The fate of the world is in your hands in Arc System Works’ new title, Donutal. But you won’t save it by picking up a gun. Instead, Donutal places players in charge of determining which aliens can immigrate to Earth and which visitors from another world are actually threats to humanity’s survival. And a free demo is on Steam now.
The premise may remind some fans of a more lighthearted Papers, Please or the Men in Black films, minus the action sequences. Donutal’s action is all verbal as players converse with Earth’s new arrivals in the orbiting space station that used to be called the ISS. The players’ character is the Chief Xeno Inspector on the station, which is the job that’s waiting for you after 150 years in stasis. Because the player was charged for each of those years in cryosleep, they have to pay off a massive debt before they can even dream about going home to Earth.
To work off that money owed, players will screen groups of up to as many as eight aliens at once. Subjects can be interrogated one or two at a time, but it prove more illuminating with duos. Some alien species drop all facades about their hidden motives if placed with members from a rival race.
Some of these aliens may hold the key to solving Earth’s problems. But if you let dangerous aliens slip through, the news reports the following day will let you know the consequences. If you make too many bad choices, there may not be an Earth to go home to when you’re done paying off your debt.
Donutal will be released on PC later this year. Steam Deck owners may have noticed that it doesn’t have an easy way to find new demos. If you’re looking for fresh demos, there are 14 games you can try now.