It's all in the hips -- err, rather, it's all in the fingers -- in Happy Gilmore: Golf Mayhem '98 Demo, a new Netflix game based on the Adam Sandler film. The streaming giant launched the surprise game the same day it released Happy Gilmore 2, a sequel to the classic '90s film. The game is a chaotic trip down memory lane, just the way Happy would have wanted.
"I don't want a piece of you. I want the whole thing." Netflix
Anyone with a Netflix subscription (which start at $8 a month) can play this title; however, unlike many other Netflix games, it doesn't run on mobile devices such as phones and tablets. Netflix subscribers can play Happy Gilmore on a supported smart TV, streaming device or browser, including Chrome.
This game is a montage of some of the more recognizable moments from the original film, including a piano solo from golf legend Chubbs (Carl Weathers). And I love it. Happy Gilmore was a formative film for me as a guy raised in the '90s and early '00s, so I laughed when I saw these scenes and when I fought Bob Barker -- who is a boss in the game.
Before you boot up the Happy Gilmore game, here's what you need to know about it.
What's Happy Gilmore: Golf Mayhem '98 Demo about?
There is a montage in the opening of Happy Gilmore 2 where we learn what Happy has been up to since the original film. He's become a video game star. And that in-universe video game is the basis for Happy Gilmore: Golf Mayhem '98 Demo.
You encounter minigames, collectibles and more as you traverse the fairway. Netflix
The game follows some of the antics from the original Happy Gilmore film. You play as Happy as he plays a single hole of golf -- it's a fairly short game. After you take a swing, you have to travel the golf course to find to your ball before hitting it again and again, until you get the ball into the hole. You know, golf.
You can't just whack the ball right onto the green, though. When I teed off, the ball didn't travel that far down the fairway, so I'm pretty sure you can't get a hole-in-one. And that'd be a waste anyway, because the fun lies in traversing the fairway.
As you walk down the fairway towards your ball, there are items you can collect along the way, like Chubbs' prosthetic hand, and minigames you can play, including a golf cart demolition derby. In each minigame, you can collect money that goes towards your overall score. Plus, most minigames give you reward money for completing them, too.
You likely won't encounter every minigame and collectible in one play-through, so there's an incentive to play the game a few times to make sure you experience everything it has to offer.
You should really watch the original film before playing the game
There are some scenes from the original film in video game form scattered around the golf course that you can interact with and play, including the scene where Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) steals Happy's gold jacket.
But without having seen the original film, you might be confused by the game. These bits are geared towards people who are familiar with Happy Gilmore. There's no clear story in the Happy Gilmore game, so if you're disconnected from the source material, this game is like a fever dream of absurd golf antics and jokes.
Cart racing is one of the many minigames you can play in the Happy Gilmore game. Netflix
Given the game's in-universe background and the '98 Demo in the name, Netflix likely intended for it to have an unfinished, retro '90s vibe. And Netflix nails that feeling. The lack of a clear story, the game's blocky graphics, choppy character movements and all-around mayhem feel like an unedited early draft of what the game could be. It needs an editor to come in and smooth things out and give everything a nice polish.
Overall, if you've seen the original Happy Gilmore, this game is an enjoyable way to kill 15 minutes and remember some laughs from the movie. If you haven't seen the original movie, watch that first and then come back to the game.
Where to find Happy Gilmore: Golf Mayhem '98 Demo
You should see the Happy Gilmore game in the Games tab. Netflix/Screenshot by CNET
To find this game, Netflix subscribers need to open the Netflix app on their smart TV or streaming device -- or the website on their browser -- and go to the Games tab. In the Games tab, you should see Happy Gilmore: Golf Mayhem '98 Demo in the Games carousel.
How to control Happy in the game
You can play this game with the iOS or Android Netflix Game Controller app on your smartphone. The game should show you a QR code to scan and connect with your smartphone. On desktop, I had to hold Shift+Tab on the main menu and click Controllers to see this QR code.
If you're playing the game on your desktop, you can also play with the WASD+Spacebar keys on your keyboard.
How a Happy Gilmore tie-in game fits into Netflix's plan for games
Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said in the streaming company's fourth-quarter earnings call for 2024 that Netflix was going to focus more on narrative games based on Netflix's own content. Since then, the company has released a few games tied directly to films and shows on the platform.
On July 15, the company released Blood Line: A Rebel Moon Game, which is based on the Zack Snyder film series Rebel Moon. And when Netflix released the seventh season of Black Mirror in April, it launched the mobile game Thronglets, an in-universe game featured in the episode Plaything. Happy Gilmore is like Thronglets in that both are games within their respective universes, as well as real games you can play.
The main difference between Happy Gilmore and those games is that Blood Line and Thronglets are both full-on game releases you could spend hours with. Happy Gilmore is, by design, a simple game you can play when you have a few minutes to spare, like a Flash game from the '00s. This could be Netflix's way of experimenting with shorter games based on its content, rather than making intense or lore-heavy games.
There's no deep story to dive into with this Happy Gilmore game. You're just trying to get the ball to go in the hole. Because that's its home.
For more on Netflix, here's what to know about the Rebel Moon and Thronglets games.