Balatro Review | Pocket player

  • Balatro is a mix of deckbuilder, card-battler and roguelike
  • Accept increasing offers as you work to build the highest ranking hand
  • Collect eclectic wilds with different effects to reach high scores

Balatro, Balatro, Balatro! If you haven't heard the name yet, please send me the number of the rock you live under. While flavor of the month indies are pretty typical, a select few manage to carve out their own little niche to sit comfortably in, sometimes by force. This is the case with today's topic, Joker's rich version of solitaire, poker and, I'm sure, a large number of different card games.

From developer LocalThunk and publisher PlayStack, Balatro is the latest indie to break containment and take the world by storm. And it looks like it's shaping up to be one of those lucky few that hangs on and doesn't let go, both with its recent mobile release and numerous collaborations with a variety of series; from Cyberpunk 2077 to Slay the Spire.

You might have guessed it, but I couldn't wait for Balatro's mobile release. Since working at Pocket Gamer, I've been doing my best to live my truth (or whatever they say) and actively play more mobile games. And Balatro seemed to be the perfect way to pass the time, but like Vampire Survivors it may soon end up in regular rotation on my PC too!

But enough with the preamble. Either you're here to find out if Balatro is right for you, or just to see what rating I gave it. In any case, it's time to delve into this surreal deckbuilding roguelike, so read on and let's get to it!

Disclaimer: I'm not very good at Balatro, so all my screenshots are of low scores and the Red deck.

Yes

Game

Balatro is simple, until it's not. You have to form hands of playing cards which are then tallied and multiplied to reach a certain bet. At first, you just need to focus on getting a good hand, but as the ante increases, you'll need to get a higher and higher score, well beyond the limit mathematically possible with your basic deck and cards. Fail and your race ends, so you're back to where you started.

Of course, there are alternative cards with different effects. A lucky card (represented as a hand-drawn tattered piece of paper) can net you $20 for the store, while a glass card provides a boost to your multiplier, albeit with the chance of shattering. But even these may not be enough. Luckily Balatro knows this.

This is where Balatro's signature mechanic, the Joker, comes into play. Typically not used in many card games, Balatro Jokers are instead collector's items. These range from giving you a random multiplier to multiplying your multiplier by other variables you can mess around with – you also unlock more as you reach more milestones through successful and failed runs. Building a competitive hand can lead you to not just meeting, but exceeding the required score. They come in different variations, sometimes activated only under specific circumstances, and others still, and they all add an addictive twist to a typical card game.

A surreal, swirling backdrop for the Balatro game, with the white title at the top

As you progress, as your stake increases, you will also have the opportunity to enter the shop. The “money” you win can only be spent there, on new Jokers, boosters, or other specific cards that expire after each run. You then move on to each different blind, starting with the small, moving to the large, and then the “Boss Blind” with some mechanics that might require you to only play one type of hand, nerf certain cards, or simply provide a ridiculous score to match.

There's even more mechanics to cover that might make this review too long. Whether it's using Tarot cards to change suits, Planet cards to increase the score of a given hand, or even Spectral cards with destructive yet powerful abilities. If you're not a fan of traditional card games, you'd have to be a fool (pun intended) not to give Balatro a chance.

Those tarot cards I mentioned, and their rare ghostly cousins, can be used to mess with your deck, changing suits, ranks, and adding bonuses to cards in the set, or even simply destroying them.

Graphics

While you don't usually think of graphics as important in a card game, rather than the usual method of adding flashy particle effects and explosions, Balatro instead uses pleasantly crunchy pixel graphics. The hypnotic effects of the background pattern and the punchy use of colors are all very pleasing to the eye, and despite the smaller screen it's still easy to make out the cards, with perhaps the exception of the deck of clubs and spades due to the former which uses a very dark green. which can be mistaken for black at first glance.

