If you’re a fan of roguelike titles like Balatro and Slay the Spire, but would much prefer the clinking of coins to the shuffling of cards, then RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike might just scratch that specific itch. By taking the classic gameplay of arcade coin pushers and injecting it with several procedurally generated elements, developer Doraccoon created a game that will constantly have you yearning for just one more round. The game was released for Windows via Steam on March 31 and currently has a “Very Positive” rating on the platform, with over 11.5k concurrent players (source: SteamDB).
Levels in RACCOIN are divided into rounds, with each round requiring you to reach a required score to complete it. Your score and tickets increase whenever coins fall into the overhang near you – a goal which is usually achieved by manually shooting coins through either of the two chutes located furthest from you on an upper ledge. By timing your shots with the moving ledge, you can cause a chain reaction that will push other coins off the overhang. Continuously dropping coins feeds your combo meter, which increases your score and Spin Energy. Gathering enough Spin Energy automatically causes random events to occur, which include everything from spawning prizes to a tower of coins sprouting in the middle of the machine.
While a regular coin pusher would have you shooting coins until your available stash runs dry, RACCOIN gives you several ways to gain more coins, the most common of which is through a limited number of exchanges each round, where you can trade tickets for coins (and possibly get some special coins in the process). Your run only truly ends when you run out of coins and exchanges, as well as use up your one free chance to vigorously shake the machine to drop any loose coins into the overhang.
To keep your runs going for as long as possible, the game provides you with a variety of items. These include special coins with beneficial effects, prizes that change the landscape of the level or how certain coins work, chips and keychains with passive buffs, as well as stickers, cards, and playable characters that affect each run. Except for the stickers, cards, and characters – which are earned over the course of several runs – all of the aforementioned items can be earned through gameplay or by purchasing them from a shop between rounds.
On the flip side, bad coins are occasionally added into the machine to up the challenge. The Pooroin, for example, prevents you from exchanging tickets for coins, which is highly undesirable as it can cut your runs short. To dispel their negative effects, you have to either drop the bad coins off the overhang or use special items (such as the Killer Coin) to destroy them.
With so many moving pieces and terminologies, your initial runs can feel overwhelming at first. To help make learning the ropes easier, the game’s tutorial introduces core concepts while the levels themselves are structured so that starting rounds slowly introduce new elements and set easy-to-attain scores before gradually ramping up the difficulty. While you begin as the humble Manager who excels at using basic Math coins and earning tickets, you’ll soon work your way up to special characters like the Biologist, whose gameplay loop revolves around an entire ecosystem of animal-themed coins that move on their own.
At its heart, RACCOIN boils down to dropping coins in the machine and hoping for the best. While there is some strategy involved, such as knowing when and where to drop coins, as well as which items to purchase for a specific build, the game’s tendency to lean towards chaos more than other roguelikes is what makes it so unpredictable and fun. Having a run nearly end only for it to be saved by a last-second random event is just one of the many scenarios that will keep you playing. However, the opposite can be said for runs that end early because you were not able to drop enough coins with a basic build.
As with other games in the roguelike genre, RACCOIN gets better the more you play it. Smaller unlocks, like special coins and prizes, can help save your runs, while big unlocks, such as new characters, can completely change how you approach the game. Aside from successful runs, the promise of new unlocks and the sound of heapfuls of coins falling is what will keep you coming back.
While there is currently only one mode available, the developers are planning future content updates, potential DLC, and a console and mobile release. The game’s latest patch, for instance, adds a custom wheel that allows you to set what rewards you can get when obtaining enough Spin Energy. This feature is completely optional and helps alleviate some of the game’s randomness.
RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike’s simple premise, combined with its wealth of unlocks, makes it a title that anyone can appreciate. Provided you can get past the initial learning curve and accept the game’s random nature, you’ll find yourself another roguelike that’s hard to put down.
RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike is out now for Windows (Steam). The game will be available at a –18% launch discount until April 8.
