Donut DoDo Switch Review – These Doughnuts are Delicious

It is Thanksgiving in certain countries today, and Flynn’s Arcade is about to drop a brand new arcade title called Donut DoDo! It is wild that we are receiving a brand new, “classic” arcade-style title in the year 2022, and it is something to keep an eye on for sure.

So is Donut DoDo the arcade experience you need for the holidays? Or does this dodo not deserve any spotlight on this turkey day? Let’s find out!

Donut DoDo is a rather simple arcade game that is reminiscent of titles like Burger Time before it. You play as Baker Billy Burns, and it is up to you to outperform that dastardly dodo and their minions as you collect all of those donuts that the dodo loves so much. I did not expect much of a story, and we don’t get much of a story. That was expected.

This is about as simple of an arcade concept as you can get, but that does not mean this is an easy experience. Quite the contrary, and that is what makes Donut DoDo quite special.

Donut DoDo has found ways to combine multiple beloved concepts from oldschool arcade titles into one challenging game that never lets up. This is a return to form in many ways, where lives, scores, and patience are of utmost importance, and neglecting any one of them can destroy your run to the top of the leaderboard.

Gameplay is rather simple. You control Baker Billy Burns, and you need to avoid all enemies and obstacles en route to collecting every doughnut in the stage before finally collecting the giant doughnut for completion. Baker Bill Burns has a very short jump, so learning his limitations as you consider the way you want to tackle the stage is important.

There is honestly not a whole lot of game in Donut DoDo, especially when compared to modern day titles, but the throwback to oldschool arcade games and the beyond reasonable price makes this an easy recommendation and purchase. Essentially you get five unique stages and a very fun bonus stage, so although you can go through all of these in about 10 minutes or less, the challenge wonderfully increases and this keeps things interesting.

Donut DoDo has three tiers of difficulty as well, so even on the lowest tier, Easy-Medium, Donut DoDo provides a stellar challenge for those new to the oldschool arcade style. Thankfully, after completing Easy-Medium, you will unlock Medium-Hard, which ramps things up even more. Unlocking the next tier requires you to complete two rotations from the previous tier, which means you need to go through all 5 stages twice.

As said before, there is not a whole lot of game here, but the extra challenge provided within the next tiers and even the second rotation of the levels in a single run keeps things sweet and tasty over time.

The visuals and overall presentation is absolutely perfect! Donut DoDo could not pay better tribute to old games. The clear homage to the graphical styles of way back, as well as the lovely quality-of-life additions to the screen, like the graphics and how points work, is on full display, and it was such a joy blasting through the stages and ultimately the harder difficulties.

Another strong point for Donut DoDo is its incredible and authentic oldschool soundtrack. Each stage has its own unique background music, and all of the songs are quite fun and add to the experience tremendously. In addition to the music, the old bit-sounds for running around, jumping, and even dying are fantastic and a reminder of days long past.

Donut DoDo is a cheap, classic thrill ride that will appease players of all ages. It provides one of the best modern day arcade experiences thanks to its wonderfully done homages and combining with its own original spins and ideas.

It may not be for everyone, but this doughnut is sweet, it is tasty, and it is filling. All for the incredibly cheap price of $4.99 USD. I honestly cannot think of a reason to not pick this one up, because it is simply a fantastic gaming experience and costs less than most of the menu at Starbucks. To me, that is a solid win!

So although it may not be a turkey for Thanksgiving, this DoDo is savory and ready for you to download and enjoy when it launches on the Switch eShop on December 1st.

Donut DoDo Switch Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: Flynn’s Arcade
Release Date: December 1st, 2022
Price: $4.99, £4.49, €4,99
Game Size: 58 MB