I’ve written The Coin Game review multiple times now. Not because I’m looking to win awards with my writing style, or ensuring that it even reads well – you get what you get. The reason for starting afresh was due to mixed thoughts about whether I liked it, which have since matured, and now I’m sure. Can you really make the arcade experience a digital one?
We’re not talking Out-Run, Operation Wolf or Space Harrier – all of these games have been translated well to modern gaming. Nothing beats sitting in a big-bastard Ferrari, or a mounted, haptic uzi, but it works. What about the crane game, air hockey, or those penny drops your nan likes? Some of them have made an excellent transition, as we’ve seen in the Yakuza series. But seriously, pennies?
The Coin Game has been in Early Access for many years and is finally opening its doors to say it’s ready as it’ll ever be. A review code was provided, so I’m completely new to devotid’s game, though a veteran of arcade games, having played the games at my local arcade back in the 80s. Even now, I often take the family to the seafront to show them how good Daytona USA is, as well as watching Daddy cap crims with his firearm on its side in Time Crisis, but we all inevitably end up at the crane games (or UFO catchers), air hockey and the penny droppers, or whatever they’re called.
What’s the broad appeal? The prizes, the immersion, the social factor and perhaps that tactile feedback. How can a video game replicate this? For starters, there are no other human patrons in the game, and instead, they have been replaced by robots. There isn’t any tactile feedback (unless you’re imaginative around your desk), but the games are immersive, there are prizes galore, and the three core game modes offer plenty of flexibility based on how you want to play your game.
The Coin Game is rough around the edges, yet perfectly fine as it is. There are more than enough visual settings to select, though even on the best parameters, it still looks like a potato (one of the graphic settings), though again, fine. There are two characters to pick from – male or female, with nothing in between. All you see of your character is their hands, as for everything else, they’re Weeble robots. It’s quite odd and highly likely a budget/time option as they’re easier to animal than hoomans.
These robots still communicate with you through canned child laughter to Futurama preacher-like rhetoric, should you wish to trade with them or be hired by them (when playing the Survival mode of the game). Emphasis here really is on freedom and to do as you please, a.k.a. troll. For some reason, you can grab the robo citizens and pull them over with little consequences as they work like those Weebles and bounce back up. Better still, you carry a dart gun, which you can fire at will. There are no health issues for your victims, so it makes sense to have a go. It’s particularly funny shooting lifeguards as they rotate towards your direction without changing their expression. Worth it.
There’s an element of poetic justice, as there’s the odd robot mob with their own guns and baseball bats that you’ll find while roaming the streets on your mountain bike or golf cart. Again, The Coin Game is very rough around the edges, but that freedom in snooping around to buy and light up a box of fireworks or going for a quick trip around a water park is ace. You have to leave your starting area to find other arcades with games, but also to find jobs to keep you gaming funded, and your health and stamina up through Mountain Dew knock-offs and snacks. Miss out on any of this, or your curfew (it’s insinuated that you’re a kid), and it’s game over/back to a save file.
If the survival aspect isn’t what you feel like, that’s fine, as you can play in Birthday Mode, which gives you access to everything without penalty. Your uncle hires out the arcades, meaning you get free play on everything and can still win prizes. While there’s no incentive to rotting your teeth through the available Jaw Breakers and gummies, there’s still a lot of reason to play this mode to explore your surroundings as the actual game. But, and let’s sum this all up towards the end of this review rather than at the beginning: you’re primarily going to want to be playing the first-person arcade games.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve wasted hours on the UFO catchers in the Yakuza series, and plenty of exposure to the arcades in Shenmue, back on the Dreamcast. The Coin Game is a similiar vibe. There are no goons hogging the cabinets, no closing times, and certainly no going back to your folks to ask for more money as you’ve run out. There are no action games on a CRT – that’s not what this is about – it’s games like shooting hoops, collecting tickets in a booth, blasting with an industrial fan, or those good old coin drops.
Games should be intuitive, but some are not so much. The Birthday Mode does allow you to experiment with infinite money until you get it, but you may still be put off by the online leaderboards. This has been in Early Access for years, and there’s a dedicated community spunking their coins on tickets into obscene figures. Chances are, though, you’ll be joining the ranks as it’s honestly a lot of fun. Some games are hit and miss, and you’ll have your favourites. If you prefer to be one of those to hog your favourite game, you can go to the Quick Play mode and jump on any cabinet without the fuss. However, I’d recommend the other two options primarily as being able to leave the arcade, hop on a bike and cycle to the next one without getting grounded is ace. Again, the open world aspect is a lot of fun, and you may find yourself loitering as any kid would do. Even though you can play forever, you’ll have additional fun by exploring and being a kid again.
Yes, The Coin Game is very rough around the edges despite coming out of Early Access, but I wouldn’t change it. It reminds me of Isolationist Nightclub Simulator, though the focus is more on the playground of playing tactile arcade games meets Roblox without the pedos. So yes, after multiple rewrites, and granted, this is a poorly written piece, I’m going to say I’d rather just go back to the game and chill for a bit. Even better, it works on the Steam Deck, too. I’m not writing it again – go seek it out the next time you’re unable to get to your local arcade.
