.
Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.
The Game Awards 2025 ceremony brought us yet more gacha game news, this time a big announcement for Arknights: Endfield. The free-to-play game set in the the universe of Arknights has been in various forms of closed tests for a while, but it finally has a release date.
Cygames, the Japanese video game developer responsible for a variety of popular games including Umamusume: Pretty Derby, has announced its intention to create an AI-focused subsidiary company.
It's been another strange, difficult, and yet somehow also brilliant year for video games in 2025. Triple-A releases have been sparse again, compared to the boom times of old, with a great big GTA 6-shaped hole left in the final few months of the year. And yet once again, every gap left by the established order has been filled twice over with something brilliantly new.
.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp)
Of all the games released this year, all the triple-A blockbusters and genre-defining smash hits, nothing shook me as much as Umamusume: Pretty Derby. I won't deny that it was once a game I was embarrassed to be playing. But now? I'm all in, dude. I'm an English 27-year-old who is invested in Japanese horse racing. And if you too can push past your misgivings, you'll find one of the better strategy games released this year.
HIGH Addicting play loop. Excellent period music.
LOW Readability issues. Some elements seem too random.
WTF Why is the Mafia so mean to me? : (
Having devoured Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket last month (it’s excellent, of course, you should read it, of course) I’ve been thinking that early 20th century America gets short shrift in terms of artistic representation. I’m talking about, say, 1900 – 1938.
World War I ushered in an armada of modern horrors and casts a long historical shadow, but it’s a murky, chimerical conflict — it doesn’t have the obvious Good vs. Evil resonances of World War II. The Depression is, well, depressing, and being an economic and societal failure, it’s inherently less sexy and marketable to the masses. Not to mention, also, the awkward fact that we’ve learned little, if anything, from it. Worst of all, the vibrant music of the era has been co-opted into that most aberrant of modern pseudo-genre slop, electroswing.
Things really aren’t any better in the gaming scene. There aren’t any heavy hitters – across any genre – that truly embrace the era. None that I know of, at least. However, this could change with the 1.0 release of News Tower, a sweet and compelling strategy hybrid of colony manager and tycoon game whose mechanics put players into a vanished (but still relevant) place and time.
News Tower presents players with a side-on, ant colony-style view of a tower – initially squat and lowly, eventually grand and bustling – in which, believe it or not, news will be made. That means finding stories via telegraph, sending out reporters, typesetting their articles, and arranging them for production. All of this takes time – a lot of it, actually – with the Sunday print deadline always looming like a war-zeppelin on the horizon. Every story comes with content tags – crime, drama, sports, many more – and publishing multiple stories with the same tags gives big boosts to sales and subscribers.
When talking about mechanics-laden games, there’s always the risk of simply listing all the different mechanics, so to avoid that just know this is an interdisciplinary strategy experience, both macro and micro, demanding equal playerly attention to the high drama of Scoop Pursuit, as well as to the granular fiddliness of deciding where exactly on each reporter’s desk a fern plant should be placed to keep them happy. The primary sensation that News Tower evokes is of spinning about a dozen plates while standing on one foot, like some kind of big-top circus sideshow between the headliners.
These concerns converge like a swarm of militant hornets on the ol’ brainpan, and, while it is overwhelming in a way, it also creates an impressively compelling gameplay loop that slaps iron shackles on a player’s focus. Like many of the greats in the strategy space, it’s hard to find a good stopping place for a play session: there’s always something that needs attention, another goal to pursue, a new variety of potted plant to place tastefully upon a disgruntled employee’s desk.
It ain’t all sunshine and roses in the big city, though. The biggest musca domestica in the otherwise unctuous News Tower ointment is the UI and general visual clarity. Each reporter has three types of story they can cover, each with its own related icon. I’d like some additional visual cueing on the reporters, because it’s hard to remember who does what in the heat of a busy newsweek. This isn’t like X-COM, where each member of the team has a pronounced identity and specialty — even a small newsroom will have four or six reporters, all relatively anonymous in their matching fedorae and mackintosh coats.
