Game: Rift Racoon
Genre: Action, Platformer
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, Xbox, PS4 and PS5)
Developer|Publisher: Ratalaika Games, Marcos Game Dev | eastasiasoft
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: US $4.99 | UK £4.49 | EU € 4,99
Release Date: May 12th, 2021
Review code provided with many thanks to eastasiasoft
Raccoon Adventure
Rift Racoon is a puzzle platformer where you play as a raccoon (yes racoon is how the developers spell it on the title). I’m always up for playing any game where you play as an animal so let’s see if this is a coffee game worth picking up. For those new to the coffee game theme, this is a game I categorise as one released at the same price of an expensive coffee, doesn’t take long to complete and usually best enjoyed with a good beverage (it doesn’t have to be coffee).
Playing as a raccoon named Tucker. You obtain a watch that gives you the ability to teleport a short distance vertically or horizontally. There’s not a lot of story present. It just seems Tucker is off on a puzzle platforming adventure to show off his skills with the teleportation watch and possibly show the world that raccoons are more capable than rummaging through people’s rubbish bins. The graphics are presented with the basic pixel-based design. Tucker looks pretty cute but the environments are pretty standard affairs with nothing particularly noteworthy.
Platform Formula
The goal of each level is simply to reach the end in one piece. Tucker can move and jump and use his teleportation watch to move through walls and obstacles. If he clings to walls he will sort of scurry up them before becoming tired. Levels are filled with a variety of hazards, like your typical spikes and buzz saws (seriously what is it with buzz saws in games).
You can also optionally obtain a blue gem every level to gain 100% on the game. You can opt to play the game on normal mode, where you will die in one hit, or casual mode which allows you to take two hits. It’s all quite formulaic as a platformer and doesn’t offer anything particularly new to the table. The teleportation mechanic seems like a good feature initially but everything is let down by the game’s frustrating controls.
Warp Into Walls
Rift Raccoon advertises itself as a ‘precision platforming’ but in all honesty, I rarely felt I had control of my raccoon fella. The controls feel stilted and jerky. The teleportation ability is also incredibly awkward to use. This is a game that features teleportation but you’ll find you spend a lot of that time teleporting into walls, which of course kills you. If you hold the teleportation button down it does give you a short preview of where Tucker will end up. The problem is when you’re jumping about and moving fast you will rarely have an opportunity to use this. Most of the time you’re taking a shot in the teleportation dark praying to the gaming gods you end up in the right direction.
There were many occasions where I wanted to teleport upwards and Tucker just went horizontally straight into a wall. Later levels also require you to memorize a complex series of button presses to make it through a difficult gauntlet of hazards. The trouble is when the controls are not responsive these moments are just aggravating instead of enjoyable. Rift Raccoon tries to sell itself as another game that you will enjoy by learning from your constant mistakes. But when the controls are not precise and the teleportation isn’t fun to use it’s unlikely many gamers will have the patience to see this experience through 50 levels.
Conclusion – Run With Us
Rift Racoon was not the fun raccoon platformer I was expecting it to be. Even at a modest price point, it’s hard to recommend this game even as a coffee title. There are far better difficult but rewarding platformers out there in the gaming ether. But unless you have an obsession with raccoons and games that make you want to throw your Switch down the stairs you may want to approach this with caution.
Final Verdict: I’m Not Sure
