
The modern game industry seems to be obsessed with the idea of constantly pushing the higher limits of how much content can be packed into a game, with both AAA and indie developers constantly finding new ways of making games that are exhaustingly long. Often, this leads to inevitable repetitiveness - do we really need sixty variants of essentially the same mission? - which makes shorter, but tighter games feel more satisfying. However, there’s another side of this spectrum in which a game is too short, leaving the player feeling like it was over much too soon, and this is unfortunately where we would class Donut County. If you can get past the short runtime, though, you’ll find a delightfully funny and inventive experience that’s sure to be memorable.
Donut County opens with a simple premise following the texting conversation between Mira, a young girl, and BK, a talking raccoon, as they discuss work life at a local donut shop. The girl complains about a loud neighbor during this conversation, and hardly a moment later, a mysterious hole appears in the ground that takes the loud neighbor and everything surrounding him. Moments later, we learn that the hole is being controlled via BK's phone app, and the narrative quickly jumps forward to the near future in which the entire town - including Mira and BK - are trapped at the bottom of that omnipresent hole. From here, each town member recounts where they were and what they were doing when BK’s hole came for them, and the perspective then shifts to a level that depicts that fateful encounter.

As far as plot is concerned, Donut County doesn’t swing for the fences - this is a fairly standard Saturday morning cartoon-ish narrative - but a big part of the charm can be found in the humorous nature of the writing. As a raccoon with a natural penchant for thieving, BK simply can’t understand how it’s his fault that the entire town is now in a sinkhole, and there’s a very quirky sense of humor displayed as everyone airs their complaints. In addition to this, a “Trashopedia” logs entries for all the items taken by the hole, and the items’ descriptions are clearly written by an inquisitive raccoon; tires being referred to as “gloves for your car” is a highlight.
Gameplay is exceptionally relaxing and simple, calling to mind the puzzle-solving mechanics of a point-and-click adventure game. Each level begins with you controlling a small hole, which you simply move beneath items that can comfortably fall in such as rocks, dogs, books, and donuts. With each item that falls in, the hole slightly widens, allowing you to take progressively larger things. A level is typically comprised of about four screens of things to collect; once you’ve cleansed a screen of everything, the camera usually zooms out as it shifts to a new scene to account for the larger hole you’ve made.

Though this is a remarkably easy game to play, a mild challenge is introduced in the form of environmental puzzles that necessitate a bit of deeper thinking. For example, one level sees you taking the hole around a fireworks shop, and you need to figure out how to cause something in the environment to light a nearby rocket so you can knock some birds off of a power line. Given that there’s only one screen to search at a time and that each screen isn’t too complex in its layout, it rarely takes more than a minute or two to figure out what needs to be done to progress to the next screen. Even so, these light puzzles introduce some much-needed variety on the core gameplay; it can get a bit dull just moving the hole around and taking things, but new puzzle concepts are introduced with each level to keep things fresh.
This is all well and good, but perhaps the most disappointing aspect of Donut County is its incredibly short length; we cleared the entire game in about an hour and a half and there isn’t a whole (heh) lot more to see after you’ve seen the credits. Make no mistake, Donut County is an enjoyable and charming experience while it lasts, but just when things feel like they’re starting to pick up, the game ends and you’re left wanting more. Furthermore, the absence of any hidden collectibles, score system, or any other form of incentive to get you to come back means that there’s next to no replay value; you can play levels over again if you feel like it, but there’s no reason to do so other than for the raw sake of it.

It’s hard to see how a game such as Donut County could realistically introduce more content to keep players engaged, but there's still a sense of disappointment once you get to the end credits, especially considering the price. Donut County is certainly a unique and charming game, but there’s only about as much content here as you’d find in a typical flash or smartphone game, which can usually be played for free. Given that you’re paying over ten bucks for Donut County, it’s difficult to recommend this over other games on the eShop that are certain to give you vastly more entertainment value for the same or a slightly higher price.