Knowing exactly when a story will be ready to print, probably the most crucial thing to keep track of, is also harder to find than it should be. It’s easy to know when an individual step in the publishing process will be done, but the actual Ready-to-Print time is hidden away in a tooltip in a sub-menu. This means that unless a player does a lot of preparatory menu-perusing, it’s easy to queue up a story and discover it won’t be ready in time for Sunday. It’s frustrating.
There’s also just a damn lot to look after, dozens of menus and buttons and tabs – so much of it important at some point or another. The tutorial is actually a scripted campaign, and it does a good job highlighting a portion of this stuff (but not all of it) and not everybody is going to be down with a tutorial that can take longer than some whole games take to complete. After a few hours I dipped out and jumped into the deep end of the classic mode.
I want to end on a high note, though, so I’m going to return to the question of theming. A lot of management titles can have a sort of Excellian abstractness to them — a whiff of spreadsheet seeping out around their ostensible settings. Not so with News Tower. No, it evokes the golden age of paper news across its entire mechanical suite, bolstered further by an absolutely wonderful, period-appropriate live jazz soundtrack from Dutch ensemble New Cool Collective. To quote legendary schlock-peddler, Xanadu denizen, and all around freak William Randolph Hearst — it’s immersive as hell.
And from me? It’s an enthusiastic recommend.
Score: 8 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed by Sparrow Night and published by Twin Sails Interactive. It is available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher. Approximately 20 hours of play were devoted to the game, and it was not completed. There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: This game is not yet rated by the ESRB. Obviously, a lot of the stories that crop up (many based on real historical facts) concern tragic events, and municipal corruption plays a big part. It’s all handled with a cartoony, light touch, however — lighter than what any kid would see on any news site or social media app on any given day. Not sure if younger gamers would cotton to the theme but, if they do, there isn’t anything here to worry about.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes present.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: All of the dialogue is text-based, but it, as well as the menu text, cannot be resized. (See in-game examples above) An important sound cue occurs whenever a story comes in on the telegraph. It’s accompanied by an icon on the menu screen, but it’s a pretty small icon. Other than that, all important events are conveyed visually.
Remappable Controls: The game supports keyboard + mouse, but not controller. The keyboard controls are fully remappable.
The post News Tower Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.
Microlandia deserves a much longer article, preferably written by our resident virtual metropolis judger Sin Vega. For the moment, I will only say that it’s a work-in-progress city-builder fuelled by a poetical mixture of admiration and terror for cities.
Here we go. The picks of mine which made it into the advent calendar weren’t embarrassing enough, so now I get to flick a few extras at you like discarded bits of liquorice I’ve found down the back of the sofa. Open wide.
Most anticipated? Oh reader, you gentle, innocent child. Hark at you, ambling in here with supple joints, eyes clear as springwater, and the scent of hope in your hair. I have grown old, dear reader. I no longer feel this emotion called "anticipation", anymore than I remember the taste of strawberries in the Shire. Years of waiting for another Legacy of Kain game have broken my spirit. My heart is a sponge of sorrow. My beard coils round my ankles like a listless cat. All has become grey.
Keep Driving captures the dream of a road trip, a coming of age experience where you’re finally able to start motoring around the world in your own set of wheels. Your sense of wonder’s still intact and each place you visit on brings fresh surprises.
But the game isn't a schmaltzy dip into wanderlust, or a blinkered memory of youth and a lack of responsibilities. Lurking in the background is the nervousness of inexperience, which transforms mundane tasks into nightmares you must overcome.
I've been savouring the modest upsurge in turn-based strategy games about savage and malodorous bands of mercenaries, not least because it accompanies wordlarking as fine as this. Here to join the screaming pile of gushing throats and grazed elbows is Pathbreakers: Roaming Blades, the latest from Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark developers 6 Eyes Studio.
Hooded Horse have just announced that they're publishing it, which is lovely because it means I can write about a horse game this week that hasn't been banned from Steam for infringing upon Valve's ever-elastic content policies. There are no scenes of iniquity so far in Roaming Blades, just good, wholesome disembowelment and the chance to blow up lingering balls of lightning. Here's the trailer.
That VideoGame Blog
REVIEW / Discounty (PS5)
Walking into Discounty feels like stepping into a forgotten grocery store in a struggling town.
The post REVIEW / Discounty (PS5) appeared first on That VideoGame Blog.
