Balatro, the hit indie game, is now out on Android. Published by Playstack and developed by LocalThunk, it quickly became one of the most addictive games of 2024 when it was released on consoles and PC back in February.
This deck-building roguelike throws a fresh spin on classic card games like Poker and Solitaire. At its core, Balatro lets you craft the best poker hands while dealing with tricky bosses and an ever-changing deck.
What Are The Rules In Balatro?
You’re up against bosses called ‘Blinds,’ which add restrictions to how you play each round. By collecting chips and forming powerful poker hands, your job is to outplay these bosses and survive until the final challenge, which is Ante 8’s special Boss Blind.
With every hand you deal, new Jokers are added. These aren’t your usual jokers either. Each one has powers that can mess with your opponents or give you a much-needed advantage. For instance, one joker can help you multiply your score or give you some extra cash to spend in the shop.
You’ll be tweaking your deck with all kinds of special cards. Planet cards are a great example, modifying specific poker hands and giving you the chance to level up certain hands. Meanwhile, Tarot cards can change things like a card’s rank or suit, sometimes adding extra chips to the mix.
Balatro offers two modes—Campaign and Challenge. With over 150 Jokers available, every run feels different. On that note, catch a glimpse of this uncanny trailer of Balatro below!
A Poker-Themed Roguelike Deck-Building
Balatro combines strategy with an unpredictable deck of cards. You never know what joker or bonus hand you’ll come across, and that’s the fun. The game’s visuals are quite fun, too. It’s mostly pixel art, old-school CRT, to be precise.
If you’re into roguelikes and love a bit of deck-building, Balatro is definitely worth a shot. You can now snag it for $9.99 from the Google Play Store.
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