There is absolutely no doubt that sports games are a massive part of the video game industry. Football. Golf. Skateboarding. Basketball. Wrestling. Each has its own dedicated game series, many with a famous name attached. Sadly, one sport that hasn’t enjoyed the same representation over the years is surfing. Games featuring this aquatic sport are few and far between. This reviewer hasn’t played a dedicated surfing game since Kelly Slater Pro Surfer, which was first released in 2002. So when I found out that Barton Lynch Pro Surfing was a thing, I jumped at the chance to review it.
What’s in a name?
Barton who you ask? A former professional surfer hailing from Australia, Barton Lynch made waves (pun intended) back in the 80s and 90s. Whilst probably not a household name, his storied career makes sense to add his name to the game title. And honestly, if you need to ask about who’s name is on the box art, then this game might not be for you.
A passion for surfing
Developed by the Australia-based Bungarra Software, Barton Lynch Pro Surfing is a game “made by surfers, for surfers”. And I believe that this passion for the sport shines through. At its base level, the game is very enjoyable. For someone who has a passing interest in surfing, I had fun. And seeing a small 10-person studio releasing a game featuring real-life surfers, locations, brands, and songs associated with the sport is fantastic.
After either creating a custom character or choosing one of the pro surfers featured in the game, several options open up to the player. Working through the short and efficient tutorial section before anything else is a strong recommendation. Alongside being a useful guide to how the game works, the player is also rewarded a hefty chunk of change to help kick their career off. Once completed, players can choose between the World Tour, Challenge, or Free Ride options. I chose Free Ride first, to get in a little more practice.
The freedom to choose
In this particular mode, any unlocked area is playable and explorable. Which I think is one of the biggest draws of Barton Lynch Pro Surfing. Rather than being confined to a particular wave, players are free to explore fairly substantial sections of ocean, and, in some cases, beaches. There isn’t much to find when exploring, and overall environment detail is kinda sparse. But having the freedom to chill out on the beach before heading into the water is fun. Likewise, being able to pick and choose which waves to ride gives a much-needed depth. Don’t like the look of the latest wave heading your way? Just duck dive under it. Or maybe hop onto your watercraft, crest the wave, and head over to a more appropriate place.
This sense of freedom is also in the World Tour mode, albeit to a more limited degree. The player must pick and choose their waves carefully and quickly. This is in the hopes of busting out some high-scoring moves within a time limit. Surfers are eliminated in a tournament-type setup, with those scoring the least amount of points getting the chop. A fun little detail is the inclusion of said opponents being visible during the tournament. They can be seen floating around, doing tricks, and will even shout small snippets of dialogue at the player. Just make sure not to interrupt their current run, as points can be deducted.
Not quite perfect
Sadly, despite the clear passion, some aspects of this game are not easy on the senses. The character models in particular are pretty rough. Whilst each of the existing surfers looks sorta like their real-life counterparts, none are that appealing to look at. The environments are better, with the waves looking very appealing. Which does make sense in a surfing game. The recorded dialogue before and after each event also doesn’t sound great. The commentators do a fine job, but it sounds almost like they were recorded in separate booths, with different sets of equipment.
I also came across a few bugs, unfortunately. One completely froze the game and forced me to restart. Another left a text box overlayed on the screen, which once again was fixed by restarting the game. There were times when my controller inputs wouldn’t even register whilst on a wave, forcing me to wipe out. Trophies also seemed buggy. Despite unlocking several, they didn’t register in the PlayStation menu, to the point where I couldn’t even find the list of locked and unlocked trophies.
Simulation rather than arcade
Barton Lynch Pro Surfing is a flawed but likeable game. Interesting mechanics are bogged down by basic visuals and downright ugly character models. It offers players more freedom than ever to aid in the simulation of surfing. A basic but fun character management system fleshes the game out slightly. Controls aren’t exactly hard to pick up, but they don’t offer an easier arcade-like experience. There is a learning curve here.
At the time of writing, this is the game to play for a definitive surfing experience. Not because it’s the best of the genre, but because it is the only one in its genre. In short, I find this a hard game to recommend. Surfing fans will probably pick this up with no hesitation. Anyone else though? I think it could be an interesting gateway into the world of surfing if anyone has a fleeting curiosity about the sport. Other than that, I don’t see people picking this up. At least it has a decent soundtrack (I’ve included the Spotify playlist below!)
