Raccoo is taking a nap one day when a pack of tattooed miscreants break into his house and steal a chess set that’s been in his family for generations. Unfortunately, that chess set also happens to be a powerful artifact meant to maintain the balance of order and chaos in the land of Verta. As the latest guardian of the artifact, Raccoo is obliged to track down the chess pieces and tiles to put everything right again.

Raccoo Venture is pure nostalgia

Raccoo Venture is a love letter to late 90s collectathon platformers. The player passes through a series of discrete levels, collecting pieces of the chess set that are hidden along the way. Raccoo can defend himself by either stomping on enemies or hurling items at them, but combat isn’t his forte and you’ll want to avoid fighting whenever possible.

Levels are largely linear, with collectables hidden down side paths or in little nooks here and there. The game features a fixed camera, which doesn’t interfere with finding items but can be annoying when trying to land difficult jumps.

Fortunately, the controls are very tight and the platforming is mostly fair. There are a few interesting gimmicks, including a powerup that makes phantasmal platforms appear over gaps and a controllable pigeon ally who can activate switches for Raccoo.

Collect everything!

Raccoo Venture has quite a bit of side content to go along with the main levels. There are secret collectibles on the overworld map, some passible minigames and a lot of alternate skins. 

Some of these outfits unlock areas in the main levels, but most of them are just for laughs, often referencing other games made by Brazilian development teams.

By the standards of throwback 3D platformers, Raccoo Venture is a very content-rich game. A run through the game could take anywhere from five to ten hours, depending on player skill and completion. Expect to spend a few sessions completing the game.

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Drew Johnston

ANDREW JOHNSTON is a teacher, writer and journalist based out of mainland Asia. He is a regular contributor to Superjump Magazine, where he specializes in independent video games and the gaming culture of East Asia. He has published short fiction in 30 markets and anthologies including Daily Science Fiction, Nature: Futures and the Laughing at Shadows Anthology.