If you can stomach the paltry content, Donut County certainly is an enrapturing game that owns the goofy aesthetic of its premise. Environments are full of color and diverse decorations, featuring a low-poly art style that highlights the sharp geometry of objects in a way that pleasingly calls back to the N64 days. This cool visual style is then accompanied by a similarly quirky soundtrack with a mildly '80s-style vibe that feels perfect for the oddness of the experience. Donut County is very much a game that seems to champion the idea of video games being a form of interactive art and the immaculate design of each level’s visuals and sound reflect that well.
Conclusion
Donut County will no doubt prove to be a divisive experience, but those that are looking for a relaxing and often funny puzzle game will find an enjoyable experience that has just enough charm to justify its existence. With that being said, this is hardly a game that feels like it justifies the relatively high price tag; three hours max of content is a tough pill to swallow regardless of how enamored you are with the concept at its core. We’d recommend you wait for a sale or put some gold points towards this one; it’s a cool experience that you’ll definitely want to check out, but know that you’re not missing much if you choose to skip it.
Comments 42
I try to make sure I see at least one pic of a raccoon with a laptop on a toilet everyday. Thanks NL, my quota is met for today!
Unless I missed it, you might want to mention the actual price in the review. I like the review and have already decided not to buy the game, but it whether the price is 30 or 40 pounds/euros/etc could make the difference for some people.
This game is good, but definitely not worth the price. I would recommend buying it on the App Store, since it is cheaper and includes iMessage stickers.
@Dayshader It costs about $10 USD, probably similar in other currencies.
@SwitchVogel Oi, thanks for this review. I thought I'd be down for a grab since I love Katamari and Pool Party. But I'll wait on a sale like suggested, for the content offered.
Glad I hadn't purchased it yet, that's a little steep for 2 hours of game.
The game is really funny, quirky, and fun, but I too feel it is lacking in content.
I wish I'd waited for a 50% off sale. My. Enjoyment of the game has been soured by the pricing.
@Dayshader Just as a heads up - with any of our reviews, you can view the price of the game in its info box on the right-hand side of the page on desktop, or by clicking the 'Overview' tab at the top of the page on mobile. 🙂
The price is listed in the orange Game Info section on the right and is $12.99 US and £10.99. On the other hand this costs only $4.99 on iOS. I love playing on my Switch, but damn...
When it gets a price drop i will give it a shot
This is the first game I have seen NL REALLY dig into a game over its length. Wonder what prompted that change.
@Indielink Well, for one, this is one of the shortest games I've ever played personally. I'm not a person who views game economics in terms of how many hours of enjoyment I get per dollar, but there's still a line that has to be drawn somewhere. I enjoyed donut county, but I'll probably never play it again.
Great review. I did not have this one on my radar, but I'll probably grab it during a sale now. The short play time is a bummer but the concept and aesthetic seem great.
Based on your review, and your repeated mention of the high cost, I was thinking they were selling this at $40 or something like that. They're selling it at $13. You clearly have no idea what it costs and takes to make a game like this and what is a reasonable price for an indie developer to ask for an obviously quality product. Basing its worth on a billion other crappy apps that most mobile developers slap together and chuck out for a few pennies--with their hundreds of hours of awesome "gameplay" and "replayability"--is probably not the correct/fair way to judge such things. This clearly isn't some junk churned out in a few months to be flogged for $5 on Switch and be done; the quality in this game is clear even from screenshots and gameplay footage. $13 for Donut County on Switch seems totally reasonable to me, and it's certainly not a great reason to knock the score down (which definitely seems to be what's happened here), even if it is cheaper on mobile. You'd likely pay about the same price for a single movie ticket in the US, I'd guesstimate, and most movies only last a couple of hours too. But here we are. Anyway, I think the game looks pretty great, and I think the developer has earned the price he's asking for it.
@ryancraddock Sorry about that. Thank you for the information!
@PolarExperience You're right. It's worth more. It's a great game.
@JackEatsSparrows No. It's a great game and definitely deserves full price.
This game should at least have gotten an 8. This reviewer is bonkers.
