PlayStack have a knack for finding the games that you’ll sink hours of your life into.

If you remember that small game Balatro that released a little while back and how compelling that was, it seems they’ve turned up another diamond in the form of Raccoin, an equally as delightful and compelling roguelike.

Perhaps even more so with its chirpy little Racoon right up front as the lead, lots of shiny coins and bonuses that just light up the screen in a dozen wonderful ways.

The thing about this one though is that you don’t need to have even a passing knowledge about cards to get into this one, you just need to know how to press two buttons to spit out coins either side of a moving tower pusher machine and try to get as many coins into the below slot as you can to move onto the next round.

It’s a really simple premise and just like those amusements you’ll find in just about every arcade, there are two layers of coins and the top layer is trying to push coins from the bottom layer down into the slot. And just like in reality, you’ll run out of coins eventually,  and that’s when the games’ magic really starts to kick in.

You can eventually start collecting bonuses, picking up little quirks like bomb coins which detonate and explode a pile, sending coins hurtling into the bottom. Then there are bad coins which need to be eliminated by good, laser coins, otherwise your score will start depleting. There’s boosting coins and even giraffe coins!

It gets absurd, honestly, but in the best way. And that’s just the start as you can pick up little tokens to also help you in your goals, that add special bonuses at timely intervals, especially if you’re low on coins. You can even rattle the machine if you need to as a last ditch resort to make sure you get the last few coins you need.

All of these can be purchased from a shop in-between rounds – a little like Balatro – where you can add coins to a horizontal slot that can be used throughout the round, you can also spend on a token and on the left hand side of the screen, get certain boosts that can removed and replaced if you want to.

There’s even different characters to play as, with each having their own sets of perks and benefits, and each one increases the likelihood you’ll see certain coins or can purchase them from the shop. So if there’s certain coin you like for each of your runs, you’re better off sticking with that character.

Of course that also means that some characters are better than others when you’re just starting out with later characters being a lot more difficult to manage and maintain. And all these characters need to be unlocked anyway before you get to add them to your roster and rotation.

In general, the concept is smart and compelling. I lost hours and hours to this one without even thinking or realising, and I’m excited to see how else they’re going to expand the game in the future.

That said, I don’t think it has quite the same level of longevity as Balatro. While both are very much games you can play while doing other things and enjoy them equally, Raccoin feels a lot more luck-based and more unpredictable in that sense. For better or worse, the RNG core of the game is much clearer to see than Balatro and so you’ll often feel like results are out of your hands.

And so for that, it’s not a game I’ll be seeing myself playing long-term – update depending, of course – whereas Balatro is a game I often just shuffle back onto here and there for a few runs, because it was just on my mind.

That doesn’t mean Raccoin is a bad game, far from it, and ironically I think the Balatro comparisons probably hurt this one more than it deserves. Because the loop is compelling, the game is enjoyable, it’s full of smart ideas and I had a great time playing it. I just don’t see this as a game I play long term and will stay in my rotation. Perhaps I’m wrong – I guess we’ll wait and see there.

Regardless, this is a great indie game, at a very generous price point, with a good loop, great style, excellent polish, and the biggest and best difference, is that this one is much more open to a wider player base. I feel like anyone could put this game on and start a run and by the end of it have a better understanding of what to do and how to get more enjoyment from it. That, to me, is actually something Balatro does not do as well.

So don’t go into this one necessarily looking for the next Balatro – I think it misses some of the depth and lure of that, unfortunately – but for one of the better roguelikes on the market that has an easy to learn, hard to master hook and really offers an enjoyable gameplay experience that I hope to see grow and expand in the months to come. The team seem to have plans and I’m very excited to see what those are on the road to consoles and mobile.

Who knows, I may even need to come back to this review score and eat a handful of coins out of shame.

Verdict

Raccoin is an original, fun take for a roguelike that really does give you something a little bit different and has a game loop that can genuinely be enjoyed by anyone. The powerups offer some quirky routes to victory, the character variety seems sound and solid, but the game doesn’t feel like it has quite the same spark or longevity as Balatro, which many people seem to be hoping or comparing it to. Go into Raccoin looking for a great roguelike that’s excellent value for money and has the promise for an exciting future roadmap to come and you might just find a game impossible for you to put down. 

Pros

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Raccoin is out now on PC and coming to consoles and mobile later 

Reviewed on PC

Code Kindly Provided by PlayStack for review purposes