Early Access Review: The Coin Game

destructoid.com:

Wake up. Make sure the family goose has food. Hop on your bike. Babysit the twins. Deliver papers. Deliver pizza. Okay, now it’s time to win that last Dunko card.

I’m not sure what I expected from The Coin Game, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. On the surface, it looks like a simulator for those horrible games in malls and bowling alleys. The ones that are barely games and dangle amazing prizes are just out of reach. However, that’s not what The Coin Game is about.

The real concept of The Coin Game is that you’re trapped in the simulation of a rural town, and your only means of coping with your nightmarish existence is to gamble for cheap prizes. It is absolutely Diminishing Returns: The Game. And I love it. Above all, I think it’s exactly what I need right now.

Created by Devotid, The Coin Game has been in early access since 2019 and shows no sign of ever leaving it. Every so often, the developer just drops a new landmark into the town, complete with new activities and, more importantly, more games to pump coins into.

To note, I was only barely embellishing my summary of the central concept of The Coin Game. You really are somehow trapped in the simulation of a rural town. There are no other humans that you bump into. Every citizen of Islandville is a conical robot. They roam haplessly in town and speak in thick Midwestern accents. The bridges out of town are blocked off by perpetually burning traffic accidents. There is no escape.

You can handle various side jobs, but aside from food, the only thing to really spend your money on is games. Games to win prizes that have no real practical use. Like plush toys and inflatable hammers. You can then sell them for more money to play more games. It’s like Hell. Or rather,