Balatro has been one of my favourite games of 2024 since its Steam release back in February. Normally I wouldn’t describe myself as being super into roguelikes. I mean, I’ve dabbled in Hades, Dead Cells and Spelunky, but I usually find that a few runs- just enough to see most the content on offer one time, is more than enough for me. Balatro however, has had its claws sunk deep inside me from the moment we first met.
Eyepopping psychedelic visuals and a chill lo-fi beat set the stage for addicting deckbuilding gameplay, a roguelike twist on the classic game of poker where the only things at stake are fictional chips and your honour. Over the course of multiple blinds, you collect some of the 150 available joker cards and combine them with other power-ups to build an absurdly powerful deck. It really tickles the part of my brain that likes to make stupidly high numbers in games, and that little ‘ding’ when you’re doing well is so satisfying. Not only that, but with 15 different decks and eight difficulties, you can be sure that no two Balatro runs will be the same.
And don’t worry if you aren’t a fan of real life poker. The creator of the game isn’t either.
A Royal Flush
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Balatro– created by solo dev LocalThunk has taken the gaming world by storm since release, selling over two million copies. Not just that, but last month it also received the free Friends of Jimbo DLC which introduced cosmetic collaborations with some industry giants being The Witcher 3, Dave the Diver, Vampire Survivors and yes, even Among Us.
That all to say, Balatro is a high roller right now. And it’s aiming to eat up even more of our attention when it comes to the App Store and Google Play next week, 26 September. The asking price is £10, which I am more than willing to pay to have my current favourite addiction on the go, and it’s already available to pre-order.
If you’ve already checked out Balatro, you’re likely looking forward to having it on mobile like I am. If you haven’t I urge you to give it a go, and it’s the perfect time to jump in, with its first major gameplay update set to release next year. The only bad thing I can say about the game is that it dooms my productivity. Asides from Steam, it’s also already available on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
Featured Image Credit: LocalThunk
Third year Journalism student passionate about video-games.
