Donuts’n’Justice Switch Review – Go With the Heat, Rico

The Nintendo eShop is a very unruly place. There are games that cost only a couple of dollars that feel like they are worth more, and games that cost over $50 that feel like they should only cost a couple. I’d go so far as to say that there are few games that are priced just right. Donuts’n’Justice is one of those few games. 

At around $5 you don’t expect to be blown away, but you expect something that you can pour some time into, come out with at least an hour or two of gameplay, and feel satisfied. That’s probably the perfect way to describe the Donuts’n’Justice situation.

It’s simple in concept. You can move around the screen with the stick, shoot left with one button, shoot right with another button, and throw grenades with a third one. That’s the extent of the controls. You move around an area attempting to shoot all the bad guys that come at you while being careful not to shoot innocent civilians. Anyone you kill has a chance to drop items, be it health or power ups. You gradually unlock access to new weapons by collecting badges dropped by the bad guys, and those weapons will help you dispatch your enemies quicker and more effectively. 

There is a co-op mode available, which is always a nice touch. It’s a drop in system where the second player just needs to hit the button to join in, and then you can play together through the levels.

There are a handful of levels in the game, none of which are long, which means you thankfully don’t get tired of the aesthetic of each. The retro look of the graphics definitely compliment the overall feel, yet they are extremely clean, making every aspect of the game nice to look at in high resolutions. The downside is that there isn’t a whole lot of content to unpack, and the replayability would entirely depend on the difficulty you choose to play on.  

The audio is almost arcade-like, very loud and repetitive. The voice telling you you’ve cleared the level is intense and really does a good job of hyping you up as you move to the next area. That’s especially true when you add in the epic background music. It’s got some intense guitars that add a whole lot of hype.

Upon finishing the game you unlock a Boss Rush mode, which is a cool way to quickly replay the game. It has its own level design too, which is a cool touch. 

Overall, the price tag might make you want to ignore this game, but if you have a cheeky fiver to spend on something in the eShop, you can do no wrong grabbing this one. There’s nothing broken in it, and you’ll get your money’s worth. It’s extremely short and does leave you wishing there was a bit more to it, but if they put out a sequel some day, you can be sure I’ll be getting it!

Donuts’n’Justice review provided by Nintendo Link
Developer: FobTi Interactive
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Release Date: June 4, 2021
Price: $4.99, £4.99, 4,99€
Game Size: 29MB