They say that one man’s trash is another’s treasure but, in Donut County, the raccoons think everything is trash and trash is everything. Through the use of an app to order donuts the raccoons slowly begin to take everything from the citizens of Donut County. It will be up to you to discover why and to save everything!
Donut County is a fast-paced puzzle game built on the mechanic of items falling into a hole which, in turn, increases its size. This allows you to pick up more items until your level is clear. There are times that the player’s problem solving skills will be put to the test regarding just how to get everything into this hole. As each level moves to another, the overarching perspective on the happenings of Donut County is explained and tested.
Story
This story is told from the perspective of the individual citizens of Donut County. Each piece of the plot is divulged as the holes in the city appear more frequently, including the lives of the characters and their opinions of each other, their belongings, relationships, jobs, and homes. The game humorously tells its tale through the use of dialogue, texting, and visual storytelling.
One of the greatest assets of this game is this snarky yet subtle humor. From raccoons lazily running donut shops, to text conversations between characters, as well as each of these characters’ unique personalities, this humor adds a delightful flavor to the game. The dynamics of certain animals being sentient and others not is also an enjoyable take on characterization, especially since there is absolutely no explanation as to why this is the case.
Gameplay
The gameplay is not explained either, which adds to fun puzzle solving in the midst of Donut County. Since the mechanics of the game are easy to understand the only real mystery becomes exactly what the physical rules of the world are and how they can be manipulated. The linear progression of this story allows minimal creativity on the part of the player other than in problem solving, but that is eclipsed by the creativity used in making the game, including its art style.
Style
This style is absolutely perfect for this kind of game – it is just detailed enough to convey what is happening, while being minimalistic enough to keep the game progressing quickly through each level. Because of this, it is easy to play this game in its entirety in one sitting, as the plot continues to maintain its suspense from the beginning to the end of the story.
The minimalism used to create this story allows the game to be a very streamlined, telling its story and insinuating its morals in the quickest, yet most efficient way possible. This allows the game to touch on topics like friendship, community, gentrification, capitalism, and more – while not delving into the ideas deeply enough to make them obvious or overused. By combining these ideas with an adorable art style, Donut County lends itself to be enjoyed by child and adult alike.
Recommendation: We recommend Donut County to anyone looking for a short, yet enjoyable game to play for a few hours. Since the mechanics are easy to pick up and the themes of the game can be easily understood, we believe this is a great game for all ages and is even one to enjoy with kids on the weekend. Sit down, relax, play Donut County, and Have a Garbage Day.
