Donut County is a game about putting things in a hole. There is nothing but the hole to consider. The hole must be fed. Feed the hole.
It's a silly concept, and an incredibly simple gameplay mechanic, but through the addition of some clever micro-mechanics, a killer soundtrack, and a charmingly bizarre story, it's also one of the finest puzzle games of the year.
Long way down
You control the hole by dragging it around on the screen with your finger or thumb. Once everything on screen has been gobbled up by the hole, you move on to the next screen or level. Simple stuff.
Your hole starts out quite small, and gets bigger as you drop things in. At the start of each level you'll be picking up small balls of paper or doughnuts, before building up to bigger items like mopeds, sheds, and even people's houses.
There's a little more to it than just consuming everything in sight, however. Drop a kiln in, for example, and your hole will start spewing out fire, which can be used to raise hot air balloons, set fire to trees, and so on.
Later on, you'll unlock the ability to launch certain objects out of the hole, vastly increasing the variety in puzzles you'll encounter, like firing eggs at switches or frogs at bears. You know, the usual stuff.
To tell you any more of the effects and puzzle types would be to spoil the game - Donut County is so simple in its execution that most of its wonderful moments are in tiny changes to the formula, and you really need to play them for yourself to get the full experience.
Take it easy
It's all loosely held together by a ridiculous story, which we won't spoil in the slightest - just know that its script is brilliantly silly, and written more like a conversation on Twitter than people speaking in the real world.
The soundtrack is also wonderful. It's all gentle guitars, funky hip-hop beats, and other relaxing sounds which add to the charming, chilled atmosphere.
There are no time limits or fail states - you're encouraged to experiment and play around with everything you see, and it's designed in such a way that you'll never feel confused or overwhelmed by the task at hand.
It doesn't outstay its welcome either - you'll easily finish the whole thing in just a few hours, and you'll be grinning ear to ear every minute you're playing.
God, I'm hungry
Donut County is simply stunning. It smashes together smart gameplay, simple controls, a ridiculous storyline, and a gorgeous soundtrack, creating a masterpiece of an easy-going puzzler.
If you're looking for something with tons of depth and hours of gameplay, you won't find it here. But what you will find is one of the finest puzzle games you may ever play, and an experience that will stay with you long after the credits roll.