Balatro: The Review

Overview

Balatro is a deceptively simple, wildly addictive roguelike deckbuilder that fuses classic poker mechanics with chaotic, combo-driven strategy. Don’t let its retro pixel art and chill soundtrack fool you—beneath the surface is a brilliantly designed game of risk, planning, and endlessly satisfying escalation. It turns something as familiar as a full house or flush into a tactical puzzle, and the result is a masterclass in replayability and design economy.

Score: 9.5 out of 10

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The Positives ✅

Balatro kind of came outta nowhere for me, but once I got into the hang of it, I legit couldn’t stop. Think poker, but like... on steroids. The whole core mechanic is built around seeing how far you can take a hand and how big you can make that score go (spoiler alert: IT GOES BIG), and it just keeps getting more and more explosive the longer you go. I’d be sitting there thinking I’m doing alright, and then suddenly I’m racking up some ridiculous score just because a few Jokers clicked the right way. That core loop? Super addictive.

Sometimes you build this insane synergy totally by accident, and it’s the best feeling ever. Like, no two runs ever feel the same. I kept telling myself, "Just one more run,” and then it would be like 2 am, and I’m still trying to beat my next Ante.

It’s also just a chill game to look at and listen to. That retro CRT vibe and jazzy background music give it a cool, laid-back feel, even when your brain’s working overtime trying to min-max everything. And it never feels bloated or overcomplicated. Everything just clicks, and there’s always something to experiment with. Honestly, it’s one of those games I’ll probably keep coming back to for a long time.

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The Negatives ⚠️

Y'all, as much as I’ve been addicted to Balatro (like everyone on Earth), I have to admit: it's not a perfect game (like, it's really, really close... but just not there yet). Sometimes the RNG just decides to ruin your life. You’re feeling good, stacking up combos, thinking you're on a roll, and then outta nowhere: every Joker you pull is trash, none of the cards you actually need show up, and the whole run just falls apart. It’s brutal. I understand that luck is part of the fun and a typical aspect of these types of games, but when your run gets sent to the garbage bin for no real reason? That doesn’t feel like good game design; it just feels like the game’s messing with you.

And, y'all, when I first jumped in, I had no idea what was going on. The game throws all these different wacky concepts at you (crazy Tarot cards, crazy Jokers, Planet cards, like y'all, let's take a beat) with little to zero explanation, and I was just sitting there thinking, "What the hell just happened?" I guess some people dig that “figure it out yourself” vibe, and it does eventually click, but I would have appreciated just a little more help starting out.

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The Experience 🎮

Balatro is lightning in a bottle. It takes something super familiar like poker and somehow turns it into this insanely addictive strategy game without it ever feeling like it's trying too hard. It’s got that perfect mix of being easy to pick up but hard to put down, and once you start stacking up those busted Joker combos, it just completely takes over your brain. Like, you’ll start thinking, “What if I just push this a little further?”, and suddenly it’s 2 AM and you’re chasing some ridiculous score.

If you’re even kinda into cards, strategy, or just love seeing numbers go nuts, this game will 100% eat up your free time, and you’ll be weirdly cool with that. 🃏♠️🔥