Donut County Review

If you’ve ever played a game where a rolling ball takes up everything into its mass and grows bigger (Katamari Damacy), then you are well familiar with the mechanics of Donut County. There isn’t much to understand about the game other than a small hole in the ground which grows into a giant sinkhole that swallows everything in its path. Oh, and a raccoon hidden in subterranean levels controls the hole. The game’s physics are defining, as the hole intuitively grows larger as it swallows more and bigger items. Though unique, the game severely lacks in many quarters. 

Features and Functions 

The premise of Donut County is quite simple. You are BK, a raging raccoon who controls a hole that can move on the ground. Anything that the hole moves under is swallowed, with the size of what is taken a direct influence on the hole’s diameter. In-between consuming everything in Donut County are hilarious cutscenes which plot out the storyline of the game. There is a certain madness to watching things fall into a sinkhole that you grow yourself, and it’s easy to completely lose it with this game. While the maps are not huge, they do offer enough content to keep you riveted.

In the cutscenes, you have humorous dialogues between the various NPCs, although you can’t actually control what is being said. The lack of content and the inability to customize your experience is a big letdown for this game. Yes, it does offer a unique concept and physics, but this isn’t enough to keep you coming back for more. Another caveat is the fact that Donut County is too short. Before you know it, the game is already over. There is no climax, and the gameplay is entirely repetitive. 

Interface

Donut County is split into several small maps which you cover as you swallow everything in your path. For example, you can play in an amusement park or down a busy road. The game has mostly cartoon characters, with overly simplified 3D environments of the underground layer and Donut City. There is a great mashup of various characters which means you won’t get too bored looking at the same thing. However, the different iterations of a sinkhole moving around swallowing everything in its path probably isn’t your idea of a great visual experience that runs for hours. 

Conclusion 

Donut County is an exciting concept, and the physics behind the game is its biggest draw. Anyone can enjoy this game. The premise is as simple as it is real, with the swallowing mechanics depicting how it would happen in real life. Of course, things don’t always pan out as you hope them to, and once in a while, a swallow might prove difficult. The game requires little to no brainpower, other than swallowing smaller objects first before moving on to larger ones. The conversations are nicely written, and the art is pleasing to the eye, but sadly this game lacks a direction or standard it would like to set.