Balatro Special Edition - PlayStation 5

If you know the term "roguelike" you know it means a game that is procedurally generated from scratch every time you play it -- think The Binding of Isaac or Dead Cells -- it's never the same twice. Now imagine applying that formula to POKER. It sounds crazy until you try it, but Balatro hooks you by scoring each hand per round based on the cards you play, then gives you the chance to buy modifiers with your winnings. Some add lucky cards to your hand. Some multiply the points your cards have. Some turn your cards into stone (50 points per, no suit). Sometimes you get "holographic" or "foil" variants of playing cards and they're worth more. Did I mention the jokers? They can increase your winnings, upgrade your hand size, or generate tarot cards you can play to modify your hand further. You start running permutations in your head - if I have this joker plus this modifier plus this enhanced card my score when I play this hand will be... and it's too late son YOU'RE HOOKED ON BALATRO.

I was first introduced to this game when I wanted to try something different and challenging but something in the vein of rogue-like. I can say that this game hit every itch that I needed. It's challenging but fun. Difficult but rewarding. Every time I thought I hit a brick wall and figured this would be my last hand, I was granted a Joker card that changed my luck. I can't say enough about how much I love this game. Just as much as Hades made me come back for more punishment, Balatro does the exact same. I just can't get enough at runs and attempts to finally get to the end. Yes, it is Poker based, and yes it does help to know your way around some Poker, but it isn't exactly necessary either. I was able to get my wife to try her hand (no pun intended) at Balatro and she found it just as exhilarating. I say give it a shot. I don't think you'll be disappointed. 10 out of 10 for me.

I have a chronic addiction to this game

Balatro is a must buy for pc, mobile, and console. It's fun, addicting, and has endless replayability. I've bought it 3 times now and had to get the physical edition as soon as I saw it was available. Only thing it needs is cross-progression. The cards that come with the physical game are really cool as well.

balatro.10/10Game of the year