Let's Install - Balatro [Xbox Series X] #gaming
5Geek Aloud's #LetsInstall of the #balatro on the #xbox. This install was from a digital copy of the game onto an@xbox Series X. Internet connection speed is 900MB/s down, 40MB/s up.
From the Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balatro_(video_game)):
Balatro (/ˈbɑːlɑːtroʊ/, BAH-lah-troh[1]) is a poker-themed roguelike deck-building video game developed by LocalThunk and published by Playstack. It was released on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 20, 2024, with a port to macOS on March 1. Ports for Android and iOS were released on September 26, 2024. In the game, players play poker hands to score points and defeat "blinds", while improving their deck and purchasing joker cards with a variety of effects. The game was a critical and commercial success.
The one-person developer LocalThunk is based in Canada.[15] LocalThunk had developed Balatro over the two-and-a-half years prior to release, one of several small games he had developed over the previous ten years and shared with friends.[16] Development had started based on an idea of the Cantonese card game Big Two, which has players playing a number of cards to create poker-like hands, while adding elements to play it online. He then saw the number of roguelike deckbuilders on Steam, and while he did not play, he looked at videos of Luck Be a Landlord, a roguelike built around a slot machine concept in which the player has limited spins to reach a target value on each round.[16] He was inspired to transition his Big Two approach to be a single-player roguelike deckbuilder, removing the online play, and consciously avoiding playing any of the other deckbuilders to avoid taking ideas from these games. He had only played Slay the Spire near the end of development to understand how that game implemented its control scheme.[16] He at one point considered the name Joker Poker for the game.[17]
About a year prior to release, LocalThunk quit his day job to focus on finishing Balatro "to put on a resume." He uploaded an early build to Steam, which eventually led to major streamers playing the game and providing pre-release publicity. As a result of this publicity, LocalThunk incorporated some player feedback into the final version of the game, such as adding boss battles, though he also rejected many ideas.[16] In 2023, prior to release, the game became available as a demo. It was removed by LocalThunk on January 1, 2024, and was brought back on January 25, the new version containing 40 new Jokers, new bosses, and the ability to buy booster packs. The new version was uploaded alongside a new trailer and a release date for the full version of the game, February 20.[14] In April 2024, the game was made easier with an experimental balance patch, 1.0.1c.[18]
Shortly after the game's release, Balatro's PEGI rating was changed from 3+ to 18+ for "prominent gambling imagery" due to PEGI's strict rules on portraying gambling, causing the game to be removed from sale in certain territories. Publisher Playstack stated that they had discussed the game's content with PEGI prior to release (causing its initial 18+ rating to be lowered to 3+) and that, while being based on poker, the game does not portray any form of gambling, and intended to appeal the re-rating.[19]
A free "Friends of Jimbo" update, adding in cosmetic card elements, was released on August 27, 2024. The four new card sets are based on crossovers with other games, including The Witcher 3, Vampire Survivors, Dave the Diver and Among Us. Localthunk stated that additional cosmetic packs are planned.[20]
LocalThunk and Playstack confirmed plans for ports to Android and iOS mobile devices in March 2024.[21] The ports were released on September 26, 2024, including a Balatro+ version for Apple Arcade.[22] Following the release on mobile, Balatro had risen to #1 in the top paid games section of the App Store in the same day.[23]
Balatro has received "universal acclaim", according to Metacritic.
Alex Orona from Nintendo World Report called it "a smart game" with "deep mechanics" and "fast paced". Jordan Helm from Hardcore Gamer called it "addictive" and "expertly-crafted". Charlie Brooker, the creator of Black Mirror, called it "possibly the most addictive thing ever created" and that once it was released for mobile devices, "humankind's activity is going to drop about 25%".
Within eight hours of release, the game had made over $1 million in gross revenue according to publisher Playstack, their fastest-selling game to date. Over 250,000 copies were sold in the first three days, 500,000 copies in the first ten days, one million within the first month, and two million within the first six months.
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