Donut County (Switch version)

I had put off playing this one for long enough while hearing testimonials about how wonderful it is that I was stunned to discover it revels in being shallow. “Donut” is a straightforward comedy that, like many video games, has problems landing punchlines, quickly establishing an absurdist atmosphere but preferring to convey witty banter (“Vegetables suck!” says the raccoon). At least “County” manages to pull itself together during its latter third, putting it leaps and bounds above superficially-similar disappointments like “A Short Hike”, but I feel as though much of its acclaim owes to elements outside what the game accomplishes.

5