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- Playstack
- Playstack
- Playstack
- Playstack
Balatro
Released On: Feb 20, 2024
8.4
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
90
91% Positive
31 Reviews
31 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
90
91% Positive
31 Reviews
31 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Balatro is an astonishingly addictive take on Poker that's utterly impossible to put down. Occasional difficulty spikes aside, it's a piece of simplistic genius that we'll keep on our Steam Deck forever.
Balatro is an ingenious and entertaining roguelike and one of my favorite games of the year. Playing it has become a near-obsession; everything feels perfectly designed to encourage you to keep trying because that next run could be the run of your life. Even after hours of play, I still can’t overcome Balatro’s biggest challenge: putting it down.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 428 User Ratings
8.4
84% Positive
359 Ratings
359 Ratings
10% Mixed
41 Ratings
41 Ratings
7% Negative
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 428 User Ratings
8.4
84% Positive
359 Ratings
359 Ratings
10% Mixed
41 Ratings
41 Ratings
7% Negative
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
Balatro is seemingly simple, seemingly trivial, yet it’s impossible to tear yourself away from it. Each attempt goes a little differently, your strategy needs to evolve constantly and even after a couple of hours you’re still being surprised by new modifiers, ideas and the need to change your approach. It’s a great game that simply doesn’t get boring.
I never would have expected that a roguelike could work so well in a card game before I played Balatro. It’s simple and guides you in so well, but escalates quickly and is happy to crush your run at any moment with the smallest strokes of misfortune. That’s what makes the variety of jokers and bonus cards so fun to explore. Every new option provides an opportunity to buck the house advantage. It leads to an appealing gameplay loop that kept me wanting to try all sorts of new angles and strategies. Balatro is something far out of the ordinary, and heaven forbid it ever makes its way to mobile because my casual time will powerless against it (please?).
Balatro is a brilliant take on the rogue lite genre. Video poker fans will be grinning ear to ear playing this truly terrific card game that is hard to put down.
The wonderful and terrible thing about Balatro is that, unlike with other roguelikes, I never got frustrated getting bounced back to the start. I almost always felt like I’d had the slate wiped clean of the web of synergistic collectables governing my ill-fated moves and this time, I was sure to succeed. Especially as my efforts in the game unlocked new perks or decks I could use when jumping back in. The combination of simple drag-and-drop controls and a continuous flow of numbers-go-up dopamine hits is irresistible. You’ve been warned.
It's easy to get a kick out of seeing how high the scores can get, but the game is as much about the gambles you take and the planning along the way. There's a deceptive simplicity to Balatro due to its roots in poker, and it uses that to its advantage to reel you in while regularly finding new ways to surprise you.
Balatro is easily the best indie title that I've played so far. It's addicting and it's definitely my game of the year!
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PC
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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PC
The concept is fun, the game lacks replayability for a roguelike, it feels not worth to 100% the game.
Once you've won with every deck and start uping the difficulty it just becomes "can i get my broken combo" simulator, still, with a few tweaks to balance, the game can become and easy 8/10.
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PC
This roguelike has permanent unlocks, but no permanent upgrades. As it is a card game, and fairly simple in its core, you can only marginally get better (count probabilities >> prioritize money >> utilize synergy of in-run upgrades and your fortes), while outcome and progression is mostly determined by luck or its absense. Basically, game is a time killer and just a tiny bit more engaging than an average "cookie clicker".
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PC
Summary The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos.
Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 5
- PlayStation 4
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Initial Release Date: Feb 20, 2024
Developer:
- LocalThunk
Publisher: Playstack
Genres: