My knowledge of Donut County only came from a gameplay trailer that appeared during PSX 2017. I thought the game looked interesting from it’s unique hole gathering gameplay and simple visuals. Since then, I haven’t really followed up on much about the game. I then found out its release was soon approaching, and I still had a vague memory of being interested in it. That was enough to get me to check the game out.

Donut County is a simple game to grasp. A quick look at the gameplay trailer will tell you all you need to know about what the game is. It’s a puzzle-solving type game where you guide a hole in the ground and your objective is to drop every item in the area into your hole. At the start of every level the hole will start out small, but once you drops items into it, it will start to grow in size. So the main puzzling point is figuring out which items you can gather up first in order to increase your size, before you are able to drop in the much larger stuff. It all starts out simple and straightforward, but later levels do push the concept a bit further.

THE GOOD: It’s these later levels where the game starts to gain some momentum. Dropping things into the hole is pretty satisfying, but the way the game changes this simple concept up later on, is kind of clever. One exmaple you see early on is that whenever you drop a fire into the hole, the hole itself will be caught on fire as well and start releasing smoke. So that then gets some use in solving some puzzles.

On top of all the item gathering is a story with various characters as well. So there is a reason why a hole appears and is gathering up all the items nearby. It’s a nicely told story as well, with good writing. This is also seen in the trashopedia, which keeps track of all the items that you’ve dropped into the hole. Each item has a unique entry in it, and each one is worth a read. Completing a level and then reading all the new trashopedia entries was something I looked forward to from level to level.

THE BAD: Even though, I did find the game enjoyable, it is a very short experience overall. It probably took me a little over two hours to fully complete the game. There are a couple hidden things that will tempt you to redo levels, but it’s mainly if you’re out hunting for trophies. Even then, it doesn’t increase the gameplay time by that much. My two hour playtime actually includes earning the Platinum Trophy for the game. So it’s a short overall experience. That’s dissappointing because during the late stages of the game is where I felt things starting to pick up in terms of gameplay. So having things start changing up and getting quite clever with the gameplay, and then to have the story end, just left me wanting more.

Then there’s the pricing of the game. It costs $12.99 for PS4 and PC, with iOS devices being $4.99. I actually didn’t know beforehand that the game was available on iOS also. So as a mobile title, the simple look and gameplay make sense, and I do feel this is a worthwhile mobile experience. While that is also true for the PS4, I do feel the pricing is a bit steep for how simple and short the game is. I think if it were around the $5-10 range, it would fit in better. That’s just me though. How much I paid for the game had very little in affecting my overall enjoyment of it.

OVERAELL THOUGHTS: The simplicity of the gameplay, the colorful style, and the clever writing are what make Donut County a pleasant and worthwhile experience. It’s a short one, but an enjoyable one in the end. A nice surprise too, since I hardly knew much about the game going in. Although I do find the price of the game a bit much for what it is, I’d still give it a recommend. It’s just a fun and relaxing experience. So if that’s something you’re in the mood for, then do check out Donut County.