GAME
OF THE
DAY
Donut County
Be a hole
Holes keep popping up all over the grounds of Donut County. And as they swallow plants, pets, and everything else in this cartoon-ified version of Los Angeles, they just grow bigger.
What a disaster! But by making you the problem—you play as a roving sinkhole sliding around the screen—Donut County creator Ben Esposito has unearthed one of indie gaming’s most delicious premises.
You start off humbly, gobbling first the game logo, then some fence posts, then a hapless deliveryduck (one of many animal-like characters) on a scooter. Before long, you’ve graduated to gulping down cars and homes.
Fun new twists soon present themselves. You’ll wolf down newly lit fireworks, then move to aim them at high-up targets. Once you get a catapult upgrade, you can launch frogs, boxes, and other objects to solve clever puzzles.
Overlaying the goofy gameplay is a funny, quirky story that’ll suck you right in. Let’s just say the residents of Donut County aren’t too pleased with BK, the misguided raccoon summoning the holes you control.
How BK handles their protests—and how he ultimately responds—takes the action to surprising and deeply rewarding places.