Love them or hate them, Toronto’s unofficial mascots are now the star of their very own video game.
That’s right – you can play a mischievous raccoon scavenging through the streets of the 6ix in a new game called ‘Trash Panda’, created by a Toronto-based filmmaker Jason Leaver.
The game’s objective? To make the biggest mess you can by knocking over garbage bins, which you’re then rewarded with delicious treats and power-ups.
It’s even more fun for Toronto residents, as the maps in the game were created based on real-world street data of the city, letting you wander familiar roads, challenge other raccoons, and get lost.
The four neighbourhoods featured in the game include Algonquin Island, Cabbagetown, The Beaches, Swansea and the Water Treatment Plant.
With a simple purpose and straightforward design, both children and adults can play the game.
Leaver created the game over the pandemic, and started his origins in coding during the 2021 lockdown. Trash Panda was just released several years later just a few weeks ago on November 15.
So far, it seems its already a hit with Toronto residents, who have long been enamored with the cheeky bandits. Back in 2015, locals even created a memorial for a dead raccoon found on a sidewalk, who was lovingly named Conrad.
The viral sensation was once again honoured just last winter, with a huge sculpture presented at the annual Winter Stations exhibit on Woodbine Beach.
The game is available to purchase on Steam for $9.99.