Every year, there are a select few games that unexpectedly explode in popularity. Much of the time these are indie games, and do something nobody’s seen before. Minecraft, Undertale, Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight, Among Us, Palworld… there’s more than you realize once you start counting. Balatro joined the list in 2024, and is still gaining popularity. But what’s all the fuss about? 

Balatro takes elements from Solitaire and Poker and turns things up to eleven. You’re given a standard deck of 52 cards, a hand of 8, and a limited number of Poker hands to hit a certain score. Each card you play is worth a certain number of chips, and multiplied by a value based on the type of hand you play. But as soon as you’ve completed that first round, things get crazy. 

You’re given cash for completing each round, more for each hand left unused. In between rounds you can access the shop, which features a variety of different items. 

Planet cards increase the score you get for a specific kind of hand.

Tarot cards modify specific playing cards in your deck, such as changing their suit or rank.

Spectral cards modify your playing cards more heavily than Tarot cards, such as converting a full hand of cards to a single suit.

Vouchers Modify no cards, but give other upgrades such as increasing your hand size by 1.

Joker cards sit in their own special hand, and have special effects that usually trigger by playing a certain kind of hand (such as a +12 score multiplier when you play a three of a kind).

Over time, if you plan your purchases carefully, you can build up a specific kind of deck that has synergy with specific Joker cards and types of hands to rack up some crazy scores. For example, one of the strategies I tried was making a build around face cards. I would use Tarot cards to convert numbered cards into Kings, and then purchase specific Jokers from the shop that gave benefits for using face cards. One of them gave a +5 multiplier for each face card played, and another gave +30 chips for each face. I then only played flush five hands, and upgraded the hand with planet cards.

Now, this game is a roguelike, which means you restart from the beginning every time you die. But don’t let that scare you away; you’re meant to play over and over again. There are about 24 rounds in any given run, with a special boss every 3 rounds, meaning you can usually finish a run in an hour or less. Beating the final round unlocks not only a new deck to play with (giving a new twist) but also lets you continue playing endlessly until you die. Combined with a select number of Joker cards that are unlocked through achievements, I’d say this provides a satisfying amount of permanent progression. 

Graphics 

These are amazing graphics, especially for a game made by a single person. The pixel art is fantastic, and many of the Joker cards have hilarious images and gags. Animation is also above par, as every card flips and slides around swiftly. And if you rack up a score that is significantly higher than the blind, the chips and multiplier boxes begin to shake and burst into flames. The backgrounds remind me of the trippy, otherworldly battle scenes in Earthbound. They even change dynamically – Boss Blinds tend to have a deep, dark hue that returns to a lighter, more pleasant color once defeated. 

Faith Perspective 

What is there to say from a faith perspective? Well, the first thing that will probably catch most Christian eyes are the Tarot Cards. They are based on a real set of popular tarot cards that are used for occult practices today. However, before the 17th century, those same cards were used simply for playing games, as poker cards are now. Balatro treats the Tarot Cards the original way – never for anything occult-like, so I’d say the spiritual risk is significantly reduced. 

Probably the most troubling thing in the game are the Spectral Cards. These have more direct occult theming, with names just as “Talisman”, “Medium” and “Ouija” along with accompanying imagery. However, as far as I know, these are not equivalents of any real-world cards and similar to the Tarot Cards are only used for play. 

Finally, I would seriously watch out for getting addicted to this game. I recall seeing people online talking about how bad it would be for their productivity once Balatro released on mobile, and I completely understand why. I was hooked the day I bought this game, and on day two I racked up 4 hours of gameplay – probably twice as much as I thought I played. I would advise most people who decide to pick up this game to limit themselves to at least a run or two per day. Also consider lowering the screen shake and turning off vibration to make the game less stimulating. I don’t think our brains are adept at handling the volume of flashing numbers and colors that appear when you get into the later rounds as is. 

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