Got this in a bundle with Neon White cause had my eye on it for a while anyway and it wasn't a bad deal. Something has drawn me to games like this a bit recently. Just cozy collect the things type beats that feel satisfying in small ways as you play them even if they don't have the most mechanical depth or anything.

I dig the vibes and the humor, love the art direction and the chilled out music, I just wish there was better escalation to the puzzles in some way or it mixed things up better. It feels like a concept that deserves more variety and the last level kinda expands things out a tiny bit more for a potential of where it could go. On the upside it doesn't overstay its welcome which is nice but I still wish there was just more to its overall package and ideas but for what it is it's fine. I really gotta play Katamari Damacy I honestly don't know why I still haven't played that yet.

In this story-based physics puzzle game you control an ever-growing hole in the ground. Donut County is most definitely a fantastic diversion from real life - It has quirky humor that will sweep you right up, the colorful characters of the world are absolutely fantastic, it's simple to play and it doesn't overstay it's welcome by being overly long and complicated.

The cast of characters is filled with a bunch of lovely animals and anthropomorphic animals, as well as a human too! It's diverse cast with their own personalities is definitely something that really hooked me into the story. It's not a long experience, but it's certainly something that I will cherish and it was welcome game in the vast sea of long games.

Just sit back and relax and start devouring everything in the world into your ever-growing hole! Definitely a recommended even at full price.

Donut County feels like an IRL donut. It only lasts a short while, but your time with it is delightful.

BK is a raccoon who runs a Donut Shop. For some reason, this means he "delivers" holes in the ground when people in the neighborhood order donuts. Similar to Katamari, you move the hole around to swallow up small items, the hole growing bigger as you accumulate more. The ultimate goal of each stage is to get everything on-screen down the hole.

It's surprisingly satisfying to make plants, animals, structures, characters and more disappear into a gaping abyss under your control. The gameplay is simple, but does occasionally add a puzzle that makes you look at things about way.

There's quite a bit of written dialogue in this game, and I loved all of it. BK and Mira are possibly my favorite duo from any indie game because their relationship is so entertaining. Everyone speaks to each other as if they're texting ("lol" appears dozens of times in speech bubbles), so if that sounds annoying to you, I'd recommend checking a YouTube clip before purchasing. I personally thought the dialogue was charming and often made me laugh out loud.

All this being said, the game is priced a bit high. I can't recommend paying $12.99 on PC or Console for this (admittedly lovely) 2-hour game. I just picked it up on sale for $6.49, and I think that's perfectly reasonable. However, you could also get the exact same experience on iOS if you have an iPhone for $4.99.

This was really charming/cute. Loved the art style, dialogue, and characters. As mentioned with The Gardens Between before this, the gameplay/puzzle format while solid by itself isn't something that I can imagine carrying a very long game. This caps out at a good place in terms of game length with it taking me around 2-2.5 hours to 100% it. More games could benefit from letting themselves be short instead of the constant padding tbh...

Been on a kick with these shorter puzzle or adventure based games available on Game Pass while trying to snatch rewards points for a bit now. I promise I'll play some other shit soon.

It's like the game is too afraid to do anything interesting. In order to avoid the game becoming confusing or frustrating to the player, Donut Country only scratches the surfaces of the mechanical potential it offers. Sure, the aesthetics and polish is definitely noteworthy and should be praised, but the puzzle design lacks any flavor and results in the game becoming a boring slideshow to play.

SPOILER AHEAD

Throwing a boss fight at the end of the game doesn't really radiate any confidence in the game's design. It's disappointing to see a developer introduce a bizarre, "Katamari-like" premise and aura to the game, only for them to fall back to conventional game set pieces.

Worst pet evrr??! (Asked to leave Twitter and find a job) (more on the afternoon broadcast after an ad on How To Train Your Rabbit where we will also tackle the audacity of this bitch who handles fireworks with no permits).

Some indie goodness where a gimmick gets explored in the span of 2-3 hours my beloved. You read a bit and are thrown in levels with narrative purpose and it's not always a given in games so me likey.. I played this game for a whole morning and decided I want to eat junk food instead of the green beans leftovers, so this game did impact my life! My heartfelt thanks. If this game was "Toast County" I'd just be toast instead. Well, if it was "Milk County" I'd see my father again. No use mulling over the devs' choice.... missed opportunities to put a hole in a hole aside. Think about it, imagine it would create black hole or something, we'd fuel humanity's thirst for answers and it'd be a crazy mechanic to boot frfr

I don't understand. I just... DON'T UNDERSTAND! Is it the wholesome vibes? The cute art style? Aesthetics alone do not make a game, in my opinion. So you play as a hole... and it gets bigger as you swallow up stuff. I guess it's like the Anti-Katamari in a way. But unlike Katamari, this isn't fun. There's no challenge. No real drive to proceed. The story sure as hell didn't motivate me. The only motivation I had here was that there was an easy platinum waiting for me at the end.

I can't even argue that it's poorly made or that no attempt was made. Sure, it's cute. I'm sure it appeals to some. But I just couldn't find much fun in such a simplistic idea for "gameplay." I sure was craving some donuts afterwards, though.

Playtime: 2.5h
Completion: 100% (easy, just do it )
Platform: Xbox
Verdict: Play it!

If you played Katamari Damacy you will know what you are getting yourself into here. Its much simpler , shorter, and overall was an enjoyable game. I liked some of the creative things they did around not just sucking up items but solving some very very light puzzles by spitting things out of the sink hole as well. The dialog is quirky. I enjoyed it and did not overstay. I do wish they got even more creative with the puzzle solving. Because its like this is a perfect kids game too! Nothing stood out about this game and nothing was bad about the game. It was over all fine game and concept to experience.

---Nerd Achivement issue ---
It can be tricky. Make sure to scroll through all entries post game to get the achievement. see info here: https://www.trueachievements.com/a265832/nerd-achievement

As I slowly sink, like a prehistoric creature, into the tar pit of middle age, I appreciate more and more when a game is concise. How can I not, then, be enamored with Donut County which, despite being a game I can complete in an evening, manages to evoke the feeling of aimless days doing fuck-all and not stressing out about the lack of accomplishment? Donut County is a game about just vibes, man—and it may be worth your time for that alone. Its mechanics and controls are simple and intuitive, so you’ll be fully immersed in the mellow music and gleeful destruction.

What I enjoyed
• The soundtrack—especially “Garbage Day.” That song is a day off work with comfy weather, driving around town with a pal or partner talking about nothing important, and you’re warm with contentment, distilled to ~3 minutes of plucked strings and staccato treble beats.
• The dialog hits a sweet spot of absurd-yet-relatable humor, similar to shows like The Good Place or Community, and the gameplay conveys the same goofy energy as your sinkholes destroy things like a traffic-jammed highway and an entire amusement park.
• The art style and character designs just make me happy, dudes. There’s an anthropomorphic crocodile that wears glasses, an apron and oven mitts, and that’s exceptional character design no matter what the game is.

Why Donut County might not be for you
• If you think a game’s quality or value increases proportionally to how long it takes to play.
• If you HATE racoons.
• Actually, you spend a good deal of the game making life difficult for racoons, so maybe it should be, “If you LOVE racoons.”
• If you dislike the Katamari Damacy games.
• If you like the Katamari Damacy games but think they’d be improved by more complex controls.