'That Rating Doesn't Make Any Sense' Balatro Creator…

Summary

Balatro creator LocalThunk couldn't believe how high review scores for Balatro were at the game's launch.
The developer said that the scores 'didn't make any sense,' even claiming that he would have only given the game an eight out of ten at the time.
The poker roguelike continues to be a hit, selling over 3.5 million copies by December 2024.

Balatro creator LocalThunk was stunned and in complete disbelief after seeing the game's initial review scores following its February 2024 launch. Despite being an indie title created by a single developer, Balatro was one of the biggest games of last year, with the poker roguelike even being nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024.

Released on February 20, 2024, Balatro was an instant hit, with many quickly praising the indie title for its easy-to-understand gameplay that is also incredibly tough to master. Fast-paced and addictive, the title tasks players with forming Poker hands to reach specific point goals, with dozens of unique Joker cards adding multipliers and special abilities to the mix. Combining certain Jokers can push a player's score into the hundreds of millions, and fans have spent the past year formulating the best strategies. While players had no trouble seeing why Balatro was so popular, its creator wasn't so confident that it would catch on with general audiences.

Balatro Gets an Unofficial Nintendo DS Port

The ever-popular deckbuilding roguelike game Balatro is brought to even more devices, with one modder creating a port for Nintendo DS.

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By Luke Dammann

In a recent blog post, developer LocalThunk shared more about Balatro's development process, including details about the title's launch day. According to the creator, the first major review came courtesy of PC Gamer, with the publication giving Balatro a score of 91. According to him, LocalThunk was on a call with publisher Playstack at the time. "I can tell they are pretty shocked. I am shocked. That rating doesn’t make any sense," the developer wrote. Following this, the game continued to see stellar reviews from dozens of other publications and thousands of players, with Balatro sitting at 92 on OpenCritic. LocalThunk explains that this increased his excitement for launch day, as he also joked that he would only give Balatro an eight out of 10, despite being the one who made it. In the post, the solo dev also claims that Balatro's unprecedented launch was 10-20 times larger than he and the publisher anticipated.

Localthunk Stunned by High Reviews Following Balatro’s February 2024 Launch

By mid-December 2024, Balatro had sold over 3.5 million copies, with its appearance at The Game Awards 2024 boosting player interest in the poker deck-builder. The title was nominated for Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Mobile Game, Best Independent Game, and Best Debut Indie Game, winning in the last three categories. Balatro also brought in over $1 million in its first week on Android and iOS devices, with sales still going strong over a year after its initial PC and console release.

LocalThunk is an outspoken supporter of indie games, with the creator naming Animal Well his personal 2024 Game of the Year. Also made by a solo developer, Billy Basso, the Metroidvania puts players in the role of an unnamed creature as they explore underground labyrinths filled with unique creatures. Animal Well was also nominated for many awards, snagging Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

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