The email sent to PS5 containing the review code for Balatro He jokingly said that “it was going to ruin my productivity for the rest of the day.” I had already read comments about how addictive this game could be and I thought it was a funny way to reference the ‘hype’ it is unleashing. What I didn’t expect was to have to take that warning seriously. If my willpower had faltered, I would have spent all my time playing this little card game instead of doing less important things like working, eating, and sleeping.
Same as him Lonely
In this game we don’t really face anyone. The objective is to achieve a certain amount of points by drawing cards from the deck. As we play we discover a huge amount of modifiers that make this seemingly harmless title infinitely strategic and fun.
How to play Balatro?
The basic objective is to play poker hands. Don’t worry if you have never played that card game, because the tutorial clearly explains how to do it. Each hand and each card played has a value in chips and what we have to do is get a certain minimum number of chips in each round to overcome the blind and advance to the next.
We are earning money that we can use to buy new packs of cards, wildcards, planet cards, tarot cards and more. Despite being the traditional deck of hearts, spades, diamonds and spades, we can find improved cards with various effects that increase the chips, point multipliers, number of hands per game, discards and the money we get. It is even possible to raise the level of each hand so that it gives us more chips when playing it.
If we have some luck and choose the cards, jokers and modifiers wisely in each game, We can achieve incredible synergies or combos that give us tens of thousands of chips by playing the right hand.
This game achieves a perfect combination of mechanical simplicity and complex systems that make it quite deep, but enjoyable to play. It is the perfect recipe for an addictive game in which each game is more engaging than the last.
¿Es Balatro really a ‘roguelike’ and a ‘deck builder’?
I can’t say this is false, but I honestly don’t want to classify Balatro like neither of the two in this review.
Strictly speaking, it is a ‘deck builder’ because we build a deck as we play a game and it can be described as ‘roguelike’ because all the cards we add to the deck are lost at the end of the game, but there are advantages that can be to persist.
I truly believe that these descriptions do the game a disservice, even though they may appeal to fans of those genres. I’m a fan of many ‘roguelikes’—especially Hades, The Binding of Isaac e Inscryption— and a deck builder is part of my daily gaming routine —Marvel Snap—, but there are so many games in these genres that I can’t help but feel saturated. When I see these descriptions in a game that catches my attention I can’t help but feel a little disappointed.
That’s why I ignored Balatro when its ‘demo’ became popular during the first Steam Next Fest in 2024. I don’t need another one of these games in my life and on top of that one that doesn’t even have interesting characters or designs on the cards. Obviously I got carried away by appearances.
Balatro It shouldn’t need a description other than “card game” to get attention. The “roguelike mechanics” it has are not functionally different than the modifiers we use in physical card games, just more complex and interconnected. Furthermore, a large part of the public that may love a game like this is not necessarily familiar with ‘gaming terms’ and don’t know what the hell a ‘roguelike’ is.
‘Classic’ poker
With such strong gameplay, Balatro is not a game that needs a great technical display to be attractive. That doesn’t mean its aesthetic isn’t funny. The cards don’t look any different from any deck other than the distinctive modifiers it has. However, there is good variety in the design of the wild cards and some of them are so mysterious that for a while I came to believe that there was a hidden ‘lore’ in this game.
But there isn’t… right?
The visual filter of lines in the style of old monitors collaborates with the retro charm of the game, making us remember more easily the afternoons we “wasted” playing Solitaire on an old PC. The relaxing music does not get tiring and makes the experience much more ‘zen’.
And we need to be relaxed because, Despite its simplicity, Balatro requires strategy and planning—plus a healthy dose of luck— if we want to reach the higher levels of the game. We have to create a ‘build’ that enhances certain types of cards or hands to achieve the highest possible scores. There are wildcards or improvements to cards that don’t seem to make sense, until later we find another one that complements it perfectly and results in a combo that breaks the game. Achieving one of those combinations is supremely satisfying.
A round can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes and a full match to the “final boss” should take no more than half an hour. Do not believe that “ending” Balatro It’s enough to consider the game over. We can start over using decks with different modifiers and unlock challenges suitable for those who consider themselves experts.
I can’t help but insist on how addictive and captivating it is. Balatro. I’m actually playing it as I write this review.. It is a supremely entertaining card game even though it has no story or narrative whatsoever. There is no doubt that lovers of ‘roguelike’ and ‘deck builders’ will like it, but don’t be scared if you don’t know what those words mean. It is above all a fantastic card game, perfect for killing those slow weekend afternoons, for procrastinating or for playing “one last game before going to bed” and then discovering to your surprise that it is already 4:00 am.
Review made with a digital copy of Balatro for PC (Steam) provided by Playstack. The game is also available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.