Degeneracy at its finest. Takes about 10 hours to figure the game out but once you do this is digitized coke. Replay value is very high and the game play changes announced for 2025 will ensure that I will continue to get the shakes trying to hit my "flush house". Game literally got me to uninstall DK on my phone.

Come for Jimbo, Stay for Gros Michel and Wheel of Fortune.

Very hard to say something that hasn't already been said about this game.

It's poker but as an insane roguelike with tons of additional rules that do not get in the way of pokering in increasingly crazy way (as opposed to, say, Dungeons and Degenerates which tries to do the same thing to blackjack but drowns in overcomplicated additions to the mechanics of blackjack).

It has pretty much only one drawback: its soundtrack. Yes, it's a variable mix, but it's a variable mix of the same track, which, albeit good, is gonna grate on you ten hours later.

Other than that? Perfect timewaster.

Balatro is an excellent game. You can buy it with confidence, knowing you'll get your money's worth. If you want to learn more about why this is, read on.

Slay the Spire was the first deckbuilder roguelike game to go viral, effectively starting a new genre. Many similar games followed, some of which were good, but none quite reached the same level of addiction we experienced.

Balatro is, by far, the first deckbuilder roguelike to be on par with what Slay the Spire started. And the best part is that Balatro has begun a movement of its own. Developers are now making "gambling" themed roguelikes inspired by Balatro and its deckbuilding predecessors.

It's hard to put into words why Balatro is so good, but it simply is. The game becomes addictive very quickly. It is well-balanced, offering many different routes for combos and deckbuilding. The soundtrack is awesome, the UI is great and easy to understand, and the game's challenge is solid and fair. It’s just a very well-crafted game.

And to think that the entire game was created and developed by one single person! This is a remarkable achievement for a first game. Balatro is definitely here to stay. The developer has already promised free content for next year (2025). I think it will be challenging to add new content without upsetting the current balance, but I have a feeling we'll see some great updates.

I recommend this game to anyone, whether they are new to deckbuilders or seasoned veterans. This is an excellent title. I give it 9.5/10.