Balatro is Absolutely Game of the Year

Article by Jody Newell
Published Nov 06, 2024

Balatro is the hit indie game by LocalThunk that has taken its toll on the gambling industry lately, because some addicts are instead opting to stay home and just play Balatro. An inside source has reported that Balatro has sold in the range of 6-8 million copies. I feel like I'm under hypnosis with this game. Balatro has taken the world by storm, well if you like cards or roguelikes in the slightest. Let's face it, if you're a poker junky but aren't crazy enough to find yourself in some seedy location late on a Tuesday night trying to avoid interactions with the gaming commission, this indie hit can help you get the fix you need.

Balatro is a satisfying deck building game. If you're not great at cards, it's great practice and will show you how to play great. Normal card playing may disappoint you afterward unless you truly prefer a smoke filled room of slightly sketchy hustlers. There just isn't another card game right now that can give you this type of dopamine boost. It's rumored in weird unreliable places that Markiplier is in rehab right now trying to quit Balatro.



Many gamers are complaining that they've frankly been burnt out with gaming the past several years, and Balatro cured them of it. Balatro has all your favorite winning hands, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and high card, but the special cards, wild cards, and crazy jokers help you increase your edge.

The developer put a lot of love and dedication into this indie title. If you play Balatro long enough, you might be getting kicked out of casinos soon for being too good. Actually, don't try it. Real casino's don't give you the kind of edge Balatro does, but atleast you won't go home without your life savings or your mom's.

If you like cards, Balatro simply made an awesome poker game and real card players are loving the action. Then you have many people who are genuinely learning to be good card players because of Balatro, and they didn't even know the difference between a spade and a diamond when they started. I'm waiting for Balatro II where they teach you how to count cards. How exciting to do that without fear of two large men throwing you out into a desolate parking lot for using your brain as you play cards. Sorry about the flash back.

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