Donuts’n’Justice

Developer: FobTi interactive | Publisher: FobTi interactive | Release Date: 2016 | Genre: Action / Arcade / Shoot ’Em Up | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

The 1980s produced no shortage of films and arcade games about heavily armed cops cleaning up crime-ridden streets with little concern for paperwork, property damage, or the constitutional rights of anyone standing in their way. Donuts’n’Justice takes this familiar premise and turns it into a short, violent, and deliberately silly 2D shooter filled with gangsters, bikers, aliens, hostages, exploding vehicles, and more firearms than the average police department would probably be comfortable handing to two officers.

Players can choose between two super cops before heading into a city overrun by gangs, violence, and corruption. There is no elaborate narrative or character development to worry about, as the game is far more interested in recreating the feel of an old arcade shooter. Criminals pour in from both sides of the screen, civilians wander into the line of fire, and players must keep shooting until they reach the boss waiting at the end of the stage.

The easiest comparison would be to something like N.A.R.C., although Donuts’n’Justice uses a side-on perspective and a much simpler control scheme. It shares the same exaggerated attitude, pixelated violence, and enthusiasm for turning law enforcement into an excuse for nonstop arcade action.

Movement is restricted to a small area at the bottom of the screen, while players can fire independently to the left or right. This is easy to grasp within seconds and allows the game to throw large numbers of enemies at players without requiring complicated controls. The simplicity works well for the most part, although it also limits the amount of strategy involved. Success usually comes down to keeping both sides covered, prioritizing dangerous enemies, and avoiding the growing number of projectiles filling the screen.

Donuts’n’Justice features three difficulty settings, with the hardest appropriately named after a certain famous action star. The easiest mode is reasonably forgiving and useful for learning the stages, while the higher settings increase the pressure considerably. Players only have a small amount of health, and dying means restarting the stage, so careless mistakes can be costly.

One of the more interesting differences on anything above the easiest setting is the penalty for shooting hostages. Accidentally hitting a civilian causes the player’s gun to jam for a short period, leaving them exposed while criminals continue firing. It is a fitting punishment and encourages players to pay attention instead of spraying bullets indiscriminately. Unfortunately, hostages sometimes appear in the middle of already chaotic encounters, so a single accidental hit can lead to quickly dying in a hail of enemy gunfire. 

The campaign consists of five stages, each with its own location, enemy selection, and boss. Players fight through city streets, deal with biker gangs and organised criminals, take part in a car-chase sequence, and eventually encounter some increasingly ridiculous opposition. There are more than fourteen enemy types in total, including bikers, Triads, heavily armed criminals, and even aliens.

The stage variety helps keep the short campaign entertaining. Enemies are an aggressive bunch and will keep players on their toes. Some rush forward with melee weapons, while others remain at a distance and fill the screen with bullets. Grenades and other hazards add to the chaos, especially on the greater difficulties.

Unfortunately, the subway is easily the worst stage. The already limited movement area becomes even smaller, making it difficult to dodge incoming attacks. To make matters worse, the train passing along the top of the screen can kill players instantly. The cramped space and instant-death hazard make the level feel considerably more frustrating than the rest of the campaign, particularly when a promising attempt ends because there was nowhere safe to move.

Power-ups and weapon crates provide temporary help during each stage. Crates randomly replace the current weapon with something from the available arsenal, but every firearm has limited ammunition. Once it runs dry, players return to their standard gun until another crate appears. This means there is no opportunity to save a preferred weapon for later or switch freely between unlocked options.

The random weapon system adds some unpredictability, but it can also be annoying. A powerful weapon might appear just when it is needed, or the game could replace something useful with a firearm that is poorly suited to the current situation. Since ammunition is limited, the best approach is usually to make aggressive use of whatever appears before it disappears again.

Police badges dropped during stages contribute toward unlocking additional weapons. Reaching the required total adds a new firearm to the pool of possible crate drops rather than allowing players to equip it permanently. This gives repeat attempts some sense of progression, although players remain dependent on luck when it comes to actually receiving the new weapon during a level.

The available arsenal includes the expected assortment of pistols, shotguns, automatic weapons, and heavier firepower. Some are clearly more useful than others, especially when enemies are approaching from both sides. Weapons with a wide spread are excellent for controlling crowds, while rapid-fire options make short work of tougher targets. The constant switching helps keep the shooting varied even if it removes some player choice.

