Thanks to the success of Balatro, remixing arcade/casino games is now a common video game genre. I’ve covered similar games in the past, including Clover Pit. Some try to incorporate a story, while others try to be creative with new ways to play. Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike is part of the latter. While I found it addictive and a blast to play, I can see where some people won’t find the appeal.
Wanting those coins to drop
Even though I know the odds are always against me, I love playing coin-pushing games at arcades. My wife and I love hitting up arcades when we visit Asia. While Claw Machines are our first pick, I do love it when I find a coin pusher. Yes, earning a jackpot is difficult, but there is a lot of satisfaction when you see those coins drop. If you go into coin pushers with zero expectations, then even the small prizes are worth the effort.
Raccoin doesn’t stray too far from what real-life coin pushers are doing. Yes, you can still find standard games where there are only a bunch of coins across two levels. But now it’s common to find ones that take a more complex approach. Now, they tend to incorporate the Pachinko style of including extra games to earn more coins.
For Raccoin, the goal is to earn the necessary points to advance to the next round. You do this by dropping coins from the two levels. However, the key to success is mastering to aspects of the game. The first is taking advantage of special coins you can buy that have specific functions. Maximizing their perks will increase your coin value. The other is taking advantage of combos so that you can add more coins and other prizes to the play field.
Sometimes it’s out of your control
In the real world, coin pushers have a few different ways of getting you to insert coins into the play field. In Raccoin, there are two slots for your standard coins and one for your special coins. At the start of a round, you have a set number of coins to start and the option to redeem tickets to exchange for more.
As I stated earlier, coin pushers have two levels. Coins drop on the first level, which then pushes coins to the bottom level. From there, those coins are then pushed into the prize area. Timing is important since you want to maximize your chances to push more coins from one level to the next. Outside of that strategy, I can’t tell if there is another one that offers the best odds of getting more coins to drop.
Because of that, coin pushers rely on luck. You might have to end the run early because the coins don’t fall. It’s frustrating because there is nothing you can do. You must accept failure and start again, hoping for better luck the next run.
80% Luck / 20% Skill
So much of this game is luck-based, and that will frustrate people. The skill comes in knowing which special coins do what and timing your use of them. The longer you play, the more special coins you unlock. These coins can do different things depending on the situation. For example, there might be a coin whose value increases the longer it stays in play. When it’s on the playground, you will do your best to avoid pushing it down to the bottom.
Some coins can be a hindrance. Every couple of rounds, the game will throw those into the mix. In most cases, you need to get them to drop right away so their punishment is no longer in effect. This can impact your play since they might prevent you from using other perks. There are even coins that might appear to cause problems. But leaving them on the field boosts other coins, so there is a risk-versus-reward choice to incorporate them.
Since special coins play a major role, you do have to focus on upgrading your coin slots. You start with two slots, but you can increase this as you play. But even if you do manage to give yourself more special coins to work with, not having the right ones matters. You might go into the store and not have any coins that work with your strategy. Sure, you can reroll, but it still might not give you what you need.
One more run, please
Even with the reliance on luck, I had a hard time putting this game down. I did manage to finish the required 15 rounds with the game’s first character. I then jumped in and tried a few of the other Raccoon characters you unlock. Each later character has its own set of unique coins and abilities to play around with.
There are also other unlockables, including prizes that you can use. The one I like is the UFO. It starts by placing a Tesla coil-like object onto the field. After selling three other prizes, the coil causes a UFO to appear. The first time it shows up, it ‘abducts’ coins from your board and disappears. You get the points, so it’s not a bad thing. But the next time you call it over, it will dispense coins, giving you more. So, if you get prizes you don’t like or don’t work for your run, it’s a great way to sell them for a purpose.
You get prize balls and bonus coins added to the field by filling up your combo meter. For every x8 combo, you fill up a notch on the combo meter. After three notches, you unlock the reward spin function. The longer your combo, the better the prizes. The best rewards are the coin towers, but they are also the hardest to get. Because of that, you should focus every run on getting a steady flow of combos. While higher combos are nice, I noticed you want to hit the max x5 combo, then start again. The more you put on the playfield, the easier a run will be.
Not for everyone, and that’s fine.
While I enjoyed Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike, I can see that it won’t be for everyone. The randomization can take you out of the game at times. While most of the game relies on luck, the right kind of player manipulation helps. Because I have fun with coin-pushers in the real world, the gameplay hook kept my attention. If you have even the remotest interest in arcade rogue-likes, then this is worth checking out.
