Balatro‘s shadow is long, and a few indie studios have tried to crack the code since it released with varying degrees of success. Now, the developers at Doraccoon have tried to bridge the gap between the gambling-but-not-really mechanics and ancient arcade experiences.
More specifically, Raccoin (which is so far limited to Steam) replicates the “chaotic fun of classic arcade coin pushers” and then throws that simulation into a mixing bowl alongside more familiar roguelike (roguelite?) mechanics and deckbuilding elements. Described by the developer and publisher Playstack as a “nonstop dopamine rush,” it’s also made some of us wonder if “addiction inside a little one-time payment” is what we really want. Coins dropping and funny chaotic synergies make my neurons pop off, though.
After earning a ‘Very Positive’ rating with 524 reviews on Steam so far, the social media accounts for the new indie sensation have announced sales have already crossed the 100,000 units mark. That’s quite a strong start, and now we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see whether Raccoin has viral potential.
“As someone that has always loved the 2p machines here in our seaside town arcades, this game scratches that itch in an amazing way,” one top review said. Meanwhile, other players are warning about synergies that can make the game crash: “Most recent run crashed the game from the amount of coin trees growing.” Yes, coin trees, you read that right.
On the other hand, some roguelike veterans are criticizing the balance and far too much reliance on RNG. Again, games that blur the line between gambling and the regular roguelites and have become famous over time kind of toy with RNG as one of their hooks, but one can see where such comments come from after playing more than a few of them in recent times. “Albeit it has a lot of unlockable coins, I agree with similar reviews that it feels like it’s just constant chaos,” another user added.
At the time of writing, Playstack hasn’t announced console versions, but looking at its success so far, I think it won’t be long before we hear something.
