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Balatro looks really impressive
- Thread starter leonokarin
- Start date
Puscifer
Member
There's a demo
Senua
Member
HRK69
Gold Member
bender
What time is it?
Don't worry, people flipped out when I called HL2 an disappointing sequel earlier this week. Not bad mind you, just lesser than the original.
nikos
Member
I was going to give Half-Life another shot last night because I didn't even like it when it first released.
Heimdall_Xtreme
Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
I prefer Yu-GI-OH to this... and I haven't played YU-GI-OH
bender
What time is it?
gunslikewhoa
Member
I had to hide it in my game library.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
Balatro is the perfect drug. I never played or cared about poker or card games in my life but this game is just magic. The Joker possibilities are so fun, every run is unexpected. Its one of those games you can play for 15 mins and put down but then you look at the clock and its been 3 hours. No you dont need to be a know-it-all in poker, just to know basic hands: 2 pair, three of a kind, flush, straight, full house. once you can recognize those on the table, its heroin time.
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bender
What time is it?
Now go play Challenge 20.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
I havent tried the challenges yet but will do.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
You are supposed to play the game, not look at it. Then you would see what all the fuss is about.
nkarafo
Member
Ι'm saying i associate the "looks impressive" phrase with the technical aspects, the graphics in particular. Not the gameplay.
FalconPunch
Member
I purchased this game from steam, played for about an hour, refunded it. It’s alright and puts a unique spin on poker. It’s not really special though. The fact that this game is a nominee for game of the year is actually a giant joke. It’s an 7.5-8/10 game. Competent, polished, not remotely ground breaking at all. It could be nominated for like indie game of the year but even that, I’m not so sure of… Maybe mobile game of the year? Again, I’m not so sure…
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bender
What time is it?
FalconPunch
Member
An hour of my time I won’t get back. I had to turn it off because it was so boring. The hook is weak af.A whole hour?
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Windle Poons
Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
I’ve played it for several hours but one or two times got to a boss and it was draw only one hand and I’d got to get something like 40,000 points and even with all my jokers it was and like nah and then just game over start again.
That’s not ‘rogue like’ to me that’s fundamentally fucked and blocking you from progressing.
Unless I’m missing something and you experts that say it’s crack wanna fill me in.
That’s not ‘rogue like’ to me that’s fundamentally fucked and blocking you from progressing.
Unless I’m missing something and you experts that say it’s crack wanna fill me in.
bender
What time is it?
I appreciate you trying it but your opinion on the quality of the game is worthless beyond it not being your cup of tea.
The bosses are built to hard counter setups. One thing I'm really bad at in games is figuring out something that works and then relying on that too much without experimenting. With Balatro, I really liked pumping up the value of pairs and three-of-kind along with the joker that multiplies your score if you play three or less cards. I was focused on trying to get that setup every run and banged my head against that wall. But then there is a boss that will only let you play a hand type once which can end your run if the score threshold is too high and your multipliers can't overcome it. I recommend people try the challenge mode as it teaches you more about different setups with and without jokers. The 20th challenge is Jokerless which is exactly as it sounds, you have no Jokers for multipliers. It seems impossible at first but then you learn what can be done to modify thee cards themselves to build huge scores. It's still a real motherfucker to beat. You'll still lose runs to RNG like any other rogue. I think people are used to meta progression in roguelikes and while Balatro has unlocks for more Jokers and Decks, that doesn't fundamentally make the game easier like something you'd see in Rogue Legacy or Hades.
I will say it got its' hooks into me right away. I think that's due to the poker which made it easy to grasp for me. I put ten or twenty hours into Slay the Spire and it never got its' hooks into me like that. A few hours without getting it hooks into you worries me a bit in that it might not be the game for you.
The last hand of my Jokerless win which probably took me hundreds of attempts over a few days:
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FalconPunch
Member
I’m sure you’d know that as the arbiter of all opinions /s. Your opinion on the game is beyond worthless despite the fact that it’s your cup of tea. See how that works?
