Tanuki Sunset: the longboard run where the drift is the whole point
Tanuki Sunset is a downhill longboarding game about a raccoon, a coast road and a sunset that never quite finishes setting. The road is one long descent of pink and cyan low-poly cliffs, the traffic comes at you in both lanes, and the only way to score properly is to hold a drift through the bends for as long as your nerve lasts. Between the corners there are Tanuki Bits to collect, a small raccoon called Kit who keeps getting herself into trouble, and a 180 spin that flips the whole road around behind you. One mistake — a car, a rock, the edge — and the run is over, which is what keeps a three-minute game going for an hour.
The build on tanukisunset.org is the Unity WebGL version (v1.5.1) that Squid Squad released before the game grew into the full Rewind Games release for PC and consoles. It is the same raccoon, the same road and the same drift model; what it lacks is the story mode and the online leaderboard, so the high score you chase is your own. It loads in this page — the download is about 55 MB, so give it a moment on a slow connection — and needs a keyboard, which is why it plays best on a laptop or desktop rather than a phone.
Controls & mechanics
| Action | Control | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Turn | Left / Right arrow | Lean the board into a bend; tap for small corrections, hold to carve |
| Drift | Hold Space | Slides the board sideways through a corner and racks up score while it holds |
| 180 spin | Down arrow | Spins the raccoon to ride backwards; spin again to face forwards |
| Menus | Mouse, arrows, Esc | Click Start or How to Play; arrows page through the guide, Esc backs out |
Getting a bigger score in Tanuki Sunset
- Start the drift before the bend, not in it: A drift only scores while the board is sliding, so press Space on the straight just before a corner and steer through it. Releasing in the middle of the bend leaves you pointing at the cliff.
- Use the traffic as scenery, not as a target: Cars come in both lanes and the run ends on contact. Watch the lane a few seconds ahead and pick the side early; the drift makes the board wide, so leave more room than you think you need.
- Twenty bits, then spin the wheel: Tanuki Bits sit on the road in short lines. Collect twenty to fire the Bonus Roulette, which hands out a lump of points; on a good run you can trigger it more than once.
- Carry Kit when the road is calm: Pass under little Kit to pick her up, then look for the circle beside her mother to drop her off for a big bonus. Do not try it through a traffic cluster; the detour is worth it only if you survive it.
Key features
- Drift scoring: Score comes from how long you can hold a slide through the corners, not from how fast you go.
- A road that fights back: Two-way traffic, rockfalls and the cliff edge, in a synthwave palette that makes every corner look like a poster.
- Side objectives: Tanuki Bits feed a Bonus Roulette, and rescuing Kit adds a second way to build a score between drifts.
Game info
- Title: Tanuki Sunset
- Developer: Rewind Games
- Category: Drift and Drive
- Platform: Web browser (HTML5)
- Engine: Unity WebGL, about 55 MB on first load
Pro tip: The 180 is not a stunt button, it is a brake. When a bend tightens faster than your drift can follow, tap Down, ride backwards for a beat while the board scrubs speed, then spin back and pick up the drift again. It costs a little score and saves the run.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tanuki Sunset?
An arcade longboarding game: you steer a raccoon down an endless synthwave coast road, drifting through corners for score and dodging traffic. It was made by Squid Squad and later released in full by Rewind Games; the browser version here is the original Unity WebGL build.
How do I score in Tanuki Sunset?
Hold Space to drift through a bend; the longer the slide, the higher the score. Tanuki Bits collected on the road trigger a Bonus Roulette at twenty, and carrying little Kit to her mother pays out a large bonus.
Does it run on a phone?
It loads, but this build is keyboard-only and around 55 MB, so it is really a laptop or desktop game. Use Chrome, Edge or Firefox with hardware acceleration on.
Why is there no online leaderboard?
The WebGL build keeps your high score locally and its leaderboard panel points to the standalone game. Your best run is saved in this browser between sessions.
Is it free?
Yes. Tanuki Sunset plays free on tanukisunset.org in the browser with no download and no account.