Donuts serve as health pickups, as one would expect from the title. There are also mushrooms, but instead of health, these provide a temporary benefit in the form of slowing the action. Grenades, cash, and badges can also drop from defeated enemies. The screen continues scrolling from left to right at all times, though, so be sure to grab any pickups before they pass you by.

Cash earned while playing can be spent on a selection of eighteen hats. These are not just cosmetic either as they can bestow players with a special power such as firing their default weapon faster or making the hostages invulnerable. Purchasing all of them also gives completionists another reason to replay the campaign and gather more money.

The bosses waiting at the end of the stages are visually entertaining but surprisingly manageable compared to the regular levels. They usually rely on clear attack patterns that are easy to learn after a few attempts. In contrast, the ordinary stages can become far more dangerous when several enemy types attack simultaneously while hostages wander across the screen.

This results in a slightly unusual difficulty curve where reaching a boss is often harder than defeating it. The fights still provide a satisfying conclusion to each stage, but players expecting them to be the ultimate test may be surprised by how quickly some go down. The subway and its train caused us far more trouble than most of the supposed criminal masterminds.

The game can also be played in two-player local co-op. Having another cop covering the opposite side of the screen makes the action more manageable, although it naturally creates more visual chaos. Friendly coordination is especially useful when enemies attack from both directions, but both players must remain careful around civilians.

Donuts’n’Justice is a very short game, and skilled players can work through the five stages quickly once they understand the enemy patterns. Replay value comes from completing the game on the different difficulties, unlocking weapons, purchasing hats, improving scores, and playing in co-op. There is enough here for a few entertaining sessions, but not much long-term depth.

The three difficulty levels do at least provide meaningful reasons to replay. Clearing the campaign on Easy teaches the layouts and enemy placements, while Normal and the highest difficulty demand better reactions and fewer mistakes. The weapon unlocks also add some variety to subsequent attempts, even though they remain dependent on random crate drops.

Visually, Donuts’n’Justice uses chunky handcrafted pixel art that fits its arcade inspiration perfectly. Characters are small but expressive, enemies erupt into exaggerated sprays of blood, and each environment contains enough detail to establish its theme without making the action unreadable. It looks like an arcade game that might have been considered too violent and strange even for the late eighties.

The variety of enemy designs is another highlight. Bikers, gangsters, martial artists, aliens, and bosses all have distinctive appearances and attack animations. The pixel violence is deliberately excessive, but the cartoon presentation keeps it from becoming genuinely disturbing.

Players can also enable a Retro mode that adds a scanline filter to the presentation. This is a simple addition, but it complements the arcade aesthetic well for those who prefer the simulated CRT look. Anyone who finds scanlines distracting can simply leave it disabled.

The audio matches the over-the-top action with energetic music and suitably arcade-like effects. Guns rattle, enemies shout, explosions punctuate the action, and pickups provide clear audio cues. The soundtrack fits the 1980s theme and generally keeps the pace lively without overwhelming the action. A very enthusiastic announcer will inform you of your combo kills, and there’s never any doubt when you get hit, as it’s accompanied by a very loud “ouch” sound snippet. 

The audio settings are very basic, unfortunately. Music and sound effects can only be switched on or off, with no individual volume sliders. This means players who find either part too loud cannot simply reduce it while leaving the other untouched. It is a minor omission, but one that feels unnecessarily restrictive on PC.

Controls are straightforward with either a keyboard or controller, and the game officially supports Xbox 360 pads. The limited number of actions means almost anyone can begin playing immediately. Moving, firing left or right, and using grenades is all that players really need to learn.

The controls generally suit the fast arcade design, although the restricted movement space can make some encounters feel more about surviving unavoidable chaos than skilful positioning. This is particularly evident in the subway, where the narrow area and instant-kill train leave very little room for error.

Overall, Donuts’n’Justice is a fun but very brief throwback to violent arcade shooters. Its simple controls, energetic pacing, varied enemies, random weapons, and excessive pixel violence make it easy to enjoy in short bursts. The N.A.R.C.-style attitude and ridiculous bosses also give it more personality than many similarly small indie shooters.

However, the game has its share of frustrations. The subway stage is a pain, weapon crates can replace a useful gun at the wrong moment, hostage penalties sometimes feel harsh, and the audio menu is far too limited. The bosses are also easier than many regular sections, while the five-stage campaign ends before the mechanics have much opportunity to develop.

Donuts’n’Justice is still easy to recommend to fans of retro arcade action, especially at its modest price. It does not have the depth or length of the classics it imitates, but it captures their immediacy and sense of excess. Players willing to tolerate some cheap deaths and value brevity will have fun cleaning up the streets.