If there is one thing players can point to as the biggest reason Balatro succeeded so well, it would arguably be the sheer addictiveness of the game. Raccoin, Doracoon’s new Balatro-esque roguelite, manages to capture that and improve it in a few different ways. Already, the game is garnering positive results and is on its way to being a new staple in the mini-genre. It shows promise that is rare in the indie gaming world at the moment in all the right ways.
Combo mania
Raccoin, like the very obvious influences on it, actively rewards players for “breaking” the game. It follows the basic premise of meeting a score threshold, but for many, that threshold is only secondary to the main objective, “make the number go up.” That is precisely where Raccoin thrives. There are near-limitless combos, builds, and even different “character” players select that seem to have unique ways to break the game.
It captures that addictiveness, though it has a few flaws. It’s a bit harder to keep up with, and while reviewing the game, I personally thought about Balatro more and more and about the elements that a game as good as Raccoin had, but missing from Balatro. I’ve come to my own conclusion: I believe the only flaw Raccoin has is that it’s almost too in-depth. Balatro’s addictiveness was relatively simple; the steps of the combo were clearly marked or shown to players slowly as things scored. Raccoin can’t do that by virtue of how coins have to be scored.
There were some absolutely insane things I was able to pull off, even more so than explosions that tanked my frames. It was fun, and there are a good bit of combo pieces that can be unlocked as you play, not to mention all the difficulties and unique characters. It was very fun to unlock a new coin that just absolutely made a new “meta” possible. It was enjoyable, combining that “creature collector” feel but with new ways to “make numbers go up.”
The number goes up
Raccoin performs exceptionally well at the goal of the game. It’s fun, addictive, and most importantly, things can get a little silly at times with how combos interact. With games like this, though, there are bound to be a few bugs or issues that pop up from time to time. Most notably for me, during a run, I decided to try to just have nonstop explosions happening on my screen. Raccoin was not prepared and quickly dropped to running at single-digit frames per second.
Another issue that I feel is getting to be too common in this genre — balance. Of course, some of that can always be player error, but I absolutely felt that some builds and even a specific character were massively undertuned, even though they appeared to be a supposed viable choice. However, it is Doracoon’s first title, and what I’ve noticed in this genre is that those first-time studios are very willing to tweak as time goes on. So there is still a massive hopeful outlook for the support the game could receive.
Outside of those few issues, the game plays well. It embodies a “number goes up” mentality with various ways to make those numbers go up, standard fare of “trinket/relic” type items, shops, “bad coins” which function as bosses, etc. These are all present, and I think it’s a great port of the genre to a novel idea. I’m still not sold on whether it will compete with the genre giants, but it is a prime example of the best ideas and execution routinely coming out of smaller developers, and from my perspective, Raccoin is the current prime example of the power of smaller games in today’s landscape.
Trash or treasure
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Raccoin; it was very addictive, though a bit harder to keep up with everything occurring from time to time. I found myself spending a lot of time testing out new things and seeing if there was a way I could do something new for the fun of it, rather than just the optimization side of it. It’s a “feel good” game to see your strategy, which you spend so much time in the shop, come together while playing.
It has a few flaws, but I think it’s a must-play. I’m ecstatic that we keep seeing these amazing games come out in the indie world. Just be ready to be glued to a screen for a bit. Once it sinks its hook into you, it can be hard to put away. It embodies the true “One more time” experience in all the right ways.
And as of writing, the game has received patches 4 times in the past week. The developers clearly show a strong love of the game, and that alone in this genre will help it become an even better playing experience. I look forward to seeing how the game evolves further, especially with the collaborations recently. Most notably, Raccoin recently collaborated with Cloverpit, bringing a new skin into the game. I think this is a game to watch going forward.
Raccoin is out now on Steam. A full console release is planned for late 2026.
