Annapurna Interactive’s upcoming title Donut County just got a new trailer ahead of PAX West, showcasing some of its storyline. Created by indie dev Ben Esposito, the trailer features a raccoon philosophizing on the nature and meaning of a hole as a hole begins to devour everything around him.
You play as a raccoon named BK, who works at a startup that uses remote-controlled holes to steal people’s trash and ultimately, everything else. Once BK falls into a hole himself, he must explain his actions to the people of Donut County, who are all stuck 999 feet below their homes.
Donut County ’s gameplay revolves around one singular mechanic: the hole. “You control the hole. Eat stuff to get bigger, just like real life. Combine things underground to solve puzzles; shoot them back out. In Donut County , you are the hole,” the trailer explains.
We had the chance to play Donut County earlier this year at PAX East, where the reverse Katamari Damacy endeared itself to us with its snappy wit, pastel palette and the Zen-like feeling of sweeping everything away.
“The story is fantastic and weird enough to make you want to keep playing, and if each character’s story has just enough of a twist to keep it interesting, then playing through promises to be both brisk and, for the tidy perfectionist types, deeply appealing. It’s a simple game with a simple premise made fresh and vibrant by its unusual Southwestern setting and palette, and I look forward to playing through more of it and seeing whether or not the hole mechanic is kept fresh,” we wrote in our preview.
Annapurna Interactive is the publisher of this year’s What Remains of Edith Finch , a haunting narrative adventure about a cursed family in the Pacific Northwest. Also upcoming from Annapurna Interactive is The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti, a glamorous smorgasbord of exuberant color and sound, as well as vintage-style puzzle game Gorogoa. More titles are expected to be announced at PAX West, so keep your ears to the ground.
Donut County arrives sometime next year. Are you interested in trying out this Southwest-style puzzle game? Let us know in the comments section below.
