Donut County Switch Review – A Hole Lotta Donuts

What exactly is a doughnut? Well, the raccoons of Donut County, particularly BK, do not seem to have a grasp of the concept, or at least they are pretending to. Donut County is one of those games that is so obscenely absurd that it genuinely has to be played firsthand to understand the appeal.

There are a lot of holes in this game, so you shouldn’t be surprised by the appropriate name. However, not all doughnuts have holes, and Donut County sure does address these facts and many more. But is this specialty donut worthy of your hard-earned cash? Or is it destined for the garbage bin? Let’s find out!

First of all, Donut County is hilarious, and it never overstays its welcome. This is a weird double-edged sword for me, because the comedy and writing are so stellar that by the time the game ends, I am upset that there isn’t more to offer.

That’s because the game can be cleared in one sitting, taking roughly two hours to clear from start to finish. That may sound a bit off-putting for those looking for a grand experience from their indie titles, but this is a game about moments and not so much about depth.

We are initially introduced to BK, a rambunctious racoon, and his co-worker Mira, a human living among other talking animals. The text conversation right from the top communicates the comedic approach of the game, as the two take subtle jabs and joke about the honking man outside Mira’s window.

This leads to the opening level where BK “delivers a donut” to the honking man, and this is our tutorial level.

The game is meta. You are playing as BK playing a phone game where you control a hole that grows bigger the more it intakes. Each level ultimately ends with BK dropping a resident of Donut County down the hole and slowly destroying his town in order to get to level 10 in his game in order to unlock the highly coveted QUADCOPTER!

Well, you would think the quadcopter would be the end game, but no. We see a smashed quadcopter right after the tutorial, and a furious BK yelling at Mira in front of many of the residents Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Ft. Below Donut County.

This is the setting for the game, and ultimately each resident shares their story about how they ended up there. Each stage for each resident is uniquely theirs and requires BK to use his holes in amazing ways.

I wouldn’t call Donut County a “puzzle” game, though, as there are not a whole lot of puzzling moments. This is simply an abstract concept done hilariously with a great little story mixed in. The town and its residents are so full of life, and it is a riot knowing that you will be responsible for their ultimate demise.

The areas that are puzzling will only take moments to solve, as the game does not give you a whole lot of room for error. Even when the game introduces new concepts, learning how to use them takes seconds and you will immediately continue your holey rampage.

But the highlight and most entertaining part of Donut County is absolutely the residents. Each personality is portrayed so well and so clearly, and BK is stealing the scene each and every time with his poor justification and constantly defending himself for his actions. The writing is superb, and the animation is the perfect look for the approach the game takes.

Donut County may not be everyone’s donut of choice, but it is a delicious experience with the right size hole for the job. The asking price is $12.99, and that price for a two-hour experience may scare a lot of people away. However, for fans of bizarre indie titles like Untitled Goose Game and What the Golf?, this is a great price for a game that is offering you an amazing single doughnut instead of a dozen crappy doughnuts.

For those on the fence, I would definitely say to jump on this game the next time it on discounted. Although I believe it is worth its full price, anything less than is beyond a great deal. There is little reason to play again outside of revisiting levels, but the main story is worth it.

So, yeah. Not all doughnuts have holes, but Donut County has plenty of them, and they are a blast to use from the very start all the way to the credits.

Donut County Review provided by Nintendo Link
Developer: Ben Esposito
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Release Date: December 18, 2018
Price: $12.99, £10.99, €11.99
Game Size: 379 MB