Move over, Banjo! Raccoo is in the house. In this 3D platformer-collect-a-ton, you play as Raccoo, a cute raccoon with a taste for chess pieces. Sounds cool, right? Let’s dive in.
Racoo Venture:
In the beginning, Verta was just darkness and disorder. It was when the last light of Verta shone, bringing life to the Sacred Guardians, who united their powers and created a magical relic. Divided into black and white pieces, the relic kept the balance between good and evil… order and chaos. Hidden and protected in Aurora for ages, the relic made Verta fertile, and all the creatures could live in harmony. But there were people who were fed by the disturbance of nature and were not satisfied with all that balance. Their greed for the Sacred power can throw Verta into collapse again. And that’s where we start off! Sounds pretty ominous, doesn’t it?
Gameplay
So, at its core, RacooVenturE is a 3D platform adventure game with a playful aesthetic and a retro style of the 90s gameplay. Raccoo is not just a simple raccoon; he is the last heir of the Guardian Power, who has protected the Holy Relic for many years, maintaining Harmony in Verta. But the evil Tattooed Tatus has stolen it, and now Verta is in great danger.
It felt a lot like playing the old-school classics from Rare. The 90s were memorable for the history of 3D platform games. I was among those who had a first-hand experience with the great classics like Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Spyro, Banjo & Kazooie, among many other great games that provided a lot of moments of huge fun, knows what I’m talking about. With this idea of bringing this experience back to the new generation, they started to develop RacooVenture. RaccooVenture has a lot of influence and references from these great classics who wrote the history of 3D games and brings in its essence the playful and innocent atmosphere that the new video game industry has often left behind.
Gameplaywise, it feels like an old-school game, both in controls, difficulty, and mechanic choices. Raccoo isn’t equipped with punching power but has to be smart to avoid (and defeat) his enemies. While collecting coins and using apples, acorns, and other exploding fruits to fend off enemies, Raccoo must find the missing chessboard pieces. It’s pretty hard in terms of platforming. One wrong move, and you’re game over (luckily, it’s a measly coin fee to get back in the game). With over five different regions to explore and over 140+ collectibles, this will keep you busy for quite some time and will be the perfect entry-level platformer for the 6-8-year-olds in our household. I tried RacooVenture with my four-year-old, and she found it quite challenging, so be sure to pick this one up together.
Details
RacooVenture put much love in its details. Ranging from funny animations and detailed worlds invite exploration or things like a small puzzle piece or special coins that could be hidden anywhere. Lush meadows, colorful flowers, trees, and butterflies provide variety. The world in Verta is certainly anything but boring, as many dangers await our protagonist, seamlessly integrated into the 3D world. Cross magical bridges, open locks and chests, operate mechanisms disguised as puzzles, and much more. You can see that the whole game is aimed at an audience that’s new to this kind of game since my daughter had a much better understanding of Raccoo than other 3D platformers out there (often aimed at the older generations).
Conclusion
So, to conclude! RacooVenture is a good 90s-styled platformer aimed at both the younger audiences and the retro-enthusiasts. Both can find pleasure and joy in this title, and there is a certain old-school difficulty vibe to it that will make the hearts of pixel-lovers out there skip a beat. I’m unsure if it’s a game for everyone since 3D platforming fans are quite picky (hey, it’s me). I can’t wait to see what this studio will come up with next.
