How to play
Mini Golf Duel is mini golf seen from above, played in turns on the same screen. Both balls sit on the course at the same time: Tangerine and Plum take turns to putt until each ball drops into the cup. Every stroke counts, and after the agreed number of holes the player with the fewest strokes wins.
- Tangerine turns the aim with A and D, fine-tunes it with W and S, and swings by holding Space.
- Plum uses the arrow keys to aim and holds Enter to swing.
- Gamepads work too: the stick aims, A swings. The first pad is Tangerine, the second is Plum.
- On a phone, hold it sideways. When it is your turn, drag sideways on your half of the screen to aim, then hold the ⛳ button and let go.
- Playing alone? Choose vs Bot and pick Easy, Normal or Hard.
- P or Esc pauses. The game also pauses by itself when you switch tabs.
Aiming and strength
A dashed line leaves your ball in the direction you are aiming. Hold the swing button and a ring around the ball fills up, turning from green to yellow to red. Once it is full it empties again, so you can wait for the strength you want. Let go and the ball rolls. You have about fifteen seconds per stroke; when the counter runs out the ball is struck at whatever strength the ring shows.
The cup is generous to a ball that arrives slowly. Roll it in at a gentle pace and it drops; hit it too hard and it skims over the rim and swerves away.
The garden
The course is a clockwork garden, and every hole uses a different trick:
- Walnut rails bounce the ball back with a bit less speed. Bank shots are often the shortest way around a hedge.
- Brass rivets kick the ball away a little faster than it arrived.
- Gears and pistons keep turning while you aim. Their arms knock a passing ball aside, and a ball resting in their path gets pushed. Watch the dashed circle around each gear and pick your moment.
- Tilted lawns show pale arrows. A rolling ball drifts downhill; a ball that has stopped stays put.
- Sand slows the ball sharply.
- Water costs one penalty stroke, and the ball goes back to where it was hit from.
Each hole has a par of two, three or four. A ball still out after par plus three strokes is picked up, and the card shows par plus three.
Two balls, one course
Both balls are in play, so they can meet. A good putt can knock your rival’s ball away from the cup, into the sand or into the pond. Be careful: if your shot pushes their ball into the cup, the hole counts for them. A ball knocked into the water by the other player goes back to its spot with no penalty.
Whoever finishes a hole is skipped until the other ball is in. The player with the lower score on a hole tees off first on the next one.
Strategy
Play the slope before the distance. On the Tilted Lawn the ball curls downhill all the way, so aim above the cup and let it fall in.
Time the gears, not the ball. The arms on Gear Gate and Twin Mills turn at a steady pace. Count one full turn before you swing, and the gap will be where you expect it.
Lay up next to water. A safe two on the Lily Bridge beats a risky one that ends in the pond.
Think about the other ball. If your rival sits right next to the cup, a firm putt along that line can clear them out of the way, or leave you behind them as a backstop.
Enjoy taking turns on one screen? The neon air hockey of Puck Duel and the beach rallies of Bobble Volley are built for two players on the same device as well.
If you enjoy Mini Golf Duel, try Mosaic Drop or Moth Flight next.