@Ohokaysure I’m sure it is fun, but less than 3 hours isn’t worth $13 to me.
@JackEatsSparrows I guess you don't see movies either then.
@Ohokaysure Typically only 2 or 3 times in a theatre each year. Not a big goer, nah.
@JackEatsSparrows But either way, you're spending the same amount of money for less content.
This is really a good game, and deserves a higher rating than 6. I’d say a 7/10 is fairer. Although I do agree that the current asking price is steep for what it offers.
I have a feeling that if it was priced at $5, like the current iTunes App Store price, that it would have garnered a 7 or 8 outta 10. I actually just bought it on iTunes last week and finished it, and so with a $5 price tag, I’d say it’s well worth the entry price. Wait till it hits a sale or use your coins to get it for <=$7
Edit - Need to add an addendum. This truly is a fun and great game, I was hooked my entire play and wouldn’t mind a second go around honestly. My above comment about waiting for sale, but definitely getting it, is based on the average joe with little
money and a giant backlog (like myself). If you have the cash, are interested in the game, and want to support the dev, by all means spend the full price! Indie devs need love and Ben did a great job making this game. Regardless of price it deserves a better review score.
@ryancraddock I’d be interested to know how many view NL on mobile compared to tablet/PC - I’m almost mobile exclusively, and so the additional click to see the price is a hassle (I know, first-world problems). Is there a chance of getting the price added to the review tab on mobile?
Separately, it’d be good if reviews mentioned when a game is also available on iOS/Android - I saw this is the case in the comments section, and means there is an alternate, portable version that is no doubt cheaper.
Thanks, and happy New Year y’all.
Well guys, about the price: it might not be too high if you compare it to cinema tickets. But video game entertainment it's not cinema's one. Take as example Botw, 50 pound for at least 100 hours game, it will make 50 pence per hour. Or Hollow Knight, 10 pound (and it has been on sale as well) for far more hours. If this game was priced up to 5 quid I would have give it a chance. For ten, absolutely not. Give it one month and it will be discounted, and I hope many people then will buy it. I really respect developers hard work, but switch e shop is full of content and you want to be competitive about prices if you want to shine.
@ryancraddock I had no idea price was hidden behind a tab on the mobile site. Another vote to put it on the review page.
@switchvogel Now, as for this review, I disagree with the reasoning.
Whether a price is affordable is a personal thing. Personally, I have no with the price of this game.
I feel a game should be judged on its content alone. Tying a review to a factor that can and will change, such as price, seems a bit shortsighted or even disingenuous.
What happens when the price changes and the review stays the same?
For this reason I also feel games with big patches that fix major complaints or change the game in recognisable ways, like with RIME, should be re-reviewed.
@gingerbeardman I agree with this, I’d support a section of the site based on “Another Look” where they do after-patch reviews, and maybe even secondary opinions on games that get mixed reviews between the community and reviewer, like this one for example. 😆
@Ohokaysure ...Ok
$12.99 is a bit absurd for 2-3 hours tbh.
I'll still get it, may give it a bit to see if a sale happens tho.
And everyone using movie tickets to compare, I just wanted to let you know that you aren't doing yourselves any favors. The overpricing of movie tickets makes mobile games for $10
@gingerbeardman I try not to tie price to a score unless it's impossible to ignore, like this case. Also, even if it were priced at 5 bucks, I'd give it no higher than a 7. It's a neat game and it's worth your time, but a 3 hour runtime is just too short regardless of price.
The review hasn't put me off wanting to play this, in fact it's made me more eager to play it lol. However, it sounds like it needs a subtle sale to get it off my wish list.
GRIS is a very short game, but considering the superb art and music of the game, the price tag is almost irrelevant. I was on the fence about Donut, and the price tag is my deciding factor. I am waiting for a sale. Thanks for the review.
Only an hour and a half? That IS really short. That's not an instant kill for the game, but it is certainly a glaring flaw. Kudos for a very creative premise and concept though.
