PREFACE
I was a big fan of Dark before it was changed to Mushroom Wood (which is a mostly unpopular opinion, I think) so I am a little worried that I spent several hours writing this up only for no one to want this or for it to be impossible to implement somehow. Regardless I hope this seems like an interesting concept and could actually be added to the game because I want it so bad.
Also I italicize all parenthesized text in this post in a vain attempt to make it more readable because I wrote too much.
WHY DO I LIKE DARK
I loved Dark’s gimmick for two main reasons:
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The darkness was very cozy, I’d sometimes play the map just to wind down since the pure black and soothing ambient noise calmed me down so much. A bit of that was lost in the Mushroom Wood update since the ground being fully lit up isn’t quite as soothing on my eyes.
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The gimmick encouraged memorization of the holes’ layouts (and, in turn, encouraged me to replay the map more). I’m not sure if that was the main intention behind it, but regardless it’s an interesting concept and I think it has potential to work with any Minigolf map, especially since they’re all perfectly visible by default, providing an easier way to become familiarized with the holes.
(this post felt a little dry with only text, so please enjoy this accompanying image)
MAIN SUGGESTION (important; read this)
I think it’d be awesome if there was a ‘Dark Mode’ mutator that, when enabled, applied Dark’s gimmick to each map: maps set during the day would change to night, the ground would become pitch black, and golf balls would faintly glow to keep them visible at all times.
Like Dark there’d be a few light sources added to highlight important visual cues (lights at the start and flagpole, moving lights that reveal branching pathways, lights shone at moving platforms, etc). Basically just enough information that going through the map isn’t a complete shot in the dark (haha) but still tricky if you’re not familiar with it.
Since this mutator would mainly be shooting yourself in the foot for fun it should probably have a Unit multiplier too.
EXTRA COMMENTS (not very important; skip if you want)
In Dark Mode, the backgrounds of the maps should be lit up somehow, so that they can still be visible and the cozy nighttime vibe could be strengthened more. Natural, foresty maps could have campfires and fireflies in the background, buildings (Treasure Cove’s lighthouse, Waterhole’s cabins, Island’s huts, etc) could be lit up, stuff like that.
Also, as for the light sources that provide hints for the levels, I think there’s a lot of options that could fit the maps thematically (moving lights could be rotating spot lights or drones with flashlights, there’s a ton of light fixtures in the game for stationary lights, etc), but it might be cool (if a bit limiting) if it was like the Dark forest was taking over the maps and they were lit up by the glowing plants and floating orbs instead.
(please enjoy this second image as well)
TL;DR SCARY WALL OF TEXT
i liked Dark, tested memorization skills and very cozy. what if all minigolf maps could be Dark? might be cool?