Balatro Review

Introduction

Balatro is a roguelike deck-builder for Steam and Nintendo Switch. I am reviewing the Steam version. Baltro was developed by LocalThunk, and published by Playstack. The game released on February 20, 2024 on all major platforms.

Overview

first challenge

In Balatro you are playing hands of poker trying to get the highest number of chips. You have your standard poker hands you can play. You can purchase joker, planet, and tarot cards to augment your scores per hand.

Gameplay

balatro gameplay

Balatro is a Poker game, but one where you aren’t competing against another player, but against a target score.

When you start your first playthrough, you are dealt a hand of 8 cards. You have a target score for each level. During your turn, you can play up to 5 cards. You can combine your cards to constitute the majority, if not all of the standard poker hands. (See picture)

different poker hands in balatro

This is all well and good, but after the first few levels, you will need a boost to get to the target score. That is where Joker, Planet, and Tarot cards come into play. You can purchase different modifier cards after each level. Each card has a description of the effects it will grant you. Using the cards you will accrue multipliers and those will greatly increase your score.

mode select

Your run will continue until you fail one of the levels. Then you have to start over.

Performance/Graphics

This will not be a surprise to anyone but Balatro performs at a solid 60fps on the Steam Deck. The visuals of Balatro are pixel art. They are pleasant to look at and definitely work for a Poker style game.

Sound

The sound in Balatro is pretty forgettable. I play it while watching tv so that isn’t a bad thing. In this case it really lets you focus on the game at hand.

buy more cards

Value

You can buy Balatro from Steam or the Nintendo eShop for 14.99. I like card games, and Balatro is no exception. I find it very hard to put down. By the time my run ends, I am ready to get back to the game. If you like deck-building games, and/or Poker games, you will have a lot of fun with this game.

Conclusion

Balatro is a Poker game with deck-builder and rogue like game mechanics. You don’t play against anyone else, only a target score. LocalThunk developed the game. Playstack published Balatro. It is easy to learn, and has plenty of tutorials for those unfamiliar with poker and of course, Balatro. I enjoyed the game immensely. You can buy Balatro on Steam for $14.99 and on the Nintendo eShop for the same price. It is a simple, super-addictive game that will give you entertainment for hours and hours.

Summary
Balatro is a Poker game with deck-builder and rogue like game mechanics. You don't play against anyone else, only a target score. LocalThunk developed the game. Playstack published Balatro. It is easy to learn, and has plenty of tutorials for those unfamiliar with poker and of course, Balatro. I enjoyed the game immensely. You can buy Balatro on Steam for $14.99 and on the Nintendo eShop for the same price. It is a simple, super-addictive game that will give you entertainment for hours and hours.
Good
  • Pixel Graphics look very good
  • Seriously Addictive Gameplay
Bad
  • Soundtrack is mellow but forgettable
8.4
Great
Gameplay - 9
Performance/Graphics - 8.5
Sound - 8
Story - 7.5
Value - 9
Written by
My interest in handheld gaming started when I was in high school. I was obsessed with getting a Game Gear. I was so excited to have a relatively high quality gaming experience (for the time) with me wherever I went! As I became an adult, handheld gaming always maintained an important part in my life. I was thrilled to take my handheld gaming to the next level when I got a Playstation Vita, and later a Nintendo Switch. My go-to genres are arcade racers, and RPGs. While I don’t really like games like Minecraft, the Dragon Quest Builders series compelled me so much. I spent over 200 hours between the two entries.

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