Donut Dodo | Switch Review

Harkening back to the age of arcades Flynn Studio's "Donut Dodo" brings to us a hi-score challenge that is somewhat familiar yet distinctly different. Featuring the eternal rivalry between baker Billy Burns, and the donut thieving Donut Dodo this collect-a-thon platformer brings to the table a formula most retro fans will be able to grasp from the start. An undertaking complete with a main antagonist in the form of Donut Dodo, and three enemies in the form of Sniffy, Stinky, and Ghastly. Taking the confrontation to carnival themed locales across the globe with different layouts joined together by platforms, ladders, ropes and other devices meant to help you avoid danger as you collect all the donuts so that you can reclaim the king of all donuts from Donut DoDo before moving on.

In Donut Dodo there are three modes or rather three difficulties ranging from Easy to Medium, Medium to Hard, and Sugar Rush. Each of the first two modes containing two rounds each with each round sub-divided into smaller stage challenges. Sugar Rush being the exception with only one round and a timed speed run focus. The Easy to Medium difficulty/mode is unlocked by default leaving the other two to be unlocked by beating the  modes before them.

Scoring in Donut DoDo comes in two basic forms. You will be earning combo points for the donuts you have to collect with the base donut being valued at x25 combo, and the flashing donut worth x100 combo. Additionally food items will be presented with each item worth progressively more points. On top of that the stages take into account a countdown bonus score that will be rewarded along with your earned score for quicker playthroughs. 

The Stage Playthrough ...

Within each stage lies enemy threats, and hazards that will take away one of your limited stock of lives if you take a hit from them. Some are easily avoidable where others must be strategically avoided by taking the loop around routes, and ladders for escape. While lives are limited you can earn extra lives at certain score milestones. Thus it is imperative not only to do a speedy run, and nab the donuts, but also to grab the food items before they disappear. 

The Presentation ...

The visual presentation of Donut DoDo adheres closely to the old NES/Arcade color palette design. With pixel constructed characters, and key features to add to the popping color scheme. Within the main options menu you can also adjust this visualization by selecting from three different intensities of the scanlines, and toggling on/off the CRT scanlines feature. I addition to that you have a selection of three different arcade borders which mimic the old arcade cabinet setups leaving the playing field as a scaled down screen between surrounding borders. As far as the soundtrack goes it also adheres to the old arcade cabinet tunes of old. Chiptunes, in particular. Adding to the carnival-like nature of the characters, and situation.

The Verdict ...

Donut DoDo is a no brainer. It's a must have for any arcade fan, especially those that enjoyed the classics like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Popeye. It borrows from all those experiences to become it's own thing, and while it is obviously inspired it still manages to standout on it's own. If you fancy a proper challenge, and are interested in taking a trip back down memory lane Donut DoDo will definitely fulfill that need!