A grim and insanitary management game about absolutely abysmal cars? One for you, Brendy! Oh sod it, he's not here anymore. That's what we get for letting him learn how to drive - and letting him have a cell with a window. I don't know how to drive, and I have played neither Jalopy nor My Summer Car, but I do know how to be a dishonest piece of shit, so I am at least 25% of the way towards writing an informed appraisal of Totally Legit Wheeler Seller.
Are you ready to set foot on Mars for the very first time – again? Welcome to Surviving Mars: Relaunched, a new way to play our colony-building management game for a new generation of spacefaring strategists!
When we launched Surviving Mars originally, we wanted to give gamers an experience that was grounded in reality and science, easy to understand, and built towards an ambitious future, and that was what we delivered. The heart of the game remains the same as always: from initial surface scans and deployment of drones, you will start building the critical infrastructure needed to support human colonists, including water systems, supply extraction, and environmental domes.
Once people start showing up, you can undertake more complicated tasks and developments to expand and maintain your colony, until your colony is sustainable without aid from Earth.
Since then, Surviving Mars has explored a number of new ways to bring efficiency, change, and even cute animals to the red planet. We released expansions that added Terraforming (Green Planet), Subterranean Mining (Below and Beyond), and Rival Colonies (Space Race) to the game. When we made the decision to come back to Surviving Mars and begin developing even more ways to play, we realized that there was an opportunity not just to share our ideas with our original commanders, but with a whole new crew as well!
That’s what brought us to Surviving Mars: Relaunched, a new version of our game that gives everyone lots of new features to try. For starters, we’ve upgraded the graphics, reworked the UI, and improved controller support, all to ensure the game looks and plays its best, especially now that it’s coming to Xbox Series X|S.
Next, we’ve included everything that was ever added to the original game – so players of Relaunched get access to features like Terraforming and Trains that were originally DLC with the base game, which means we can deliver updates and content based around those features, going forward. We’re also adding new features that have never been included in any version of the game before now, including factions and political management for your colonies!
We’re also giving all Martian Managers access to new ways to expand and play our game created by other players, with in-game mod support. You’ll be able to browse and install mods without leaving the game, allowing you to add community-made buildings to your planet, or explore new end-game mysteries.
With the most comprehensive version of Surviving Mars in your hands, all of us at Haemimont will have an ideal launch pad to bring more new content to the game from here on out. We’re already working on a new expansion for early next year, “Feeding the Future,” which will add new production systems and food options for your colonists to help add to their comfort – and sanity! We have another expansion, “Machine Utopia,” in the works after that one as well, which will allow you to colonize, optimize, and industrialize. It’s exciting to get to work on what feels like an all-new game for us, and start bringing life to all the ideas we’ve had, and still have!
Whether you’re about to experience Surviving Mars for the first time or whether Relaunched is the next chapter in your journey to the stars, we’re excited to keep growing alongside you and your colony, starting today. See you on board the rockets!
The post Surviving Mars: Relaunched Isn’t Just A Rework, It’s A Whole New Experience appeared first on Xbox Wire.
I never thought I'd catch myself missing Mars Base, those flickering red hallways and synth-wave beats, yet here I am feeling nostalgic for the greasy gearwork and hellfire that framed the modern saga, for the reassuring growl of the BFG muffled over a comm link. And still, as I carve through Doom: The Dark Ages, blade singing in a flickering torch-lit keep, a stupid grin spreads across my face. It's a brand-new monster: less cyberpunk, more spellbook; fewer tetrahedral demons, more horned warlords; less speed-metal, more mournful chants that cling to the walls like mildew. And that head-spinning tonal swap is the double-edged blade I keep attempting to tame.
Fire up Doom: The Dark Ages, and, sure, you think you know the ride ahead. You strap on virtual leather, grip the chainsaw, and leap into arenas bristling with howling demons. Except now those arenas are moss-covered crypts, wind-slashed castle keeps, and flagstone courtyards draped in shadow. The big guns have been scrapped for crooked crossbows and snorting hand cannons, and your old pals Pinky and the Cacodemon- have traded their skin for armored bastards and flame-breathing sentinels.
