If you’ve walked into an arcade recently, you likely noticed that almost all of the games inside are redemption machines. These are the types of games that offer tickets or prizes, requiring players to develop their skills to win. They’ve been around for ages, but with home video game consoles taking over the video game industry, redemption machines have become king of the arcade. Some are relatively easy while others are so hard that players can stand there for hours and not win a thing … but they’ll come close! We selected five types of redemption machines that pose the most challenge and arranged them in no particular order.
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1) Claw Machines
Claw machines, sometimes called crane machines, are the most ubiquitous redemption games around, as they’re in arcades, restaurants, bars, and anywhere else with a few square feet of floorspace to spare. They require skill to win, but there’s another level to claw machines that most players don’t know about. They have difficulty settings, so an owner can set them to be relatively easy or next to impossible. If you’ve ever grabbed a coveted item only to see it fall from the claw’s grasp when it moves to the drop bin, you know this all too well.
2) Coin Pushers
Coin pushers are in most arcades around the world, and they are pretty simple devices. They’re filled with hundreds of coins, most often tokens of some sort, and the object of the game is to send in a new coin that pushes others over the edge into the bin. Some include ticket rolls, and you have to add a lot of coins before seeing any return. Unfortunately, geometry is not on your side, thanks to the shape of the coins, which move to accommodate new ones. Now, if the coins were squared, things would be different, but as it stands, these games are designed to take in far more coins than they return.
3) Key Master Machines
A Key Master is a machine that features a “key” the player controls along the x- and y-axes. If they time it just right, the key will push forward, through the target, and knock a prize down into the collection bin. These games often feature high-value prizes to entice players, so it’s not uncommon to find something like a game system or earbuds in one. They look a lot easier than they are, as they’re made for precision, so any resistance will result in a loss, even if you miss the mark by a fraction of a millimeter.
4) Scissor Cut Machines
Scissor-cut machines have been around for a while, and modern ones often feature huge plush prizes, with only one inside. This is because a win requires resetting the machine, as it involves physically snipping a string that holds the prize hostage. Like key master machines, a scissor-cut machine requires an amazing amount of precision, and the cutting device is shaped to make it as difficult as possible to win. These games often take in hundreds of dollars before paying out a massive plushy that likely costs around $40-$50, or even less.
5) Pop the Lock Machines
A pop-the-lock game is a ticket redemption machine that offers fast-paced gameplay in which the player must hit randomly appearing dots around the playfield’s circumference. These are typically randomly-generated lit areas, where the player must hit a button at the precise moment to begin the process of “popping the lock.” After hitting each mark, the machine spins faster and faster, making subsequent hits even harder. New machines sometimes include continue options, allowing players to feed more money to take a step back and keep trying, enticing even more gameplay.
What’s the hardest redemption machine you’ve mastered? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Daybreak Game Company
