Well here it is!
Over a year in the making, we are excited to finally release the much anticipated Super Stickman Golf 3 (SSG3) to the world this week! If you have missed the launch trailer you can check it out here.
Sequels are hard. We have to appease the fans by changing things but not so much that the game is too different. It is a fine line and we think we have managed to walk that wire by adding in some new mechanics fans will love.
First off for newbies. The TL;DR of the SSG games are 2D arcade golfing in zany courses with crazy power ups that change the game like freezing water hazards, stopping your ball mid air and sticking to walls. There is also a huge multiplayer component with both a turn by turn async mode and our unique “race mode” style golf where you and up to 8 friends locally (4 online) race to see who can get the ball in the hole first. It is insane and a ton of fun.
The game ships with 20 new courses and a variety of new content to change up the formula. Ill break down each of the major items below:
Card System: Everything in SSG3 is tied to a card system this time around. By completing courses for the first time, or purchasing them with your earned Golf Bux, you can buy card packs to unlock everything from new character skins, multiplayer game modes (more on this below), power ups, hats that effect gameplay, stylish ball trails, XP points and more. Some cards are more rare than others and some of the power up cards can actually be levelled up. For example the Nitro Ball allows for 1 extra boost initially. But level the card up, and eventually you could be boosting with 4 or more boosts per use. And of course there are some fun new power ups like the Anti Gravity and Zig Zag balls to discover.
New Multiplayer Race Modes: In addition to the Regular and Clean Ball (no hats or power ups) modes, we have added some crazy new multiplayer variants. For example Beach Ball mode allows the balls to be light and floaty and unlimited Nitro results in people boosting all over the course. They create some hilarious new styles of play and are one of my favorite new additions to the game. The infamous Flappy Golf even makes an appearance.
Daily Races: We wanted to reward players for coming back each day with something unique to SSG3. So each day players can play 1 hole of Race Mode as a type of daily challenge. By completing consecutive races, players get rewards like Golf Bux and Card Packs. Players get 5 chances a day to win the race with additional tries being tied to video ad views.
Spin: One of the biggest additions to the game is the new spin mechanic. Players can now add spin to their shots to manipulate the ball before or after it hits the ground or green. Spin is controlled by a new slider that appears near the shot button and can be adjusted for power and direction. The more the ball slows down the less power the spin effect has. There are a myriad of ways to use spin and I suggest playing Spin Land to really understand how it can be used in clever ways other than just rolling to the hole.
Downloadable Courses: We wanted an easy way to push new content to players without needing to submit updates for the game, so we created a Downloadable Courses section. Here players can get new courses when they become available or revamped classic courses from the old games. Right now the game ships with 5 extra courses available after the premium upgrade.
Monetization: SSG3 is the first of the SSG series to launch for free. However we didn’t want to lose that premium experience that players have come to associate with the game. So we decided to ship with a premium unlock for $2.99 USD that does the following:
1 – Removes All Ads
2 – Gives 5 Bonus Card Packs
3 – Unlimited Daily Races
4 – Access to All Downloadable Courses (now and future)
5 – 25 Simultaneous Turn Based Matches
On top of those items, players can also purchase an XP Doubler or Last Shot Indicator for $1.99 each and Card or Bux Packs for varying amounts. These iaps are not restrictive in any way to the games progress and only players who wish to level up faster or open as many cards as they want will likely purchase them. Even players who choose not to purchase the premium unlock will still be able to complete all 20 launch courses and unlock all the items such as hats, characters and more.
A quick note on Golf Bux if you are wondering. Just like in SSG2, bucks can be collected by finding them in courses, earning them via multiplayer matches and as well by finding them in Card Packs and completing the Daily Races.
There are also some secrets to discover in the game that I wont get too deep into. But you might see a secondary grey flag on some holes. Wonder what getting it in that hole does….
Future updates will include more content obviously but we also plan on releasing the level editor, custom replays and a league play system as well. Details are still being worked out on all of them so when I know for sure, I will pass on the info.
Cheers and happy golfing!!