Grand Theft Auto. Red Dead Redemption. Ant Workshop founder Tony Gowland has contributed to some of the best stories in videogame history. Both Rockstar games are a far cry from the vibrant, multiplayer world of Dungeon Golf, though, so PCGamesN caught up with Gowland to ask what inspired Ant Workshop’s chaotic new party game.
Dungeon Golf, after all, looks like pure unadulterated fun. Having seen people playing it at the Games for Weans event in Glasgow, UK, it looks like the perfect multiplayer game for spooky season.
It is very different from the vast expanses of 1911 America and the infamous Vice City, though, so I ask Gowland why the team chose to go in such a different direction.
“After Rockstar, and working at Activision for a bit on Call of Duty, I really wanted to get back into making things that are smaller and sillier,” he tells PCGamesN. “It occurred to me recently that all of the developers I admire from my childhood – the Team 17s and the Sensible Softwares – had a real recognisable vibe to their games even if they were in different genres, and they were never worried about being a bit daft and funny.
“I’m a big fan of minigolf and have wanted to make a minigolf game ever since a family holiday where I was playing with my young kids, my teenage nephews and niece, and my [REDACTED] year old mum,” he continues, and I can feel him smiling as he types. “It really struck me how it’s a game that crosses generations and has skill but also enough lunch that everyone can get involved.”
All of Ant Workshop’s previous adventures have been single-player games, though, and Gowland’s work at Rockstar is the same. He admits that “multiplayer has certainly been a bit of a steep learning curve for us,” but that “with the game Dungeon Golf was shaping up to be, it really felt like multiplayer would be a really important part – that knock-about ‘mess with your friends’ vibe just gives it exactly the silliness we wanted.”
And, honestly, I love me a little bit of silliness. As someone who trends towards hyper-competitive experiences like League of Legends or, alternatively, doom and gloom story games like Plague Tale, sometimes it’s nice to just have fun. With Dungeon Golf’s new Halloween update, Undead Lair, out in the wild just in time for spooky season, now’s the perfect time to pick up the game via Steam and try it out for yourself.
If you’re looking for something a little more terrifying, though, we have a list of the best horror games on PC, or, alternatively, a rundown of the best free Steam PC games to keep you occupied as the nights grow longer.