Balatro Reviews
The time has come to put the scales and find out if Balatro is really worth it. Believe us when we tell you that it is a game that fulfills its main objective, which is to entertain you and keep you with the controller playing. A sense of accomplishment and fun has been achieved that always makes us want to come back for a little more.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
While the idea of a poker roguelike might sound like a niche game, the flair and fun found within Balatro makes it an absolute must-play for fans of the genre. Breaking the rules of poker to score millions of chips in a single hand was a rush, and I was always chasing ways to push it even further beyond. While there are a few times you can feel snubbed by the luck of the draw, these are wildly overshadowed by the moments where you hit it big.
Balatro is one of those deceptively-approachable ideas that will absolutely consume you the more you start to puzzle out its secrets and intricacies. It somehow makes playing the same game over and over feel completely fresh in possibility each time, and doles out just enough new ideas and just the right amount of intoxicating feedback to keep you thinking "one more game" well into the AM.
Balatro from developer LocalThunk is a marvel of a poker experience. While its base-level design is poker, the game’s complicated layers of beautiful strategic ridiculousness driven by upgrades, buffs, and jokers make for a unique experience that is both stimulating and challenging.
Though I have no doubt anybody who likes cards, poker, video games, or joy will have a great time with it, I feel I should also note that it does wear itself out significantly faster than most of its brethren.
No two games of Balatro are ever the same, which is only one of the reasons why we love this poker roguelike so much. Sure, it’s annoying if your run doesn’t get off the ground — it’s easy to fail early on if you can’t get your hands on a good Joker. But when you’re in the swing of things, scoring tens of thousands with just one hand, you’ll feel like the most powerful card baron there ever was. Simple and devious, Balatro is, quite frankly, brilliant — and I’m going to be playing this for months to come.
Balatro is excellent all around. The concept is simple, and while the various card types seem overly complicated, the game remains easy to understand no matter how many rules there are. It's utterly enjoyable to the point where you'll keep coming back no matter how many times you lose to a boss with a ridiculous modifier. For anyone who likes card games, Balatro is a must-have.
Balatro is fast and addictive, a game that takes familiar ideas and adds enough twists and turns to keep players engaged. Take a look at the Collection to see how many potential jokers, booster packs, tags, and more can influence a run. Each run generates a sense of excitement and possibility, even if it ends quickly after a run of bad card draws.
Balatro is one of the best examples of the growing number of deck building games in recent years. With the freedom it offers, the joy of new strategies and much more, it's a royal flush.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
A wonderful roguelike card game which twists poker rules in unexpected ways. It would seem that after Slay the Spire this genre won't be able to surprise in any way, but cool ideas from independent developers continue to appear.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Balatro is a true phenomenon. Simple in its execution, but giant in its complexity.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Balatro is an incredibly clever indie gem that uses the bones of regular poker to build an incredibly approachable and fiendishly addictive new experience. There's a wonderfully slick core to this one, building decks and taking on dealers as you add wild special cards and variables to your pack is trance-inducing stuff and, backed by a fantastically understated soundtrack and perfect visuals, it makes for one of the first proper, actual, absolute must-play games of 2024.
Now, please, let me play my Balatro in peace. I got an idea for a sick flush strat that I want to try out. So I'll y'all later.
It's impressive how long Balatro's simple gameplay can keep you entertained so be sure to play it if you enjoy a good ol' game of poker.
Balatro is a roguelike that mixes the classic rules of Poker with some innovative mechanics that make this a particularly fascinating, original and above all mesmerising title. It won't be easy, once you have understood the best strategies to continue in Balatro, to tear yourself away from the screen.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Balatro is a triumph in simple-yet-airtight game design, combining the old-schoolness of poker & card shark mechanics with the new roguelike and deck-building-to-perfection loop that leads to an addictive time.
"Finally, a gambling game you should play!"
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Balatro has taken the world by storm. As such, you probably have the game on install as you read this article. However, if you haven’t pulled the trigger and purchased your copy of this addictive title, then I suggest you do so here! Can you overcome every “blind” and complete a run? Pick your cards, choose your hand, and allow tactics and fate to do the talking.
The constantly challenging nature of Balatro makes it an unforgettable experience and a delight for Poker enthusiasts.
Balatro is in equal measures a sensational and maddening roguelike deck-building experience that will keep you going for that all-so-close high score for hours upon hours.