characterize Wonderputt, the new mini-golf putting game from Reece Millidge of Damp Gnat? You're pushing a little ball around eighteen holes in pursuit of the lowest score, so it may seem like an open-and-shut adventure golf game with a healthy helping of physics to power some impossible in the real world issues like a course that's inspired by M. C. Escher's Waterfall. But just look at that screencap! That's some seriously wonderful art there, and wait until you see it animated.
The control scheme should be familiar, especially to those who have played the studio's previous release Adverputt: move the cursor around, and an arrow will show where you're aiming and how powerful the hit will be. Then just click to launch the ball. Simple as that. If you're playing in normal mode (the mode that's available when you first start the game), 
your only goal is to complete each hole with the fewest strokes possible. After you beat the game once, you'll unlock a mode where collectables (little rainbow gems) will appear on the course, and collecting them will fill up a rainbow and add points to your score.
The upper left corner contains sound and music controls, as well as an "i" icon that takes you to something like a menu screen. Here, you can check out your achievements for things like speed completion, check your current and previous scores, and jump to a specific hole if you've already completed the game.
Analysis: The world of Wonderputt is a delightfully surreal locale. I started to write a bit about some of the surprises in store, but it's really better for you to discover the, yes, wonders of the animations during and between holes yourself. The myriad sound effects and music work perfectly with the visuals, so don't turn the sound and music off unless you don't have a choice otherwise.
Reece could have simply made this a webtoy if sharing the art with no effort on the player's part was all that he wanted to do. Some holes require quite a lot of effort, actually. The physics aren't unfair or broken, it's just some of the requirements are very precise, with numerous holes featuring narrow platforms, ramps, ledges, and even water traps. You can take as many strokes as you need to finish a hole, although you might feel somewhat depressed when you finally finish a hole, feeling triumphant, and then see "bogey x 15" pop up on the screen. But then a tiny orca or something comes along in the transitional animation and distracts you from this depression and all is right with the world again. It's like the Flash game version of an ice cream from the snack shop to cheer yourself up after the windmill hole completely owns you at the miniature golf course. And since Wonderputt involves 100% less public humiliation, I'd say it's a clear advantage to Wonderputt. Well played, Wonderputt. Well. Played.
As far as online golf games go, this one is charismatic, fun, interesting and entertaining. Nicely done.
Excellent game, no typo's, seamless transitions, intuitive (mostly) and engaging. Well done!
I loved it. It was exactly the kind of adventure golf course you wish you could have played for real when you were a kid. Each hole made me smile. The whole thing was clever, well animated and most of all, FUN! 5/5 for definite.
That was pretty wild. Awesome concepts!
I did 35 over par though hehe
I tried to play Adverputt too. But it wouldn't load.
Ok I was 1 over par the 2nd time ... that's more like it. sorry for hogging the board :/
I adored this, which is not something I would have expected to say about a golf game. The graphics were charming and fun and just a treat to look at it. The gameplay was simple, but challenging (although not too challenging). Really really enjoyable game over all. Great job! I'm so glad you shared this one with us!
First try: 15 under par in 6 minutes and 8 seconds, including a hole in one.
I think it's a great little game, but I'm not sure I'll play it again (at least not the 50 times required for one of the achievements).
If there was one complaint I had to make, though, it would be that it wasn't always easy to see where things were located. It took me a while on the first missile hole to determine that the post was in the *middle* of the hill, rather than the side, and that cost me a few shots - but other than that, I don't really have anything bad to say.
Not too difficult, looks good. Feels quite a bit like the "grow" series, with a same kind of innovative quirkyness.
I'm a big fan of Adverputt and this game is even more Wonderful. I only wish it had it's own page like Adverputt, it's too small on Kongregate.
Great one! Huge graphics, well planned holes, great difficulty curve. Easy enough not to be frustrated by the one or two hellish holes, but not too easy, so it's still a challenge.
12 under par on the first try, zero wonders (didn't even know there were any to find :D), 2 min 24 sec. A hole in one ( the second hole, totally by chance, still getting to feel the control :D), a bogey *zillion (the stonehenge-like hole, misunderstood that one completely).
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Erratum: 6 mins and 24 seconds.
2 and a half minutes would be quite a feat, I guess :D
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I don't care what I score! I just love the awesome, imaginative graphics! Such fun to watch.
This game was just lovely, from the graphics to the music to the gameplay.
I have zero interest in golf, but this was a very pretty little physics game, and easy to play-- mostly (hole 10, I am looking at you.)
Very pretty.
Beautiful GAME !!!
The authentic game art !
Eh, I didn't like this one so much. I got to one hole where I wasn't even sure where I was supposed to be aiming (it had a bunch of lilypads). It's a really good-looking game, and was really fun, up until that one level.
My overall comment is just "Wow". Almost poetically beautiful.
In contrast to nerdypants, I think my favorite was actually the lily pad section. Skipping the ball across the water makes me feel special.
To everyone who stopped playing after the first game: The "wonder" you unlocked appears the second time you play the game, in the form of little bubbles of rainbow power you can collect for extra points. Playing a perfect hole means getting an Albatross (3 under par) and all 4 Wonders.
I never thought I could like a 'mini golf' kind of game o_O
Absolutely beautiful.
So well crafted and thought out, the graphics are such a treat and the sound design steps up to the plate in a similar fashion.
Well done Mr Millidge, you are a gift to the world yourself.
Don't you DARE remind me of Adverputt.
Beautfiful graphics and great gameplay: up until Hole 15 for me. I seem to be stuck, with the ball in the middle of the second-right tree at the top. No matter what direction/force I try, the ball just bounces on the spot and can't move out of the tree.
Would be nice if the ball sticks like that for the level selector to appear... I didn't realise there was a level selector immediately and came here looking for help.
Very fun... until you try to go for the rainbow spheres and you mistakenly go into the hole missing one of them.
Then there is no way to go back without restarting the game from the very beginning.
Or is it?
LOL my favorite three were
Impossible wWaterfall
Fig 7 - Missile Diagram
Building
Greatest Golfing Game
Nice game, but I think some of the achievements are a little silly. Play the game 50 times? Really?
Great game, fun to play, fantastic graphics and not to steep a challenge. Although I will say after getting 2 of them, that on some holes it doesn't look possible to get a hole in one.
That was... beautiful. Not much replay value for me, but it was absolutely a delight to play! :D
This was incredibly beautiful! I hope they make more!
If any of you used to watch Homestar Runner, did that remind you of Sweet Puttin' Cakes?
One of the best Flash games I've ever played. Right up there with Windowsill and the Grow series.
Argh, missed two of the easy collectibles. And got the waterfall ones.
Great game! Cool animations, as everyone has said. Silky smooth, and the sounds make it all the more lively. When a simple movement leads from one hole to the previously unseen next hole, it feels like, well, a revelation.
The water lily holes are interesting, but they are kind of finicky... you end up doing a lot of trial and error to get your shot power within a very narrow tolerance. Still it's not too bad.
In general I was surprised at how easy it was. I came in 16 under par the first (and only so far) time I played, with at least 2 holes-in-one. I guess greater challenge comes as I try the unlocked "wonders" next time around.
As others have said, it's sometimes hard to see features of the green - e.g. a wall that you want to bounce the ball off is hidden by another platform. But generally the things you can't see turn out as you reasonably expect.
One feature I would ask for in a future version is an option to magnify / zoom in on an area, to mitigate the tiny size of features on the screen.
i don't get level 16, where should i be aiming?
Level 16, aim at the building with the clock.
Then into it, once the elevator kicks in.
Great Game!! Reminds me of Grrr Game and some stuff by Ferry Halim :)
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