Yeah, it sounds wild. Still, the moment the first brutal guitar riff kicks in, soaring over thunderous drums, I feel that same electric tremor in my bones. The Dark Ages swapped out cyborg guts for glowing runes, but at heart, it's still DOOM: pure violence bottled up in sweaty palms and thundering heartbeats.
Scan the medieval FPS shelf, and Dark Ages slides into a strange little gap:
Doom: The Dark Ages doesn't just slap a helmet on the Slayer; it tweaks everything. Your shotgun shrinks to a hand cannon that punctures steel. The chainsaw becomes a greatsword that coats the floor in black ichor when you tear a foe in half. Movement feels heavy, yet quick-wall runs become vaults over barricades, and electric dashes swap for bright magic bursts from your gauntlets.
Medieval-fighting fans will love the way Dark Ages grafts DOOMs speed onto their favorite weapons, finally sending heavy swings flying instead of waiting for wonky timers. Die-hard DOOM addicts who started their shooter life with DOOM (2016) still eye it warily: where is my glory kill on that Mancubus?
DOOM is kinetic; you charge, you mow down, you glory kill, and Dark Ages keeps that rhythm inside fire-lit stone halls. Every dash, vault, or slice has the same snap as strafing and rocket-jumping. Combat flows like lava, dousing enemies before they can catch their breath.
There is a rare kind of thrill that rolls up your spine the moment you grip a sword so heavy it looks like it could bisect a golem. Each swing rattles your controller, while the crisp, clear ring of metal followed by the meaty crack of bone- gives every pixel of blood a reason to spill.
Think back to the agony of cornering an Archvile in classic DOOM made for players who buy PS5 shooter games. Now imagine that same foe dressed as a necromancer in tattered robes, calling skeletons to block your path while you nail him with burning crossbow bolts. Then you pull out the rune cannon: a semi-auto pistol that swaps fire, frost, or lightning with a flick of the thumb. Picture the Devil’s shotgun rebuilt for this age, and you'll have roughly the right idea.
Instead of rusted labs and magma chasms, DOOM: The Dark Ages drops you into twisting citadels, skyward spires, and hidden sunken shrines. Chase down rune shards and unlock new moves-wall-slams, ground-shock waves, and even a brief takeover by your own summoned demon. That single question lies behind that crumbling arch?-is answered far more satisfyingly here than in any sterile research complex.
Mick Gordon's gritty industrial riffs have been traded for booming orchestral layers -thundering drums, roaring horns, and eerie chants. The guitars remain, yet they twist into a sound primal and tribal. It's less headbanging and more war dance, but my fists still pump in time.
I'll admit part of me felt betrayed. I booted the game expecting DOOM, but more medieval yet landed on DOOM meets The Witcher, complete with side quests about peasant witches and demon-haunted villages. Where are the infinite ammo codes? The litanies of skull tokens? And why am I rescuing villagers instead of smashing everything in my path?
Yet, as the hours rolled on, I grew hooked. DOOM: The Dark Ages pauses its relentless assault to let quiet dread creep into a single torch-lit corridor, the distant howl of a demon hound. Those brief lulls make the next outbreak of violence feel electric.
Is it flawless? Far from it. The plot stumbles into a familiar territory-betrayed prince, vengeful cleric, lost artifact-and I found myself missing the bare-bones charm of the original DOOM lore. A few hunts drag on: grab three totems so I can call up the Demon Lord's anger. Several boss encounters lean hard on predictable scripts, melting the open, chaotic violence DOOM fans live for.
Yet for every slip, a glory moment arrives: finding a hidden vault and dropping a dragon-red demon with nothing but gauntlet uppercuts or clearing a moonlit courtyard while a ghostly choir screams overhead. Those scenes loop in my mind, pure DOOM, even as they bring fresh ideas.
| Feature | Chivalry 2 / Mordhau | Warhammer 40K: Space Marine | Doom: The Dark Ages |
| Combat Fluidity | Medium | High | Very High |
| Weapon Variety | Swords, Spears, Bows | Bolter, Power Sword | Runes, Hand Cannons, Swords |
| Pacing | Tactical duels | Action set pieces | Non-stop brutality |
| Single-Player Focus | Low | Medium | Very High |
| Level Design | Arena / Open maps | Corridor + Battlefield | Organic castles + Catacombs |
| Soundtrack | Authentic medieval | Orchestral rock | Hybrid choir + riff assault |
Look, just because I still spin Dark Force's vinyl doesn't mean I'll skip a DOOM night to learn about The Dark Ages. At their cores, both games feed the same wild hunger: sidestepping hell teeth, nailing that split-second glory kill, and roaring forward like an armored freight train.
