Poker and roguelike is a combination I never even imagined, but Balatro is a very polished game with a fun and addicting gameplay loop.

In essence, there are two mini-bosses and a boss, all having increasing scores you must beat by making better poker hand combinations (which you can learn as you play, because they're available on screen). The basics are incredibly simple, but Balatro offers many ways to completely break it: editing your cards, adding new ones, special cards, "Jokers", "Tarot cards", increasing the level of each hand type, skipping mini-bosses for rewards, and a lot more. Despite its simple mechanics, most of the actual gameplay resides in coming up with various and ridiculous builds to get absurd numbers. And damn it is addictive...

It also feels great to play. It has a nice and unique pixel-art style, and cool backgrounds. The music is nice and matches the vibe perfectly, and the sound design is so crisp you can almost feel the individual cards as they are being played. The quick menu animations and general polish makes it a very enjoyable experience.

All around a deserved GOTY contender (though it won't have a chance because it's an indie, and most people don't care about indies).

Poker and roguelike is a combination I never even imagined, but Balatro is a very polished game with a fun and addicting gameplay loop. In essence, there are two mini-bosses and a boss, all having increasing scores you must beat by making better poker hand combinations (which you can learn as you play, because they're available on screen). The basics are incredibly simple, but Balatro offers many ways to completely break it: editing your cards, adding new ones, special cards, "Jokers", "Tarot cards", increasing the level of each hand type, skipping mini-bosses for rewards, and a lot more. Despite its simple mechanics, most of the actual gameplay resides in coming up with various and ridiculous builds to get absurd numbers. And damn it is addictive... It also feels great to play. It has a nice and unique pixel-art style, and cool backgrounds. The music is nice and matches the vibe perfectly, and the sound design is so crisp you can almost feel the individual cards as they are being played. The quick menu animations and general polish makes it a very enjoyable experience. All around a deserved GOTY contender (though it won't have a chance because it's an indie, and most people don't care about indies).