(Press access at Playstation Experience was provided to Handsome Phantom by Sony)
Donut County is a puzzle game where you stick items into holes. As you suck more items into the hole, it becomes larger. This process makes it easier to continue. The minute-to-minute gameplay is essentially the player trying to clear each section of the level and then move on. This level-based system has a lot of potential and gives the designers the option to make each level be vastly different to the next.
At first I thought it would simply be a relaxing puzzle game and the sucking things into the hole was going be about all there was to it. I quickly found out that this game has a lot more to offer than that. First off, the art style in the game is impeccable. The low poly count adds for a unique art style. If you also factor in all the vibrant colors, it really adds up to make something special. The characters themselves are simple, but fun to look at nonetheless.
Character interactions in this game made the game fun in a different way. The best way I can describe the dialogue is “cute.” During the demo you realize that you are playing as either a girl talking to a raccoon or a raccoon talking to a girl. Either way, it definitely is a unique experience. The majority of the dialogue is exchanged through text. Little things like being able to send a duck emoji to the person you are speaking with really adds to the cute factor I was mentioning earlier.
After playing most of the demo and really getting a feel for the game, it became apparent that it had more puzzle variety that just clearing all of the objects on your screen into a hole. At one point I had an object on my screen that was sticking out of my hole. This then allowed me to knock things down and create different kinds of debris to suck up. This distinction from the rest of the demo really helps to demonstrate the potential of different kinds of puzzles this game could have to offer.
Donut County has a lot to offer. Whether you are looking for a relaxing experience or a fun and cute puzzle game, I think this game will scratch both of those itches. Hopefully we can see this game sometime in the near future. It is slated to be out in 2018 and I can’t wait to see more.