A screenshot of Balatro with an empty wildcard tray

Jokers are obviously the place for fun, with designs for each often having their own little jokes or puns. Regular playing cards can also have special versions such as polychrome, foil, glass or gold which all stand out very well from the regular deck. The regular use of more subtle effects like cards that “burn” when you use them is also quite nice. So while Balatro isn't exactly an RTX-ready Unreal Engine display, it looks great, with plenty of its own effects that stand out from the crowd.

Audio

Sonically, Balatro doesn't do much, but what it does do is very good indeed. The pleasant sound of the cards being shuffled, the “ding” as you accumulate multipliers, and even the slow, soothing music all work very well to immerse you and focus your attention on the cards.

An image of some of the Joker cards available in Balatro

The music in particular is amazing, and while repetitive, it's still strangely soothing. If I had to describe it, it would be a sort of surreal mix between elevator muzak and lounge music, which doesn't sound pleasant to the ear, but it really is.

Performance

Performance-wise, Balatro worked perfectly for me. Since it's a technically undemanding card game, I'd be concerned if that wasn't the case. In my case, it had some issues with the phone heating up, but never to the point where it was a concern. And as we've established in previous reviews, my S20 is probably getting ahead a little anyway.

Balatro also offers both offline and online play, and while it warns you if it fails to load your cloud save, I've never seemed to have any issues with lost progress. The options are a little sparse but you can disable effects like screen shaking or CRT lines, adjust the volume and even turn down some of the graphical fidelity if you need to get a little extra performance for whatever reason.

More Balatro gameplay, still no Joker in the tray

What I liked

I found Balatro to be a great way to spend my time. The roguelike element means that each series is different, so you won't end up sticking to a particular hand or playstyle, as you'll have to adapt to the cards you're dealt. This means there's always a new challenge, but nothing quite hits the same level of satisfaction as when you get a particularly awesome set of Jokers that boost your multipliers into the stratosphere.

It's also one of those games that hits the rather rare niche of being one that I don't mind people looking over my shoulder at. While it may be easy to mock someone playing Genshin Impact or Clash of Clans, if you want to seem like a bit of an intellectual in front of random subway passengers, this solitaire game is sure to wow them as they watch this obviously mature individual game.

A screenshot of a card in Balatro's deck menu

What I didn't like

Balatro is difficult to master, especially if you are not a traditional card game player, like I am. Of course, it's not really about “winning” in the strict sense, since the slow increase in antes and the corresponding ridiculous scores you have to achieve are basically aimed at making you slowly increase your high score each time and unlock more Jokers. So really, by the time you finish any of the decks, Balatro will probably already have his hooks firmly in you.

I wish it had more in the way of tutorials for “advanced” gameplay. Figuring out how to prioritize Wild, Tarot, Planet, or Ghostly cards would help me feel a little more in control of how I'm doing. Although, given that there is always the element of chance, I can understand why this might be a fool's errand (pun intended).

Who would want that? (New!)

Now it's time to focus on this additional section for my reviews again! Essentially, I'm answering the simple question, “Is this right for me?” telling you why I think you should buy a game and who it's useful for. Consider this a tl;dr for those who don't want to analyze my opinions and nuances.

Simply put, if you're not averse to spending $9.99 for hours of play on a truly addictive, visually pleasing, and surprisingly deep card game that will keep you coming back for more, then this is the game for you. Balatro has enormous depth and simple rules, but with enough additional mechanics that even after 48 hours you'll feel like you're only scraping the surface.

It's suitable for both card game beginners and avid players, and if you need a way to quickly learn some basic poker hands, this is also a great resource.

A screenshot of Balatro's blocked cards

Conclusion

If you've been reluctant to buy Balatro, don't be. This eclectic mix of deckbuilder, roguelike and card-battler, with a healthy dose of surreal sights and sounds, is worth the relatively minuscule expense to have it in the palm of your hand wherever you go. While other mobile card games may require constant adherence to the meta and struggling with the more resourceful, in Balatro it's just you and Jimbo(?).

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