@SwitchVogel I disagree 3 hours is too short. For me, as a family man with too many games to play, I'd rather get a great experience in 3 hours than a long, artificially extended, diluted game experience over 20 hours. Again, it's a personal preference that I don't think should affect the rating of a game. Every game will be a different length, penalising a game because it doesn't pad out with filler encourages the wrong type of game design IMHO.
Would you penalise Tetris because a game can be finished in 30 seconds? An extreme example, but hopefully it gets my point across that tying a rating of a game to any metric of "play time" is a bad idea.
@gingerbeardman I was thinking of drawing a similar comparison to my completing R-Type in less than an hour...but then if you think about all the hours of practise. Same with Tetris. Sure, a go can be over in 30 mins, but you have incentive to improve, practice, replay. The reviewer is claiming there isn't much scope for this, and it's a case of one and done.
@GrailUK I'm totally fine with one and done in 3 hours, just like I'm fine with a movie being over and done in even less time.
@SwitchVogel Reading the review again, it contradicts itself by saying "it's hard to see how (it) could realistically introduce more content" and then "the paltry content". It's feels confused, like its a score in a search of a review rather than the other way around. I don't have a problem with the score, it's the fact that it is influenced by the weight of total "play time" that irks me.
There's also a point raised about a sense of disappointment upon reaching the end credits, but that's the case with every single game I have enjoyed recently. From huge adventures like Zelda Breath of the Wild to little jaunts like MiniCopter Adventure Flight, I was deflated when I realised there was no more game to play. That doesn't mean I feel that either game deserves a lower grading, just that each did what they set out to do just perfectly.
I don't want to watch another 2 hours of my favourite movie after it finishes, I just want to bask in the afterglow of the experience. I don't think the Mona Lisa is any less of a painting because Leonardo DaVinci didn't paint her legs.
Whether an experience was succinct or meandering matters not, as long as it was enjoyable.
Oh you are absolutely right about some games having too much "content" these days and Nintendo is no stranger to it. Did we really need 900 Koroks or 1300 Spirits? Koroks get old after the 20th or so and most Spirits are repeats of themselves. I haven't swapped out a Prime Spirit since I got the kids from FE that have 3 slots and give you a back shield, while secondary Spirits mostly do the same thing, just have different pictures.
It's nice to have some games one can just finish.
IMO this is a 5/10
Just played through it and the obvious comparison I have to it is Katamari (which for me is 9/10)
5/10 is what you score something when it is okay— if it’s not your sort of game then don’t bother; if it is then you will have decent fun but won’t be blown away.
Shortness asides I felt that there wasn’t really much openess to the game — some of the puzzle elements were cool but there were only a couple. If you then put it side-by-side with Katamari then you have something that pales in comparison. Granted this is from a one-man-band, and I hope that more games are churned out — just with more meat on the bone/replayability/some challenge-driven scoring (time, objects, avoiding certain things - anything to make you want to revisit a level)
It’s a neat concept and I am happy I played it — even that I paid full price, as I love indie games on the Switch and want to ensure they are backed — but I doubt I will revisit it any time soon when I have Katamari on my Switch, which I can replay levels without it feeling tiresome.
@Ohokaysure no. To boring, to short. I would give the game a 4/10. There is only dialogue an not much meat to the bone. Actually it is a three 😜
Price-wise it's a vr-game w/o VR... it is really boring an short. But a bit nice.
I would give it a 4/10. The music and art style are good but the gameplay is very shallow. It's only towards the end does it get interesting and puzzle elements are thrown in instead of mindless swallowing things up with the hole, which is a shame because it's a fun idea for a game. The characters and dialogue are terrible. Only buy this if it's on sale.
If this game was closer to 5 bucks I think it’d be a 9/10, at least for me
Nice and pretty, although as referred, not worth 10£ and I'm happy I paid only 3£, otherwise it's money I could have given to a homeless, honestly.
Unfortunately, I compare any indie game to Hollow Knight and Return of the Obra Dinn, which are in my opinion, the standards of quality-price relation and DC missed a few marks.
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