Picking up “Balatro” was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made all year. There’s me — a second-semester senior — looking for new games to add to my arsenal of time-wasters and stress relievers, and there’s “Balatro” — an addictive card-based video game. As you can imagine, it was truly a match made in heaven.
I started playing “Balatro” after listening in on some (interesting) discussions between friends. My FOMO eventually took over, prompting me to do a little research into what the game was like.
Its one-line description — “Poker meets Solitaire” — seemed unassuming on face. I’d never played any card-based video games before, and “Balatro” just seemed like a spinoff of other card games, albeit with better visuals. Most popular games, and ones I’ve enjoyed before, were fast-paced, action-based games focused on reaching objectives or taking down enemies (cough, cough, “Brawl Stars”). Simply put, a single-player passive card game didn’t seem like it would be consistently engaging.
And, boy, was I wrong.
The game offered something more than its unassuming title of being a “card game” — long-term strategy and decision-making. It was easy to learn yet difficult to master.
Generally speaking, the objective of the game is to play poker hands from a given hand of cards. Each poker hand gives a score calculated through a certain starting number (“base chips”) and a multiplier. The goal for each round is to reach a required score using a given number of hands and discards.
But here’s the twist: You can “upgrade” your hand scores through deck modifiers and Joker cards. The Joker cards are the lifeblood of the game and give “Balatro” a unique spin.
With 150 different Joker cards, each with its own ability to help your run, every round is fresh and interesting. With abilities ranging from “Scary Face: Played face cards give +30 Chips when scored,” to “Acrobat: x3 Mult on final hand of round,” there’s almost an infinite number of ways to approach the game, allowing for strategies beyond basic card game functions.
As the game goes on, the required score gets higher, but you’re able to invest in better jokers. This creates an environment where you’re often faced with tough decisions: whether to buy a Joker to complete the next round or save up your money for a potentially better Joker in the future.
Although Joker cards are the main part of “Balatro,” they’re just the tip of the iceberg. There are also Tarot Cards, Spectral Cards, Planet Cards, Vouchers, Blinds, Interests, Decks and all sorts of things that make the game even more unique. I’m sure you don’t want to hear me talk about these things all day, but just know that these items are introduced in a way that makes it all easy to grasp yet fun to play.
Even though there’s inevitably some luck to the game, like which Jokers are available to buy and what cards you draw into your hand, the aspect of chance actually complements rather than detracts from the gameplay. “Balatro” strikes a perfect balance between strategy-making and luck, allowing players to reach high levels with lucky draws, but it also requires good decisions to maintain consistency of play.
The game also gives players a lot of freedom on what moves to do, making it sometimes agonizingly difficult to select a move, but also extremely rewarding when a strategy works out. There are times when I’ve turned half of my deck into 10s (don’t ask why), or I’ve played a single high card over a Royal Flush to get a better score through Joker synergy.
As you play more and more, you discover more and more Joker cards, more starting decks and more difficulty options, making the game not only fun for short-term play but also for long-term progression as well.
Aside from the gameplay itself, the art style and music are all really fun and fresh. The creativity of designing the Jokers stands out a lot as well — I could really tell that whoever invented all the Jokers cards put a lot of effort into thinking of abilities and creating a synergy among them.
Some Joker names are honestly really clever. For instance, there’s “Fibonacci: Each played Ace, 2, 3, 5, or 8 gives +8 Mult when scored” and “Hanging Chad: Retrigger first played card used in scoring two additional times.” I’m sure AP Gov students would appreciate the latter reference.
Even without being a fan of strategy or card games, “Balatro” can still be engaging and fun. There’s a reason why “Balatro” has 5.0 stars on Steam with over 100k+ reviews and received three different awards at the 2024 Game Awards.
So, in the end, if you’re ever bored or want to try out something refreshing and new, “Balatro” is my recommendation as the go-to video game to explore.