Looking back on my life, there are some things that I know to be true. I’ve lived well, I’ve been kind to people, and I’ve spent countless hours (and GBP) on 2 pence coin pushers. They are my childhood wrapped up in copper-coated nostalgia. I can never pass one by without wasting at least a pound in it, especially if there’s a cute (though ultimately landfill-destined) prize just sitting on the edge, waiting to drop.

And I’m not talking about the cash-free ones that you find in Dave & Buster’s. They’re fun and all, but I’m talking about the ones that eat actual coins and inevitably reward you with far fewer coins than you put in. When I think of coin pushers, I think of child-friendly gambling. 

I have never thought coin-pushing would make a solid basis for a roguelike indie game, to be honest, but I’m proven wrong every day about something, and Raccoin has very much proven me wrong.. 

My coin-pushing dreams come true

Now that I’ve dropped this random fact about myself and my childhood – you’re welcome – I guess I should also add in that not only does Raccoin tick all of my coin-pushing boxes, but it’s also heavily raccoon-based. For anyone who follows me on social media, you’ll know about my love for this underappreciated little North American critter, so it’s safe to say that Raccoin has very quickly earned a special place in my heart.

Even though it’s a roguelike. 

I’ve always been honest and open about my love/hate relationships with roguelikes. I find them thoroughly enjoyable, but endlessly frustrating, and I usually end up rage-quitting when I have to go back to square one after a fluke run. There are a few exceptions to this general rule, but Raccoin has instantly shot to the top of the list, easily becoming my favorite roguelike. 

Finally, a roguelike I’m good at

I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to be good at coin pushers over the 30-ish years I’ve been playing on them unaided, and unlike other coin pusher games (I’ve tried a few). Most, if not all of those lessons apply in Raccoin. For instance, it’s a good idea to get a nice, even spread of coins falling from the moving platform into the main body of coins – it creates a wave-like action in the coin bed. 

Outside of the general coin-pushing goodness, there are various roguelike elements that any long-time fan of the genre will be familiar with. Each coin out of the machine converts to tickets, and after a round, you can use those tickets to purchase special coins with particular powers, chips that apply to the run overall, and even prizes that can be used at any time if you’re in a bit of a pinch. The aim is to complete every round using all of your purchases to make things easier, and for once, I’ve actually managed to do that.

For the first time in my life, all of those hours (and the money) shoved into 2 pence machines during my seaside holidays do not feel wasted. Suddenly, those lessons are useful when it comes to Raccoin, and that means that this strange little roguelike feels like pure nostalgia to me. Your experience may differ, depending on your own coin-pusher memories. 

Lessons learned and applied

Outside of applying real-life lessons to my gameplay experience, I also learned a few lessons while playing Raccoin that will likely never be useful anywhere else, but are useful to know nonetheless. 

Firstly, Glue Coins are a double-edged sword. This special coin can be purchased in the shop after a round, and it causes any coins that it touches to stick to it, forming a sort of coin clump. In an ideal world, that would be a good thing, but that actually ends up creating a heavy lump of virtual metal that’s incredibly hard to move, making life difficult. 

Second, the Screw is the best Chip that you can purchase. Every time you put a fixed number of coins into the machine, you earn a chance to shake the machine, which spews forth a huge number of coins and really boosts your progress towards completing a stage. It’s an absolute godsend, so make sure to buy it if it ever comes up.

Raccoin is being developed by Doraccoon and doesn’t have a set release date just yet. At the time of writing, there is a playtest that can be signed up for through Steam, and all information mentioned in this article is accurate to the build of Raccoin that is featured in this playtest.