I have a confession to make: I am one of the three people on this planet who didn’t love Balatro. This is, admittedly, not Balatro’s fault. Traditional card games have never sparked any particular joy within me. The red-and-white procession of numbers and shapes is all a bit too dry for my taste, and my transparent poker face leaves me ill-equipped for psychological warfare. Balatro and OTA IMON Studio’s Zet Zillions may only be direct competitors insofar as they both let you throw cards around a screen, yet I have to commend the latter for being the first deckbuilder to turn my head in 2024.

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