Still, I wince at the shiny new skin-it feels like swapping a beat-up leather jacket for a polished suit of plate. All that clean sci-fi slaughter now wears scrollwork and capes, and the cold corridors I loved have given way to torchlit halls. I miss them, yet the heavier foes are a blast demon knight who splinters your block with one cut and an undead archer showering bone bolts from the rafters.
So yeah, part of me craves a lean sword-and-sorcery sim with real RPG weight, while the other half just wants to blast imp skulls at point-blank range. Dark Ages tries to sit between those stools, often lingering on lore and then retreating to chaos too quick. Yet every time I complain, I end up charging back in, blades humming and groans bouncing off stone walls.
At the end of the day, Doom: The Dark Ages isn't quite a straight DOOM title, and it's definitely not your usual sword-and-bow shooter; it's a fresh twist that grabs bits from both worlds. As with any mash-up, the mix can get sloppy, yet on rare occasions, it turns into something unforgettable. If you love DOOM, you'll spot familiar speed, blood, and a hurricane of motion- but they're layered over ruins, secrets, and a pace that pushes you to stop and breathe. Instead of floating hallways, this time, you wander castles, trade spells, and collect rusty lore that makes the air feel colder and older than any spaceship corridor.
So, if you're ready to drop one setting and yet carry its spirit forward, Dark Ages will probably grab you by the helm and drag you uphill. You're not losing a legacy; you're folding a new route into it, and that climb carries its own rewards. Gunpowder and magic collide, your name will echo off the stone, and you'll discover that sometimes the sweetest brand of hell looks a lot like a weather-beaten keep.
Imagine a cozy village in the British countryside, with flower gardens, workshops, friendly neighbors, and peaceful days. That is the world of The Home County, a new village‑management game inspired by Edwardian Britain. It mixes the fun of building a community with the simple pleasures of daily life, and gives you plenty to do.
Here is what makes The Home County special, and why you might want to try it out.
At its core, The Home County is a village management game. What does that mean? It means you guide a small community, helping it grow and flourish. Each villager has their own special skills. Maybe one is a gardener, another a blacksmith, another an artisan. As the player, you assign tasks, build production lines, and figure out how to use your villagers’ abilities in the best way.
You will watch your gardener harvesting flowers, your artisan creating goods, or your blacksmith forging tools. But that is not all. You also have to take care of the villagers themselves. Make sure their needs are met, their morale stays high, and the village runs smoothly. It’s a balancing act between productivity and happiness.
Unlike many “build and manage” games, The Home County also gives you freedom to enjoy charming, relaxing activities.
Do you like painting? You can do that. Prefer fishing? Head to a river or pond. Want to explore underground? Dive into mines, dig for treasure, and uncover hidden history. Along the way you might get dirty and yes, there is a tub to wash in.
Need downtime? You can:
This mix of work and rest helps the game feel less like a checklist and more like a life unfolding.
One of the things many players love is that the world of The Home County is full of characters and stories. There are 16 villagers, each with their own personality, daily routine, and storyline. As you interact with them, you’ll learn more about who they are and what they hope for.
A major goal in the game is to restore the Crystal Garden, which acts like the symbolic heart of your village. As you do this, the village's beauty and connections grow. The mines are not just tunnels either they contain history, treasures, and adventure that help you understand more of the game’s setting.
You also get to choose how you lead. Will you become a Lord or Lady? Or will you lead the village more equally, as one among many? Your choice affects your relationships and how people see you.
As of September 22, 2025, The Home County is in Early Access on Steam. This means the core game is playable now, but more features, stories, and polish will come in future updates.
The developer is Swanworth. According to Steam listings, the price is $13.99 USD, and the game supports both full controller input and Steam Deck play.
Because it is in Early Access, players may see ongoing changes. Some future additions are expected to include romance mechanics, more decorative options, expanded hobby systems, and even multiplayer.
