Donut Dodo Review 

Game: Donut Dodo
Genre: Action, Arcade, Platformer, Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (Also on Steam (Windows))
Developer|Publisher: pixel.games | Flynn’s Arcade
Age Rating: EU 7 | US E10+
Price: US $4.99 | UK £4.49 | EU € 4,99
Release Date: December 1st, 2022

Review code provided with many thanks to Flynn’s Arcade.

Bakers and Giant Birds

Donut Dodo is a 2D arcade gem that will tickle the nostalgia for old arcade fans. But may even warm the hearts of those totally new to that era in gaming. 

You play as Baker, Billy Burns. An overly happy little chief who is on a mission to collect all the donuts in the level. However, a giant Dodo is there in the background doing his very best to stop you from achieving your donut-collecting goal. It’s a simple concept that really would feel right at home in the eighties. No cutscenes or boring dialogue. This game gets straight into the gameplay and doesn’t let go until you run out of credits. 

This fiendish bird will fling projectiles at you and even when you do manage to collect the giant donut the nasty bird just ends up grabbing it and travelling to the next level anyway. The Dodo is not your only force of arcade nature to contend with. Levels are littered with hazards like spike pits and fireballs. There are also enemies such as green mice, which occupy just one platform and even the dreaded toilet which will stalk you until it gobbles you up into its porcelain bowl. Okay, that doesn’t actually happen which is a shame. If you die Billy sorta rotates on the spot and then instantly respawns at the start of the level with no load screen. This feels like a refreshing update from the arcade days. 

Insert Coin 

Controls are easy to pick up. Simply move and jump around the level. You can climb ladders and navigate ropes with one or two hands. A lot of these gameplay features feel reminiscent of the Donkey Kong arcade series. Bit Donut Dodo does have a uniqueness to each of its single-screen level designs that will take some time to fully master. I guess my main niggle to the game is there isn’t a way for Billy to defend himself. He can only run and jump, it feels at times like the game could use the odd powerup to help you in a pinch. 

Donut Dodo is the kind of game where you just have to get better by playing it (no I won’t use the Dark Souls meme). But for this arcade-style design, it fits really well. You start with only two lives with more being obtainable by scoring enough points. During my first few runs of the game, I could barely get past the first level. But little by little with some practice and persistence I gradually conquered the main 5 levels, and I felt this wonderful sense of achievement.

It’s the type of game design that’s challenging and tough but never so extreme I wanted to throw in the towel. With every misstep, there was a new lesson to learn such as monitoring the enemy patterns or finding the most effective route through each level. Initially, I was playing just to survive but before I knew it, I was gunning for a high score. Donut Dodo is a great game to jump into for a quick run if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands.

Happy Days

Graphics are colourful and positive. This isn’t a typical pixelated recreation of the old 80s arcade days, featuring hand-drawn borders with instructions on the game and tips on the score. Donut Dodo has smooth animations which give the arcade design a more refined feel to it. Good vibes and positivity just ooze from every corner of this game, from Billy’s uplifting smile to the silly enemy designs mentioned above. The soundtrack is an upbeat chiptune number which suits the overall tone. One can’t help but play this game and crack a smile. The game ran great in TV and handheld modes

A run of Donut Dodo may not take more than twenty minutes but the incentive to replay is pretty strong. Once you conquer two full runs of the game on one credit you unlock a harder mode and later a speedrun mode. Even with the base game alone, this is a nice arcade package at a low price point. While there’s no multiplayer, you could always pass the Switch to see how they do on a run and just giggle at the silly Dodo.

Conclusion – Arcade Delight

Donut Dodo plays a loving homage to the old arcade days whilst bringing with it some modern improvements and a few tricks of its own to make it stand out from the competition. If Donut Dodo was an actual arcade cabinet, I would be happy to sink a few coins into it. But since this is the modern day, you can pay a small fee and enjoy some good high score chasing fun on TV or handheld. 

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot