Balatro received Game Of The Year nominations on social media. Especially those who expressed the opinion that “It's a card game. It doesn't deserve a GOTY.” Other things I've seen include:
“Balatro looks lame compared to Hong Kong.”
“I know how good Balatro is, but I don't think it's a card game without a story. Interesting gameplay And artistic vision should be nominated.”
“It's a card game. I'm fine.”
“Balatro looks like a cheap mobile game”
“I don't understand how games about poker and gambling have ridiculous art designs. How did it get nominated for Game Of The Year?”
Although I don't begrudge anyone having their personal opinion. But it's my job to argue with them. I think Balatro has an artistic vision. It has interesting gameplay, looks just as good as Wukong in a completely different way, and sometimes “cheap mobile games” are exactly what I need in my life.
Get to know Balatro
Balatro doesn't have the flashy next-gen graphics of Black Myth: Wukong, the world-building of Shadow of Erdtree, or the polished RPG mechanics of Metaphor: Refantazio, but it's the game I've spent the most time on over the past year. Balatro Take one of the world's most iconic poker games and give it a new twist. The result is a completely unique gameplay style. This is a raw style of play at its best. Among those GOTY nominees, Balatro is polished, engaging and superbly designed. All this by one developer. This is a clever game. I've seen comparisons to Tetris, mostly because the game is fundamentally simple and well-designed. Which can be taken to extremes if you put it in the right hands. Instead, the idea was that Balatro might be the next GOAT. Let's not be too careless.
Is it the best game of all time? No, probably not. Is it the best indie game of all time? No, probably not. Is it a good game? Yes. Obviously.
I've played balatro at tables, on buses, in bathrooms, on planes, on trains, and at a particularly boring wedding. My passion for games came in waves. And whenever I want to play It will be in my bag. Balatro's gaming loop has a dopamine fix. It takes less than thirty minutes to understand what you need to do in the game. But it takes hundreds of hours to cultivate gold. (Highest Difficulty Level) The journey to becoming a good player at Balatro is all about understanding the game's meta – a high hand is often your best strategy. Because you'll always have what you need to make high-scoring hands. But it's also about adaptability. How the card falls It feels incredible every time you build a deck that hits the stratosphere. The game was confirmed immediately and the score multiplication sound was like rushing.
Balatro's visual and sound design is also top notch. A hypnotic soundtrack loops in my dreams. And the face of a joker card floats in the corner of my eye after I play for too long.
GOTY Dilemma
The crux of the problem with discussions about GOTY is that it's completely subjective. Balatro might be my GOTY, but it might not be yours. That's okay. But to dismiss a clever game like Balatro as 'just a card game' strikes me. confused For some reason, Balatro is considered less of a triple-A game because it's 'like Solitaire' (it's not, but this is another rotten comment I've seen). It frustrates me. The game is more than just IP fanfare and Raytracing, Balatro has a lot of soul to it. We should celebrate games like this. Instead of knocking it down
And that's really what this is all about: Balatro's developers posted on X that they were very excited about the nominations. It's a bizarre result that solo developers can only dream of. I don't think Balatro will win GOTY, but I believe it has a right to be on the list. The last indie nominee for GOTY that we received at TGA was Stray in 2022. I really liked that game. But I don't think it deserves to win GOTY before Elden Ring…obviously Hades vs Last Of Us Part 2 in 2020? That was a little closer to calling.
Winner or not, Balatro is a great game. And you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't even try. In theory, that's what The Game Awards is all about. Let's ignore the sometimes pointless support and controversial rule changes. Or a change in the rules. It depends on who you ask, and the TGA should be about celebrating the diverse gaming industry. I think it's pretty cool that games like Wukong and Balatro both received the same award. You can enjoy both. or both But it cannot be denied that they both earned a place on the list.
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How is your wallet looking at Black Friday this year?
Here in the US, Best Buy's sale of Persona and Armored Core doesn't make things easy for me.
