I remember visiting arcades in California when I was little and seeing a variety of coin-operated games, but they used tokens. It always seemed like a scam to a kid, but now that I am older, I see the potential profit of the machine. Mix that potential with roguelike aspects, and you get a game demo that I was incredibly fond of.

This week is the Raccoin demo.

Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike is just that, a roguelike coin pusher/deckbuilder from Doraccon and Playstack. The game will be released on Steam in the future.

Raccoin opens up with the player in front of the coin pusher, attempting to try it out for the boss, and the player is immediately dropped into the gameplay.

You are given a set amount of coins and a goal to hit. Drop coins on the side with the click of either mouse button and watch as they are pushed over the edge. Getting enough coins in a row activates a mini spin that awards extra coins or prizes to use later on. Points rack up as points are scored until you reach the goal and are immediately put into the shop to utilize those sweet, sweet tickets. Options include buying special coins, prizes, tools, and the usual roguelike items.

You are introduced to many of the roguelike options in the shop. Buying a coin clip will allow the player to hold those funky “special” coins. A coin that sticks to other coins, coins that cause little explosions, a “bunny” coin that multiples, and other coins that give you extra tickets and more are randomly available.

You can also buy run-specific tools. Options like multipliers, getting random special coins, adding coins when cashing out, etc.

Lastly, there are prizes that can be bought or obtained through playing the game, all of which do pretty much ridiculous things. I planted a UFO beacon that would activate every time I sold a certain number of items, and it would fly by, throwing coins everywhere. There is also a black hole that sucks up an entire area’s worth of coins and items, and a tornado that scoops up coins and flings them.

Much like Balatro, Cloverpit, and Slots & Daggers, Raccoin is much about trying to break the game.

I like raccoons. I think they are very adorable, and Raccoin really doesn’t have much going on. It’s a pixel game that has coins, and some of those coins have cute little art on them. The panels with the raccoons are super cute, but a majority of the time, you are listening to a little jam and pushing coins. I really do love the sound of the coins dropping into what I imagine is a little plastic bucket. Great sounds.

Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike has a lot of promise. It is, for sure, a dopamine game, because one run had me glued to the damn computer, trying so hard to get a tower of like 122 coins to topple. There were times when I was getting a little bored with the special coins, because I don’t think it really matters how you shoot them onto the track, just as long as you use them. Don’t get me wrong, the special coins are thoughtful, and when they work, they work really well. The design is great, and it kept my attention for a long time.

Raccoin is certainly going on my wish list.