If you want to try The Home County, here are the minimum system requirements:
If your PC meets or exceeds these specs, you should be able to play it smoothly.
Here are some advantages and possible challenges:
If you enjoy games like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing but also like deeper management systems and storytelling, The Home County is a strong candidate. Its British countryside charm adds uniqueness.
The Home County is a warm, relaxing combination of village simulation and life‑style gameplay. It gives you a rich canvas: growing your village, exploring hobbies and adventure, connecting with characters, and restoring beauty to a special place. Because it is in Early Access, you get to experience it while it’s still evolving—and your feedback might help it grow.
I'm thrilled to announce that I recently received a free Steam key for Bastide through Keymailer, a platform connecting creators with game developers. Although I haven't played it yet, I'm eager to explore its medieval world and will share my experiences in an upcoming post.
Bastide is a city-building strategy game set in the 13th century. Players lead a village of peasants, guiding them to overcome challenges like rival villages, bandits, hunger, disease, and harsh winters, aiming to transform the settlement into a fortified town.
Procedurally Generated Maps: Each game session offers a unique experience with randomly generated maps, ensuring no two playthroughs are alike.
Dynamic Seasons and Day-Night Cycle: The game features multiple seasons and a day-night cycle, adding layers of strategy as players adapt to changing conditions.
Diverse Peasant Roles: Assign various jobs to your peasants, such as hunting for meat, wool, and hides, or farming to ensure a steady food supply. Effective management of these roles is crucial for survival and growth.
Survival Challenges: Beyond resource management, protect your village from external threats like rival settlements and bandits, and internal challenges such as disease and the cold.
Town Building and Expansion: Start with a small village and construct various buildings to expand your settlement. Assign jobs to increase resource production, fostering growth and ensuring your villagers' survival.
Launched in Early Access on February 26, 2020, Bastide is actively developed by MedievalNexus. The developers value community feedback, with plans for future updates including trading with neighboring villages, mod support, and exploration features. Regular updates are released, addressing bugs and introducing new content.
To run Bastide, your system should meet the following minimum requirements:
OS: Windows 10 or higher
Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 750 Ti or higher
Storage: 3 GB available space
Bastide presents an intriguing blend of strategy, survival, and city-building elements set in a richly detailed medieval world. Its procedurally generated maps, dynamic seasons, and diverse gameplay mechanics offer both challenges and rewards. As I delve into the game, I look forward to sharing my insights and experiences in a forthcoming playthrough.
If you're interested in Bastide, consider adding it to your wishlist on Steam. Keep an eye out for my upcoming playthrough, where I'll delve deeper into the gameplay, mechanics, and overall experience.
Steam Page Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115450/Bastide/
For a visual introduction to Bastide, you might find this gameplay video helpful:
Note: Since I haven't played Bastide yet, the information above is based on available descriptions and features.
Steam store – Official website – Wikipedia page
Sometimes, it’s the simple games that entertain me for hours. Who thought that a new spin on playing Poker could be so refreshing? It even wins several awards at the game awards 2024. Now, my good streaming buddy Klamath bought me this game for my birthday. I decided to give it a go, and I was surprised. In this article, I want to share my honest first impression. I will also discuss what I like about this game. Additionally, I will mention what I don’t like about the game. I have played Balatro on my PC. But, if this game looks interesting to you, feel free to discover it on other platforms like mobile and consoles. Before I dive into this card game, please leave a comment with your thoughts. Share your opinions on this game or the content of this article.
The good
The visual presentation and style of this game is something that blew me away. Visually, this game looks amazing. The subtle animations of the cards, the way the UI hints pop up, the little hints on the planet cards…
The UI offers something nice during boss fights. It gives you hints when a hand isn’t going to score. But there are other little things in this game that are just fun. Like, you can click and drag the bind chip while you are thinking of a next move.
The gist of this game is quite simple. You have to play poker hands from the cards that you are given. You don’t always have to play 5 cards, in case you want to keep a certain card. Each ante has 3 rounds. A small and big blind and a boss fight. Each time, the goal of chips you need to earn raises. In between each blind, you earn money. This money, you can use to buy from a shop where a few joker or other special cards are offered.
