- It’s the end of the year, so it’s time to talk to “Games of”
- And my choice is, not surprisingly, Balatro
- However, it’s not necessarily my favorite product, so why talk about it? Well, come and find out
Well, it’s the end of the year and assuming you’re reading this at the scheduled time, it’s probably December 29th as well. And assuming no other major awards were won, when you see the name Balatro, you probably think of the string of accolades this humble mix of solitaire, poker and roguelike deck builder has garnered.
Whether it’s winning Indie and Mobile Game of the Year at The Game Awards, or being the only entry in our very own Pocket Gamer Awards to take home two separate accolades this time; The best mobile port and the best digital board game. It’s safe and sound to say that the modest house Jimbo built is appreciated by all.
But we also saw people confused and a little livid that it was even on the run. The inevitable comparisons of striking gameplay videos with Balatro’s relatively straightforward graphics are, while not endemic, not uncommon. There seems to be a sense of surprise that a straightforward deck builder has won so many awards.
I guess that explains why it’s my personal choice for GOTY. And why I want to talk about it further; but first, a few honorable mentions of my most critical stories and publications!
A few highlights
- Castlevania Expansion for Vampire Survivors: I think when I say this, I speak for everyone At last. Considering how it was teased and Poncle even collaborated with Contra, it was finally worth waiting for the iconic Castlevania characters to appear in the game.
- Squid Game: Unleashed is free for everyone: I think this could set a modern precedent for Netflix games, and it’s just an engaging move. This means that more people than ever will play, and without time-honored monetization, it suggests that they think it will be a more valuable way to attract modern viewers.
- The audio adventure version of Watch Dogs: Truth has been released: So yes, it’s not exactly earth-shattering news, but I think if there’s one thing to be said, it’s that Ubisoft has had a challenging time really knowing what Down from Watch Dogs. When I first saw the news, I thought a mobile release would be the natural fit, but instead it’s an engaging Audible-only adventure.
Clowns on the left, jokers on the right
My personal experience with Balatro is mixed, on the one hand it’s definitely eye-catching, but on the other I haven’t fully mastered it. I’ve always found math and comparing minute stats to be a frustrating experience at best, and since Balatro requires subsequent deck optimization in any round, I haven’t managed to clear any of them despite many hours spent on the game (yeah, yeah, I know). .
At the same time, based on Balatro’s cost-benefit analysis, I personally think it’s some of the best money I’ve spent in years. It’s straightforward, straightforward to digest, and not very demanding either technically or (mostly) in terms of brainpower. Balatro isn’t a perfect time waster, my personal pick is Vampire Survivors, but it’s there.
It also looks good and plays well. For the relatively modest $9.99 you get an attention-grabbing roguelike deck builder that won’t make people scoff at you if you play it in public (they might even think that a poker hand makes you a gambling genius, for better or for worse). It’s admirable that LocalThunk managed to take such a straightforward format and make it, for lack of a better term, “oomph.”
Everything from the deceptively calming muzak in the living room to the dents and rattles as you hit the multipliers and accumulate cash to spend in your deck is designed to keep you hooked for a loop. But he’s refreshingly candid about it, in a not-so-obvious way, but more of a nudge-nudge-wink sort of way.
But you’ve heard all this before, so why am I talking about it? Well, apparently that just isn’t enough for some people.
“But it’s just a game…”
Balatro isn’t the most hyped release this year – I think that goes to Astrobot after it won Game of the Year at the Big Geoff Awards. As an aside, the irony is that we always seem to be so excited about a show that we all basically admit is full of itself. But I digress, it’s about the reaction to Balatro and the way he is understood.
Balatro is unashamedly entertaining in terms of design and execution. It’s colorful and eye-catching without being too complicated or flashy; it doesn’t even have that familiar “OMG, so retro” glow to its aesthetic. This isn’t an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, and it’s worth noting that developer LocalThunk started this (as all good indie projects seem to do) as a passion project very early on, before he saw Balatro’s potential.
But for many people, both in society and in the critical space, Balatro is perplexing with its success. This isn’t some flashy gacha, nor does it push the boundaries of what can be achieved on mobile devices. This isn’t even a money-making battle royale game where cute anime women shoot each other with high-powered weapons; to them it’s just a “card game.”
This is a very well done design that takes a concept and gives it a fresh look. And I think it’s worth admitting that this is the metric by which we should measure game quality, not visual fidelity or other flashy gubbins. A groundbreaking statement, I know, but it bears repeating.
It’s what’s inside that counts
The lesson we should learn from Balatro is straightforward and everyone should embrace it. This humble deck-building roguelike has thrived on PC, consoles and mobile devices alike, with the latter still seemingly an intimidating conundrum for developers and publishers alike, with many barriers yet to be broken.
Before any of you more business-minded people out there point this out, yes, this is not a huge money making success story. But at the same time, given the low overhead, I assume the development cost is such that I wouldn’t be surprised if LocalThunk already has some pretty good balls.
Balatro proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can release something cross-platform, and it doesn’t have to be some kind of cross-platform, cross-platform, multiplayer gacha adventure on the level of something like Genshin Impact. You can have something straightforward and well done with a sense of your own style that brings together mobile, console and PC gamers.
I think my own experience of not being very good at Balatro also shows that this is idiosyncratic in terms of how I approach it. For some, it’s a game about optimizing to the limit and enjoying watching your masterfully crafted deck complete every run with audacity. For others like me, it’s a slower way to pass the time on a long plane flight when you don’t have enough brain bandwidth to hop on a session of Vampire Survivors.
So ultimately, what’s the point of all this? Simple, that’s what we always say when something like Balatro is successful. You don’t have to be a world leader or be jam-packed with ray tracing and high-octane gameplay to succeed, sometimes you just need to be a little bit of a joker.
