{"rewrite":{"id":"r_ea59d96a6af47c69ab8f9647","clusterId":"c_3ee32a1f11227ed641c25fed","slug":"donut-panic-puts-a-horror-twist-on-the-late-shift","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Donut Panic Puts A Horror Twist On The Late Shift","summary":"At Tokyo Game Show 2026, the SELECTED INDIE 80 booth is showing DONUT PANIC, a horror game from Edinburgh solo developer Kyle Banks. The player works a night shift at a struggling diner, frying and glazing donuts to order while spotting anomalies: eyes in the dough, blood on a spatula. Small anomalies go in the incinerator; large ones send you to the panic room.","whyItMatters":"Banks follows an award-winning narrative debut with a game whose horror comes from the routine of a service job, which is why the donut-making had to be authentic rather than a minigame wrapper.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eBanks made his debut with Farewell North, which took Best Narrative at the Debug Indie Game Awards, Best Original Video Game Soundtrack at the Ivors Novel Awards, and the Breakthrough Award at the 2025 British Academy Games Awards. His second game swaps that ground for a run-down late-night donut shop.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe kitchen is a two-hand system: hold the dough in one hand, shape it with the other, fry, glaze, sprinkle. Regulars at the booth found the procedure more authentic than they expected. Anomalies interrupt it. Posters on the wall point to the incinerator for small ones and the panic room for large ones. Behind the phenomena, the game suggests a secret to investigate.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"DONUT PANIC is on the TGS 2026 floor: night shift at a failing donut diner, fry and glaze to order, watch for anomalies. Small ones go in the incinerator, large ones send you to the panic room. From Farewell North dev Kyle Banks.","twitterPost":"DONUT PANIC at TGS 2026: a horror game about a night shift at a failing donut diner. Fry, glaze, serve, and watch for anomalies. Small ones go in the incinerator, large ones send you to the panic room. From Kyle Banks, maker of Farewell North.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Kyle Banks, whose debut Farewell North won Best Narrative at the Debug Indie Game Awards and the Breakthrough Award at the 2025 British Academy Games Awards, is showing a new game at Tokyo Game Show 2026. DONUT PANIC has you run a late-night donut diner, doing the frying and glazing by hand while anomalies appear in the kitchen. Small ones go in the incinerator, large ones send you to the panic room.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/040/G104084/20260919076/\",\"title\":\"Something Strange Approaches While You're Busy Making Donuts!? \\\"DONUT PANIC\\\" Play Report: To Survive the Night, You'll Need to...?\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4666,"outputTokens":662,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1789829970,"createdAt":"2026-09-19T14:54:06.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-19T14:58:22.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-19T14:58:22.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_3ee32a1f11227ed641c25fed","canonicalTitle":"せっせとドーナツを作っていると異変が迫る!?「DONUT PANIC/ドーナッても冷静に」プレイレポート。無事に夜を越すためには……？","representativeArticleId":"a_cba2096ac8799228ca4374ad","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"DONUT PANIC\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Kyle Banks\"],\"type\":\"review\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-19T14:18:14.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-19T14:18:14.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-19T14:58:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/040/G104084/20260919076/","title":"せっせとドーナツを作っていると異変が迫る!?「DONUT PANIC/ドーナッても冷静に」プレイレポート。無事に夜を越すためには……？"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["DONUT PANIC"],"studios":[],"people":["Kyle Banks"],"type":"review","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}