Donut County, a review

DONUT COUNTY

a review

written by Danielle Karthauser

Donut County in three words is as follows - short and sweet. The indie title has received an abundance of praise and so I decided to buy it on Steam when it went on sale. After playing and completing the game in a little over two hours, I can safely say that it is a good time and I want to talk about why.

Developed by Ben Esposito, Donut County resides among several other indie games that only last a few hours and include minimal gameplay. This is part of a growing trend that some gamers could do without, dubbing laziness on the part of the developers. I don’t think smaller games are an issue. Other mediums have their share of short media, i.e. novellas and short films. Shorter gamers are not a threat to the industry nor does their length equal poor quality. Developers should not be given scrutiny for producing a game that is short. In fact, long form developers could learn a thing or two from these short titles.

The story follows BK and Mira who work at a donut shop in Donut County. When BK decides to deliver actual holes in the ground instead of donut holes, the town is soon swallowed below the earth. The concept is weak, quirky at best. The story doesn’t carry much weight but exists as a reason for what is happening in the gameplay. I found myself quickly clicking through dialogue boxes more often than not. It doesn’t harm anything but it isn’t something to praise when compared to the other elements of the game.

The style of the game is very bright colors, geometric shapes, and minimalistic character designs. What we are left with is a charming exercise is creative game design. Donut County looks like no other game I have played. I could see a possible influence being Animal Crossing though I have never played those games and can not know for sure. The music, composed by Ben Esposito as well as Daniel Koestner, is equally charming. If bands “the Lumineers” and “LANY” had a baby band, it would be this soundtrack.

But what stands out the most in this game is, of course, the act of putting as many things as possible in a hole. It is a simple concept. Playing this game was a very cathartic experience. It plays off of this weird thing in the human brain (don’t ask me what it is called, I don’t know) where you aren’t supposed to do something but just want to keep doing it anyway. Like, I know I am not supposed to pick at this scab but my gosh I need to! That is what it feels like playing Donut County. And I promise I mean that as a compliment. This is the type of game that has replay value purely for the sense that it doesn’t demand anything of you but to be somewhat present and to collect things in a giant hole. It is strangely rewarding.

I would highly recommend playing Donut County. It provides a unique gaming experience that you’ll want to return to in times of stress and when life feels so overwhelming that all you want to do is catch things in a hole in the ground.