Get Rolling and Save the Sweets in Super Donuts!
Super Donuts ($2.99) by Nice Westwood is an old-school platformer without a jump button. If that sounds a bit confusing at first, think of games like Sonic the Hedgehog, where momentum is the key to moving around. Super Donuts is similar to other games on the App Store, such as Eggggg and Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire.
When I was a kid, I remember spending hours on my SEGA Genesis system playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It was one of the few video games I had (I didn't have many) and I have incredibly fond memories of it. I'd always make silly mistakes that end up costing me, but I never gave up and strived to beat the game on my own. Ever since then, I've grown rather fond of platformers in general, including other classics like Super Mario Bros. So whenever a new platformer style game hits the App Store, I have to check it out, as it's one of my favorite genres. When I saw Super Donuts on the App Store, I was intrigued — I love donuts, sweets, and platformers, so this was almost like a dream come true.
App Feels Like
App Feels Like
Visually, Super Donuts! has a retro 16-bit pixel art style that definitely harkens back to the golden age of gaming. It has a cheesy look and feel to it all, which makes me love it even more. The game is rendered in 2D fashion, and the colors are bright and vibrant, just like the good old days. Animations are smooth and fluid, so I had no issues of lag or choppiness on my iPhone 8 Plus. There's also an upbeat and quirky soundtrack that I found delightful to listen to. The sound effects are pretty fun to hear too. I'm a bit surprised that the game doesn't have chiptunes, considering that it's inspired by the classics, but the sound is still done well for what it is.
Like classic platformers, Super Donuts is level-based. There are several different areas in the world of Sweetzerland, and each have a handful of stages. In total, Super Donuts has over 40 levels right now, which should be enough for anyone to get their platforming fix at the moment.
The levels can be pretty straightforward, but some are a bit lengthier and trickier to get through, so there's a bit of time involved if you plan on getting through all of the available levels. The goal in Super Donuts is easy enough: find all of the lost baby donuts that were taken away from home and rescue them. Of course, this is always easier said than done at times.
The controls in Super Donuts are incredibly simple and intuitive. In the bottom corners, there are buttons that let you move your donut character left or right. The only catch to everything is the fact that there is no jump button. That's right — this is a platformer that is sans a jump button.
"Then how do you jump?" is what you're probably thinking. Think of how Sonic moves when he's going fast and goes off a sloped ramp or bounce pad. He's able to gain air because of momentum, and that's how you "jump" in Super Donuts. When you move left or right, you can gain a bit of speed since you're rather round (you're a donut, after all). us your momentum and the law of physics to get the donut off the ground and reach platforms it wouldn't reach otherwise.
Additionally, there are power-ups that you can find that give you a much-needed boost. These power-ups include Bounce, Sticky, Giant, Super Sprinkles, and more.
In each stage, your main objective is to find the baby donuts that are hidden somewhere on each stage. Roll over them to collect them, and then the exit gate opens up on the stage. Along the way, you can collect the sweets, including the secret one that's tucked away somewhere just out-of-reach unless you put in the extra effort to get it. If you manage to collect all of the sweets, then there's a special treat awaiting you, but it takes skill and patience to get this.
Super Donuts! is a fresh and sweet take on the classic platformer genre, and it harkens back to many classics.
The Good
Super Donuts is a nice throwback to the classic platformer games of yesteryear. The game retains the vintage pixel art style that many of us grew up on and love, and the music and sound is designed well. The controls work well enough and it's easy enough for anyone to pick up and play. The goal is straightforward but there's still plenty of secrets for those who want to go back and get 100 percent completion.
The developer is also promising free updates with new features (high scores and speed runs) and levels in the future, so it's something to look forward to once you finish the game.
The Bad
I'm thoroughly enjoying my time with Super Donuts so far, but I did notice that the controls seem less responsive than I'd like them to be. For example, if I'm speeding along towards the right, but want to quickly turn around, I just seem to stop when I press the left button, rather than stop and then move in the other direction. It's a bit annoying and I then have to check to make sure I'm pressing the button touch area, so it isn't as streamlined as I hoped. The developer did say that an update is coming soon with some fixes, so hopefully this is one of them.
The verdict
Despite my small issue with the controls, I'm still having a good time with Super Donuts. The graphics take me back to my childhood days, and the music and sounds bring a smile to my face. I like the idea of a non-traditional platformer (in this case no jump button) and this game executes the concept nicely. I just hope to see more optimized controls in the future, and I look forward to the levels that are in store in upcoming updates.
