Way back in January you might recall a story we ran about an up-and-coming independent developer by the name of Glitchbit and their first release: Tipsy Raccoons. The game has made appearances at arcade locations for testing as well as at a couple of trade shows in Vegas (one of which I was at but somehow missed them). The game grabbed headlines among amusement trade for coming up with a system that would allow you to insert drinks to pay for the game.
With more feedback and testing further fine-tuning Tipsy Raccons, the game is now preparing to release to the amusement/eatertainment market. Some important changes have been made to it since we saw it in January – it is now a 4-player game instead of six; it also is not restricted to only taking drinks as payment (something that appeals to certain bar/arcades but certainly not all of them. Coin or Dollar Bill Acceptors can be added for locations that use the traditional arcade payment model. If a location wants to use just drinks, it has a specific setting called “Drinking Game Mode” which also affects the content; the Cash Only mode is appropriate for kids to play. Bars that want to do both can also do so. It sounds like they have expanded the number of mini-games (the quote is “dozens”) so I imagine that they included plenty that are age appropriate. This is another refreshing genre to see make a comeback – mini-game compilations (party games is probably the correct term; stuff like Panic Park) have been missing from the business for a while. Here’s a trailer of the game from a few months ago in case you missed that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c41yO723HXs
The cabinet is compact and easy to transport – you’re looking at 38″ wide and 26.5″ deep. It features a 40″ monitor and now has a marquee that lights up. They are also saying it will cost “about half” of what the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles does. Info on where to order has not been unveiled yet but stay tuned to the site here (or Glitchbit’s official site) for that when we hear about it. Here is a pic of the production cabinet, which has changed artwork from the 6-player prototype:
Which brings up a good point (switching to commentary/opinion mode here) – 2018 is quite the year for 4-player-1-cabinet games. We’ve got this, Halo Fireteam Raven, Tomb Raider, Cosmotrons, Spins Ahoy!, and TMNT…so far. Rampage almost counts, being 3-player. This could reflect the stronger presence of bar/arcades out there and people rediscovering the social positives of playing on the same cabinet in such a manner.
What are your thoughts on Tipsy Raccoons joining the arcade fray?
I’ve played TR before and it is a solidly good experience. The social aspect is far and away the best part. Sort of a Warioware Drinking Game that is just as satisfying with a can of Coke. This one is really worth keeping an eye on.
A risky concept for an arcade game. Usually people don’t want to learn a lot of sub-games.