PC Critic Reviews

Wielding nothing more than a deck of cards and a poker-themed twist on proceedings, developer LocalThunk has conjured something incredible and awe-inspiring with Balatro. What starts as a relatively-novel twist on the deckbuilding format quickly blossoms into an experience that's equal parts methodical, experimental, chaotic but satisfying all the same. A game that rewards clever thinking, mathematical meddling and having the courage to be just that bit braver in uncovering just how far one can push its systems at play. Wherein success and failure alike stand as equally memorable moments to build off. A paradigm for what roguelikes and deckbuilders should aspire towards, Balatro is addictive, expertly-crafted and the new front-runner for what is easily the best gaming experience of 2024.

With its unlockable deck types, tricky economy, advanced joker concepts, challenge runs, and ascension-like “stake” system, Balatro offers countless hours to engage its treacherous machine of diversion. If this was preinstalled with Windows in lieu of Microsoft’s mandatory, productivity-wrecking Solitaire back in the 90s, modern civilization as we know it could have very well ground to a halt. For fans of deckbuilders, Balatro is an addictively delicious, menacing creation which devours hours without mercy. It should be handled with great care.

Balatro is easily one of the freshest roguelites to come out in some time. By loosely applying the rules of poker to a deckbuilding format, developer LocalThunk has managed to forge something special.

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.

The result is a surprisingly layered and extremely addictive game, with pixelated retro graphics. Cleverly designed too, as all the bleeps and effects constantly provide little shots of dopamine, much like a jackpot, slot machine or coin toss from the luna park. The addition of jokers and bonus cards made available seemingly at random make each game different, and replayability almost endless.

Balatro is as good as Slay the Spire was. It's a roguelike deckbuilder, but beginning from a poker deck. The concept is both original and fun. Its modifier cards offer almost unlimited possibilities, making each run unique in its own way. Balatro gives you hours and hours of entertaining and we can just wait for new content in the future. One of the best games of the year so far.

Balatro is a masterfully crafted Roguelike card game, that's easy to learn thanks to its poker mechanics but hard to master.

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.

A roguelike deckbuilder debut already worthy of joining Slay the Spire and Monster Train at the King’s table. Essential.

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.