How Balatro Is Breaking 1 Million Games Sales Records in Less than 1 Month

Card games have become popular over the years, but not the ones we want. There are only a few popular card games here and there based on the actual deck of 52 playing cards, with most being just themed deck-builder games.

Balatro sales top one million https://t.co/maracs2y0H pic.twitter.com/3pXTalM1rF

— Gematsu (@gematsu) March 18, 2024

However, Balatro, the new indie card game that merges the standard deck of 52 playing cards, embodies the classic card deck game. Following the rules of poker, Balatro has blown up in the gaming community and we’re talking about how that happened.

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Balatro Is Not Your Typical Card Game

The genre of card games has become so diverse that everyone has played one, whether it’s Magic the Gathering, Marvel Snap, or the good old Pokemon trading card games. One of the main reasons Balatro has received so much praise and fame is that it is unlike any of those games.

As highlighted earlier, Balatro uses a deck of 52 playing cards and follows the poker rules. Simple enough, right? Now mix up some Jokers, Tarots, and Planet cards that completely change the nature of the game. Not only that, but your main goal isn’t to bluff out your opponent. To win, you must meet the score goal set at the start of each round to progress, so there’s no point playing it safe because that’s going to keep you stuck forever.

Unfortunately, Balatro is only a single-player play given its roguelike attributes. But that hasn’t stopped developer LocalThunk from introducing platform gameplay where you must defeat various opponents and progress up the ladder. In each round, also called “Antes,” players must beat three opponents of increasing difficulty by racking up a higher score.

Aim of the Game

Firstly, if you assume you can win at Balatro the way you win at poker, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise. Balatro doesn’t employ the same rules as poker. When it comes to winning, there are limited rounds. To explain how to win, we first need to explain how the game works.

BALATRO IS A GAME OF SKILL THERE IS NO LUCK INVOLVED GET IT TWISTED pic.twitter.com/AUzPmQ2h44

— addams family stan account (librarian) (@NorthernIion_LP) February 24, 2024

Players start with a standard 52-card deck. The game has several levels called “Antes,” and each Ante has three rounds called ‘Blinds’’ The first Blind is called a Small Blind, then there’s a Big Blind, and then you move on to the Boss Blind. Each Blind has a target score you must meet by creating poker hands from the cards you’re dealt.

You will also have the option of discarding cards; However, there are limited discards per Ante. Now that you’ve got the basics down, winning should sound easy. All you need to do is get a higher score than the target, and you’ll win. Defeat all the Antes, and you’ve completed the game. Although, it wouldn’t be that fun if there weren’t a few twists in the game.

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Special Card and Conditions

We talked about how the game works and what you’re supposed to do, but what about those twists we were talking about? These come with unique cards called Tarots, Jokers, Planets, and special conditions attached to each Boss Blind. These cards and conditions can drastically change the course of the game by rendering carefully crafted strategies completely useless or vice versa.

After each round, players are redirected to the shop to buy these cards with their earnings. Jokers modify the playthrough and can be considered the most crucial type of cards. Planets level up each type of hand by giving you more points for playing two pairs or flushes. Lastly, Tarots allow you to manipulate your playing cards differently, like transforming all cards into a particular suit to help make higher winning hands.

Special conditions are attached to each Boss Blind. These conditions will affect the score you receive for playing a particular hand or maybe even restrict you from playing it in some cases. These conditions remain the same each time you face that boss, so losing to one more than once is pretty uncommon.

Strategical Walkthrough

The most fascinating thing about Balatro is definitely the different strategies you need to apply. Since players receive a random set of special cards each round, they must think quickly about their next move and how to synergise different Jokers, Planets, and Tarots. Picking the wrong card could jeopardise your entire play, leading to a disappointing yet avoidable loss.

Much like poker, Balatro relies on the cards you’re dealt, both from the standard deck and in the shop. The only difference is you can manipulate the table to your liking here, where poker leaves it to luck.

These are some of the main reasons this card game has garnered so much attention, even though the gameplay itself is pretty simple. With each round bringing you something new, it’s difficult to let go and realise just how long you’ve been going at it.

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Parting Notes

If you’re looking for a new card game to pass the time, we’d definitely recommend trying out Balatro. As you’ve read above, the game has many aspects that set it apart from regular card games. It can keep players hooked for hours, so it’s worth giving it a shot before you call it quits.

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