Donuts ‘N’ Justice Nintendo Switch Review 8/10 "NARC NARC NARCin’ On A Miami Door" 🍩 @FobTi #GameDev #IndieGames

A few days ago, I had a rare spare evening on my hands and thought I would dip into a few of the Switch games that we at GF HQ have been sent, and just haven’t had time to get to, games that have been undeservedly kicked around for far too long in our ‘pending’ bucket.

Luckily, the codes still worked and so began my adventure into the Switch indie vortex, and thus it was a bloody fantastic evening.

The first game I dived into was Donuts ‘N’ Justice, a game that has always tickled my fancy – and, as I was very much in the mindset for some pacey arcade action, it was just the ticket.

A 2D run-and-gun game with pixel visuals and a thumping soundtrack, the way I would describe this one in a single sentence is, ‘NARC, if it was snappier, groovier, and better.’

Developer FobTi also made Gunman Tales, which I covered earlier in the year –  and whilst I didn’t get quite the same punch from Donuts ‘N’ Justice, this is still a very fun game to dip in ‘n out of – especially with a friend.

You are one of two cops - and it’s hard to tell with the pixel visuals, but it’s fair to say that neither cop is wearing socks. This is the ‘80s, and there’s barely time to reload, let alone push up the sleeves of your white linen suit, or iron your pastel-coloured t-shirt!

The game begins with one of the funniest – and briefest – tutorial sequences that I’ve ever encountered and casts you out into the streets to shoot some bad dudes. The soundtrack is full of bouncy energy, and the visuals are chunky and smooth, with the gameplay boiling down to scrolling right through the stages and blasting away bad guys that approach from both directions – left and right.

Aside from the two buttons that control the direction of fire, you can also throw grenades when in a pinch, as well as picking up other weaponry to enhance your murdering. It’s this incredibly streamlined approach that gives the game its moreish-ness. 

Each stage of the stages on offer throws dozens of enemies at you in a few variations on each level. For instance, on one stage there may be baddies with pistols and others that lob grenades, whilst the next location may have faster enemies that attack you in melee fashion with a sword – but be backed up by shotgun-wielding mates.

As you use the uber-tight controls to weave and fire away at these - whilst collecting money from the corpses for upgrades - you also have to be mindful of civilians that can get in your way, take these out and your gun jams for a few seconds – and believe me, at the pace that this game moves, you do not want your gun to jam like Rick Wakeman after a few pints at an open mic night.

Should the challenge be a little too much, there’s great balancing as well, whilst I heartily recommend playing this on standard difficulty first, the easier mode takes away the gun jamming, and also has enemies that take fewer bullets to kill – so this is a game that allows folks of all skill levels to enjoy the fun. 

SUMMARY

It’s wonderfully silly, has possibly one of the only tutorials to ever make me laugh out loud and is a great co-op experience, especially when having a few drinks.

If you are after a quick blast of arcade action, look no further than Donuts ‘N’ Justice for retro arcade shooty-shooty thrills.