Game Review: ‘RACCOIN’ Can’t Keep Up the Momentum
Every so often it’s difficult to write a review like this, especially when it’s a release I had heavily anticipated for over six months. When you play the demo of an upcoming roguelike deckbuilder (the loosest of the definition), you’re blown away by the entire package so much that you immediately throw it onto your wishlist. You go back time after time, playing the demo over fifteen times, thinking, “This game will be one of my favorite roguelikes!” In the end, however, the game comes out, and it is somehow not as impressive to you as it was during the demo period. You sigh and wonder what went wrong, even after you spent dozens of hours playing and analyzing the game. Well, that has been my experience with RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike.
This might all be gloomy, and while I do have problems with how this game turned out, there are moments where I play RACCOIN and I am entertained. I just wish this full release reflected more of what made me fall in love with the demo in the first place.
There are fun things like high score combos, massive coin towers, and fun effects that’ll give players a fun little treat. If you want to play RACCOIN, it can be purchased today on PC through the Steam Store.
The basics of RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike
The tutorial will show you the basics of RACCOIN, with the majority of the time spitting out coins on the left and right sides, all while trying to earn as many tickets as possible. These tickets can be used to exchange for more coins and spend them in the shop. Once you’ve got the basics down, your goal is to hit the target score and rack up multipliers on later rounds, as it gets pretty difficult the longer your seeded runs go.
I feel like the gameplay is almost too simple, but with the inclusion of special coins, bad coins, bonus wheels, and prize balls, things start to get a bit more complex. After each round, you’ll be able to purchase all sorts of fun things in the shop.
To spend your tickets, you can purchase a small handful of special coins, prize balls, and other playful items. There are special coins, such as some that’ll let you stick other coins together, increase the value of basic coins, and other modifiers to enhance gameplay. You’ll also be able to purchase charms, here called chips, that will provide passive modifiers that’ll enhance your runs.
All of these items are incredibly important if you want to keep up momentum, counteract effects from bad coins, and complete those difficult later rounds. The late rounds will give you trouble, as I found many of my runs died around round nine and ten, due to the sudden difficulty curve. I just wish that the challenges were more gradual instead of this hard wall.
When you’re successful enough and conquer each round, you’ll end up with a successful run. Even if you don’t complete a whole run right away, making it past round 12 will unlock the next playstyle, each having its own unique set of special coins and traits.
This process of unlocking new playstyles is repeating, much like a chain, if you do the same round 12 accomplishment for each of them. This offers a wide array of different strategies, something that this game benefits from.
Successes and shortcomings of this game
RACCOIN is an interesting game, because even though I have my critiques of this version of what exists today, I understand why many reviews online are positive. I’ve had my fair share of delightful moments while playing this roguelike. There are some really exciting things that are possible, and like some roguelikes that came before, it may take dozens upon dozens of runs and hours to see a fraction of them.
It was only after I spent many hours going through different seeds was I able to unlock the ability to modify the bonus wheel. The bonuses are fun, but unless you’re maxing out the bonus meter every single time and hitting the second bonus wheel, the rewards are mediocre at best.
When a run gets going and you’ve got hundreds of bonus coins, all dropping for large sums of tickets, oh my goodness, this game can be a total blast! The dopamine rush can be real, but nothing kills the pace faster than those pesky high score targets.
I get it; this is not meant to be a roguelike where you’re expected to have success every time you do a run. You’ll need to try, try, and try again, much like other roguelikes in the same category. Compared to other roguelikes in the same “gambling mechanics turned roguelike” category, this one is one of the more unforgiving ones of those I played.
Final thoughts on RACCOIN
My biggest disappointment of RACCOIN is that it doesn’t hit that sweet spot for excitement as some other roguelikes do. Compared to titles such as Balatro or BALL x PIT, this game can’t seem to retain my attention as much as those others.
I’m happy for those who truly love this game. I don’t in any way want to take that from them. While this game personally misses the mark for me, I still had plenty of fun moments.
You can’t tell me that landing on that sweet spot on the second wheel and seeing a coin tower of over 1000 coins quickly skyrocket beyond your vision isn’t exciting. It is exciting, but without modifying the wheels much later in the game, it just doesn’t do enough for me to recommend this game.
My rating for this game: 3/5
In conclusion, if you’re striving for those occasional happy moments completely based on luck and not skill, then definitely check out RACCOIN. It’s far away from being a bad game, and I respect the work and craft of a title like this. I just wish there were a way to go back to the same emotions I had when playing the demo for the first time. I do like the game, but I don’t love it, and it’s just not for me.
You can grab RACCOIN: Coin Pushing Roguelike today on Steam.
Also check out: Game Review: Kero Kero Cowboy