The game is stupid easy if you’ve played poker all your life and are competent at math, it’s just boring. it was far too easy for me to get a win. I didn’t try any challenges though. Being able to skip blinds made it all the more easier. Once you have the right jokers, it’s a walk in the park.
I suppose to the simple minded, it might be the next best thing since sliced bread. To me, it’s a below average math/probability problem.
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bender
What time is it?
It being your cup of tea or not isn't what makes your opinion invalid, it's your time investment. You played a run or two on the first of eight difficulty levels. Gee, I wonder why it was easy? You also didn't try the challenge mode. You didn't have time to unlock many decks or additional jokers, if any at all. You haven't scratched the surface of the content so you assigning a score to it, judging how groundbreaking it is, and its' worthiness of an award is something you can't possibly articulate.
N0S
Al Pachinko, Konami President
FalconPunch
Member
Yea no but sorry I strongly disagree. Everything you just mentioned are variations on the core gameplay loop which is what I have a problem with. I don’t need all the content to understand the core gameplay loop. If you’re the type that needs to play a game to the end to make a decision on whether you like it, more power to you. Some people can distill the core gameplay ideas after playing a game for a short while. Others can even tell by watching gameplay and never playing whether they think the gameplay loop is interesting to them.
It being your cup of tea or not isn't what makes your opinion invalid, it's your time investment. You played a run or two on the first of eight difficulty levels. Gee, I wonder why it was easy? You also didn't try the challenge mode. You didn't have time to unlock many decks or additional jokers, if any at all. You haven't scratched the surface of the content so you assigning a score to it, judging how groundbreaking it is, and its' worthiness of an award is something you can't possibly articulate.
I do not find the gameplay loop enticing or interesting at all. Coming into the game, I already knew how it played from watching gameplay and playing it only reaffirmed my initial impressions. If you like it, good for you. I don’t think it’s a goty candidate based on the core gameplay loop. This is not a content driven game and by that, I mean it has no story, no ideas it’s trying to communicate to the audience. This is a game that lives and dies by its gameplay. It’s a 7.5-8/10 game for me. Competent and not remotely addictive for me. While it’s more deserving than Elden ring dlc being a goty candidate, it’s still not worthy of a nomination in my opinion.
bender
What time is it?
No one said you need to see everything but you engaged with little more than the tutorial. If the loop doesn't grab you, that's fair, but your opinion beyond that has very little value which is the point you missed in the first place. Happy to disagree though.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
Yea it happens but that is why the game is so randomized and every run is different. Because not only should you have good card hands but you need to upgrade them as well as your deck and constantly juggling between getting planet or tarrot cards for the buffs. Also you can run into a no-death joker. This isnt a game like Hades where you continually get better to no end. If you made a bad decision, if you invested upgrades in the wrong direction, it can cost you. Like any card game, its meant to be played over and over. The more you play the more unique cards or jokers you get unlocked which can help in next run IF you run into those cards. Ive ran into that boss blind and twice I demolished it because my cards were so buff but i also reach an end because i didnt have a strong hand.
Point is to unlock newer decks, they all have their own pros cons, then you can raie difficulty but in return youd get more cash and crazier jokers. Also, you can see the boss blind as soon as the run starts so it gives you 2 chances to adjust your deck before you reach the boss. But no, this is no single deck and just reach the end one day totally OP. Its a game of luck.
bender
What time is it?
RNJesus can be a real motherfucker.
DragoonKain
Neighbours from Hell
Everyone raves about this game, but I don't like card games, roguelites. Any chance I would like that game if I don't like either? Is this one of those "card game for those who don't like card games" type of thing?
bender
What time is it?
I’ve never liked a card game before this, my enjoyment of Roguelikes boils down to Shiren and Spelunky. I like Poker so wrapping my head around Balatro was easy. There is no longer a demo but you could try it out on Steam and refund if the first two hours don’t click. It hooked me right away.
DragoonKain
Neighbours from Hell
This may sound dumb, but do you compete against an AI decks? Otherwise I'm not sure how you "win" and what keeps the player going.
bender
What time is it?
