PangYa

Overview

Pangya is a free-to-play fantasy golf simulation game developed by Ntreev Soft and released by HanbitSoft (later by Smilegate Megaport and NHN Corp.) for the PC in South Korea on June 2004.

One of the earliest free-to-play golf games, Pangya combines the golfing style of other golf simulation games (including a standard "three-click" power meter) with a cutesy anime-inspired visual style, fantasy courses, and power-up shots. As a free-to-play game, it uses a microtransaction system for customizing player avatars and other cosmetics.

In 2005, the game was released in North America (by Game Factory as Albatross18: Realms of Pangya) and in Japan (by Gamepot as Pangya: Sukatto Golf), with additional Asian and European regions added sometime after (most of which had region-specific publishers). It also received two console and handheld spin-offs (Super Swing Golf, Super Swing Golf: Season 2, and Pangya: Fantasy Golf) and a mobile spin-off (Pangya Mobile). The Japanese version was notable for also being sold in retail CD and DVD formats.

The North American version was later re-released (as PangYa) on April 2009 by NTreev USA and, in May 2014, most of the game's worldwide publishing rights were transferred to Smilegate Europe. Between the game's original release and 2014, it received periodic updates (with yearly "seasons"). It was later discontinued in most regions, with the Korean version closed on September 29, 2016, the North American version closed on December 12, 2016, and the Japanese version closed on November 10, 2017. As of March 2019, only the Thai version is still available.

Gameplay

Albatross18 uses the tried-and-true "Three-Click System" used in most golf titles in the past. The first click starts the power gauge on the bottom of the screen, the second sets the power level of the shot, and the third click determines the accuracy. You do this by either pressing the 'Space Bar' or using the Left Mouse button. Hitting a perfect shot results in 'PANGYA' . Hitting PANGYA results in a straight full powered shot. Missing it will result in a slice, hook, shank or a miss and loss of overall power. Before each shot you can set the spin on your shot, use an item to assist you with your shot, use a power shot and set up for a special shot. When adding spin, you can curve a shot left or right. You can also add a backspin which gives your shot extra loft, increase your flying distance and lessen the roll with your landing. Or put a top spin on the ball to give the ball a lower trajectory at a faster velocity and increase the length of the roll after landing, although your total flying distance will be shortened. You can also combine a little bit of both worlds by adding a bit of spin and a bit of a curve to your shot if needed.

Power Shots do as they sound - add distance to your shot. A normal Power Shot adds ten yards to your shot and can be activated by tapping ALT, while Double Power Shots add 20 yards and are triggered by quickly double-tapping ALT. Power Shots are unstable shots that lower your character's overall Control and Accuracy stats, making it more difficult to control the power gauge. Power Shots are required to perform any of the three Special Shots in the game: the Tomahawk, the Cobra, and the Spike Shot. All three Special Shots offer unique characteristics that allow a player to move the ball in ways not possible with a normal shot.

While the title is free to download and play, certain items require real money to purchase. The rest of the items require Pang, the in-game currency. Pang is earned through various feats accomplished while playing A18. New characters have pang and real cash purchase options while decorations, clothes, clubs, caddies, etc. don't offer such options. Upgrading your characters and their clubs is only possible with pang. Ntreev Soft has been careful to balance out the benefits of cash and pang items, making everything fair game.