These cards add multipliers to certain hands. This is a list of examples:
Some of these Joker cards can be a lifesaver. Especially the free chips ones. Others, force you into a certain playstyle. Each time you hit the shop, it’s a difficult decision. Should I continue with this set of Jokers, or should I replace one? You only have 5 slots. Changing one out might increase your points just enough to survive another round.
This game is the perfect blend of strategy and luck. You need to get lucky with the cards and not use up all your discards quickly. Since, you don’t get them back easily. The rougelite elements in this game give the usual poker game should a fresh spin. How far do you get with all the jokers and how high will you score? Since, it doesn’t matter if you survive a round just barely. Survival is survival, and maybe then you can buy a new joker card that elevates your run.
You restart with zero points and new hand and full deck each round anyway. Or you can gamble it all and skip a round for an interesting bonus. And if you loose, you reset to the start of the game for a whole clean run. Once this game clicked, it became the perfect “one more run” game. Betting with myself how far I would get this time.
This game is quite responsive. In terms of controls, this game is quite easy to control. The UI is perfect as well. I’m also glad that there are various accessibility options in the game. Things like reduced motion and high contrast cards are important. The more people can play the game, the better.
The save system is easy to use. You can just exit the game and restart from where you left off with ease. Also, there are three player profiles. You can also name the profiles, so you easily know which profile is which. Not to mention, you can unlock everything, but then you won’t be able to go for those sweet Steam achievements.
The bad
If you are unfamiliar with the rules of poker, you might be in trouble. Thankfully, the valid poker hands don’t take a long time to learn. You also have the “run info” button to help you. In game, you don’t get too many lessons on making valid poker hands, so keep that in mind.
Now, this is a difficult one to write. While the music in this game is amazing, the track variety is something of a mixed bag. Some of the tracks use the same sound font and melody. Sometimes, I don’t recognize that the pitch and instruments had changed. Don’t get me wrong, the soundtrack in this game is pretty good, but more variety would have been welcome. A few more ambient tracks would do the trick. Now, this is a major nitpick. To be honest, it only bothered me when I started to pay attention to it.
The small tutorial at the start of your first game is extremely helpful at explaining things. Yet, some information will be only told once in that tutorial. So, if you put the game down for a while and don’t remember everything… You have no real way to re-read the rules. Thankfully, most (if not all) concepts in this game aren’t hard to grasp. But a small refresher like having the option to replay the tutorial wouldn’t hurt.
If I may give an extreme nitpick, I think it will be this. In this game, you can modify the picture cards with references to different games. Now, this is per suit and each suit has a different set of games. I wish this was a fleshed out a bit further. Like, I love the art for Cult of the Lamb and Slay the Princess. But only having those face cards in one suit be changed, it didn’t scratch the itch enough for me. Maybe using smaller images on the number cards of the suit would make it even more enjoyable. Then again, how could you do this? It would require massive development time and designing a whole card deck per reference. So, I can totally see why the developers made this choice.
The conclusion
In the end, Balatro is a fantastic blend of strategy. It has elements of luck and engaging roguelite mechanics. These features keep me coming back for “just one more run.” Its polished visuals, clever gameplay twists, and thoughtful accessibility options make it a standout experience. The game has a few minor drawbacks. These include the limited tutorial recall, the music’s slight repetitiveness, and the poker learning curve. Despite these, the issues don’t overshadow the sheer enjoyment this game offers. If you want a new take on poker, try Balatro. It challenges your planning skills and keeps the stakes high.
I’m happy that Klamath gave me this game for my birthday. It took me quite the while to actually give this game a shot, but I’m happy that I did. I can easily play this game during short downtimes. It’s easy to pick up and play. I also think that this game might be even more fun on a tablet or on the go. During long play times, it can become repetitive. However, this is oh, so fun in short bursts. It’s also exciting if you are able to string together a long combo or run.
I want to congratulate the team behind this game. LocalThunk and Playstack, you made an awesome card game. It has a unique spin that makes me come back for more. The praise and awards are totally deserved. I am eager to delve deeper into the game. I am excited to discover what else some jokers I haven’t discovered yet may have in store for me.
And with that, I want to thank you all for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to welcome you in a future article. Until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.
Score: 95/100
