Balatro is really something else. I've never really been a fan of Poker, nor have I been a fan of card games in general, but this one managed to pull me in the moment I tried it and it's been an incredible time.

There's not really much to say in terms of graphics, but the soundtrack is just perfect for keeping you mesmerized in the game. Perhaps the best thing that I personally found with the game is that for any given run up to Ante 8, really any hand or strategy is viable and plans can change at any given moment based on the jokers, spectrals and tarot cards that you manage to hit. You really can win with anything, and the freedom to manipulate your deck to however you like really keeps it fresh and enjoyable each time.

However, the strongest point of the game I think also sort of applies inversely. Ante 11 becomes a rigid checkpoint where it's basically a question of "Do you have Baron & Mime with a lot of red seal Steel Kings or not" and if yes, you can continue on and hopefully hit the coveted NaNinf score or end your run to an unfortunate boss blind. Due to the way scaling works in the game, and especially so on higher stakes, it seems at least for now that the only viable strategy to score absurd amounts and hit the super high antes is to play the high card Baron build. If you only play for completion and up to 8 antes, this is not really a problem.

The game is truly a gem and well worth the full asking price and I guess here I go chasing after all gold stakes...Anything but the Black Deck though, ugh...

Balatro is really something else. I've never really been a fan of Poker, nor have I been a fan of card games in general, but this one managed to pull me in the moment I tried it and it's been an incredible time. There's not really much to say in terms of graphics, but the soundtrack is just perfect for keeping you mesmerized in the game. Perhaps the best thing that I personally found with the game is that for any given run up to Ante 8, really any hand or strategy is viable and plans can change at any given moment based on the jokers, spectrals and tarot cards that you manage to hit. You really can win with anything, and the freedom to manipulate your deck to however you like really keeps it fresh and enjoyable each time. However, the strongest point of the game I think also sort of applies inversely. Ante 11 becomes a rigid checkpoint where it's basically a question of "Do you have Baron & Mime with a lot of red seal Steel Kings or not" and if yes, you can continue on and hopefully hit the coveted NaNinf score or end your run to an unfortunate boss blind. Due to the way scaling works in the game, and especially so on higher stakes, it seems at least for now that the only viable strategy to score absurd amounts and hit the super high antes is to play the high card Baron build. If you only play for completion and up to 8 antes, this is not really a problem. The game is truly a gem and well worth the full asking price and I guess here I go chasing after all gold stakes...Anything but the Black Deck though, ugh...