You have point totals you need to reach per round and a limited number of hands/draws. The point requirements grow each round. Every third round is a boss battle which will have requirements (extra large point totals, no repeat hands, cards are drawn face down, etc.).
ReyBrujo
Member
That's exactly what the Berlin interpretation of "rogue-like" asks for, perma-death. You gotta end the game in just one try.
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Herbspiceguy
Member
This game is amazing. Bought it on Friday night and I'm already at 13 hours (cocooning with flu benefits).
I posted my initial impression of the game yesterday (in the overrated 2024 thread):
So I'm 4.7 hours in and just landed my first winning run. Well, I feel the game is like digital crack and had me playing nearly non-stop.
I've never played poker (which was my initial resistance to buy the game), but I do like some deck-building/trading card games. I mainly play smaller indie titles, with the odd competitive online title:
Balatro grabbed me unlike anything else I've played this year, so I can totally get behind it being a GotY nominee. The game is extremely refined and polished at what it is trying to achieve.
Saying it's just a little time waster (aren't all games time wasters?) and math game, feels like it doesn't do the game justice and reduces it to just poker or solitaire. The excitement in rogue-lites come from the meta game of creating powerful synergies through skills and perks, or in the case of Balatro through jokers in combination with planet, tarot, celestial cards as well specific upgraded cards. The eureka moment when you've found something that works, that could likely win your run, or even break the game, is extremely satisfying. Well, the dev totally knocked that aspect out of the park.
The presentation, aesthetic and (the excellent) main theme blend very well and feels like it's sucking me into an occult-like alternative dimension.
I think the negative sentiment comes from it being nominated at the Game Awards, being a small indie title, potentially snubbing this year's major AAA+ hits. This just comes down to different strokes; how much do you value production and content as a means to decide the 'true' GotY. In terms of replayability/time spent and enjoyment I feel that doesn't matter.
All in all, I definitely do no think it's overrated and it being a nominee feels deserved, but I'll say I'm also biased because I love quality indie titles and rogue-lites.
I just landed my 2nd win with insane King synergies:
- Ceremonial dagger ended up with 80 mult
- Hologram ended up with x7.5
- DNA was used to clone a shit-ton of kings, with an extra hand voucher to negate 'wasting' the first hand:
Went all out on Mars:
I noticed the game got a huge spike on Steam, likely due to the GA nomination buzz:
But some ppl also seem very angry it got nominated:
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DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
It's an amazing game. Simples
ReyBrujo
Member
Lol, my bet is that they are Stellar Blade fans.
clarky
Gold Member
I'm working my way through the different decks and difficulties, think I'm about half way. Awesome game.
This game is amazing. Bought it on Friday night and I'm already at 13 hours (cocooning with flu benefits).
I posted my initial impression of the game yesterday (in the overrated 2024 thread):
I just landed my 2nd win with insane King synergies:
- Ceremonial dagger ended up with 80 mult
- Hologram ended up with x7.5
- DNA was used to clone a shit-ton of kings, with an extra hand voucher to negate 'wasting' the first hand:
Went all out on Mars:
I noticed the game got a huge spike on Steam, likely due to the GA nomination buzz:
But some ppl also seem very angry it got nominated:
Perfect now I can play on the phone as well.
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Dr.brain64
Member
goty 
Sooner
Member
It's really no more Poker than Yahtzee is
MajinSweet4
Member
Gamers when only first party AAA games get nominated for GOTY: "Everyone knows the VGAs are a joke, it's just a big commercial, remember that Bloodborne didn't win a single award? Journalist don't know real gaming."
Gamers when a small title gets a nomination purely on innovative game design: "Why is this game even being talked about, it doesn't even have a story."
Gamers when a small title gets a nomination purely on innovative game design: "Why is this game even being talked about, it doesn't even have a story."
Herbspiceguy
Member
Recommended watch:
I'm 52 hours in, still struggling on blue stake / red deck.
I think I saw someone posting on GAF 100% achievement, that means beating all gold stakes. That's quite a feat.
I'm 52 hours in, still struggling on blue stake / red deck.
I think I saw someone posting on GAF 100% achievement, that means beating all gold stakes. That's quite a feat.