Balatro is a very, very refined roguelike - there are virtually no holes in the logic of its systems. Its terminology is masterfully deliberate; it knows itself and its mechanics with admirable intimacy, and presents them accordingly eloquently. And these mechanics are boundlessly clever - just about each and every aspect of the interface has the potential to interact with another or your run in an interesting way, from the cards you play, to the act of skipping a blind, to the left-to-right order of your jokers.

An example - your “hand size” stat affects not only the number of cards you're dealt during a blind, but also during any consumable selection screen inside the shop, limiting or increasing the number of cards you’ll have the option to modify. If you admire that detail, you’ll love this game.

For a game with such a minimal interface (Balatro only has a handful of different screens), it’s a necessity that every corner of it is visually interesting, and nothing short of a miracle that this was pulled off. Art and art direction aren’t just “cool,” they’re outstanding. This goes for visuals, but also sound effects and animations. Balatro also has a few great moments of discovery towards the start of the learning curve (including a couple cool secrets and details to pick up on).

Maybe I’m not a good enough player, but it feels that sometimes (not “more often than not,” but still somewhat often) a run will get backed into a corner by a tough blind or bad luck in the shop, and seem as though a loss was (literally) inevitable, particularly on higher difficulties. I’d read what better players have to say if this kind of thing really bothers you, but I know that some portion of the playerbase harbors the same complaint.

I’d absolutely recommend giving Balatro your time if you’re a fan of card games - even if you aren’t, I feel that this game is an exceptionally clever introduction.

Balatro is a very, very refined roguelike - there are virtually no holes in the logic of its systems. Its terminology is masterfully deliberate; it knows itself and its mechanics with admirable intimacy, and presents them accordingly eloquently. And these mechanics are boundlessly clever - just about each and every aspect of the interface has the potential to interact with another or your run in an interesting way, from the cards you play, to the act of skipping a blind, to the left-to-right order of your jokers. An example - your “hand size” stat affects not only the number of cards you're dealt during a blind, but also during any consumable selection screen inside the shop, limiting or increasing the number of cards you’ll have the option to modify. If you admire that detail, you’ll love this game. For a game with such a minimal interface (Balatro only has a handful of different screens), it’s a necessity that every corner of it is visually interesting, and nothing short of a miracle that this was pulled off. Art and art direction aren’t just “cool,” they’re outstanding. This goes for visuals, but also sound effects and animations. Balatro also has a few great moments of discovery towards the start of the learning curve (including a couple cool secrets and details to pick up on). Maybe I’m not a good enough player, but it feels that sometimes (not “more often than not,” but still somewhat often) a run will get backed into a corner by a tough blind or bad luck in the shop, and seem as though a loss was (literally) inevitable, particularly on higher difficulties. I’d read what better players have to say if this kind of thing really bothers you, but I know that some portion of the playerbase harbors the same complaint. I’d absolutely recommend giving Balatro your time if you’re a fan of card games - even if you aren’t, I feel that this game is an exceptionally clever introduction.