note, i beat the 8 antes and that was the end goal at the start of the game so i count this as "completed"

when i first learned of balatro, it did not seem interesting. i mean, poker? you think i know how to play poker? im on a fucking games logging website, of course i dont. despite having little interest at this stage i chucked it in the wishlist and figured id buy it when it's half off. the more i thought about it, though, i recalled tons of games i thought id dislke becoming favorites: cold steel 1, ultrakill, twewy, katamari... the list goes on. being that it went on sale super soon with the most recent deckbuilder sale on steam, i bought into the hype. i mean, i have 2 hours to try it out and see if i like it, if i don't i get a full refund, right?

2.3 hours, just like that. where did the time go? i just played two games of balatro, no no no this cannot be happening im not getting addicted to this game like everyone else, am i? oh, fuck. 4 days pass, i emerge from my cave with 10 hours total.

balatro is nothing like gambling and i despise such a comparison. it's a game of numbers, synergies, and most of all, foresight. the systems are intricately designed and are a blast to play through. everything here is about synergies and constantly refining what you have. even so, the strengths of what's gonna be your main plays must be ironed out within the first few antes. for instance, my first winning run was based on an insane level (20 by the end game) on my pair hand. getting to that level requires a huge amount of foresight, like snatching up the telescope voucher and getting every single planet pack. this foresight is what makes the game so addicting, trying to synergize the perfect deck by the first few antes. after that though, you just keep raking chips in and you feel unstoppable. you take more risks, skip more blinds, get steel cards, glass cards, mult jokers... the works. until you realize your one trick pony has actually hindered you and oh, you lost you fucking dumbass.

see, on my winning run it was this one trick pony that got me through the first 8 antes, but beforehand all my one-trick runs did terribly. the pair synergy i had was great but unfortunately it's not that good of a hand compared to others in endless mode. this balancing act of putting a shit ton of effort into a few playing hands but not letting that turn into a one trick pony provides endless fun. i can see myself playing this game for a long long time, and it's because of the simplicity of this balancing act. easy to pick up, hard to master.

i love balatro, and if a ton of atlus rpgs weren't coming out this year it would easily pass for goty with flying colors.

it is quite, um, rage inducing too so keep that in mind.