The Quick Version:
Take the mechanics from The Binding of Isaac but replace the real-time gameplay with a glorified VLT (Video Lottery Terminal) that saves your progress and you have Balatro.
The Rest of the Review:
That's basically the entire game, but I'll elaborate as best I can. It has the addictive interface of a gambling machine and pinched Ed's also-addictive game design, especially the aspect of assembling random items to break the game rules. The RNG use here is almost identical to how Ed designed games like The Binding of Isaac and Mewgenics. And yes, I know Ed's design itself is heavily influenced by games like Rogue and Magic: The Gathering. I'm not quibbling about ownership, just pointing out how similar they are.
I'm really not kidding about this either; you collect scant pennies to spend in shops, use horoscope cards to modify the hands you play, use tarot cards to modify the deck you're playing, and every ante (level) you fight a boss who has a special ability/condition at the end. Each deck you use has a different modification, much like the characters in The Binding of Isaac all play differently. As you get unlocks and progress further, your progression also triggers more unlocks. The games feel incredibly similar to play from a mechanics standpoint. Instead of Zelda-like dungeons you're making poker hands, but nearly all of the systems working under the hood are effectively identical.
I struggle to glorify Balatro as much as many of the other reviews do, primarily because of how un-original it feels to play. It isn't the first game to replicate Ed's game design and I'm very confident it won't be the last. If you have a lot of time with The Binding of Isaac then this feels very familiar as opposed to the unique gem that many reviews claim it to be. The only real innovation the game has is applying the design and mechanics to an interface that replicates an addictive gambling machine that - at least where I live - requires you to be an adult (and also regularly remind you to gamble responsibly and here's a number to call if you're in need). If you struggle with gambling, this game will set off all the triggers and red flags.
I'm sure this game appeals to people with gambling tendencies. Just be aware of how this sausage was made, especially if you have an addictive personality. I've played a lot of Ed's games and I've had friends lose their lives to gambling. This game feels like it was made by people who program gambling machines for a living, not video games. Almost like someone sat down and couldn't stop playing The Binding of Isaac until they realized how much more addictive and predatory they could make it if they re-skinned it with a VLT. The fact that this is the developer's only game further convinces me that this was a side-project to their day job of programming actual gambling machines.
Balatro is a pretty fun game that works on well-established mechanics (despite how many reviews claim they are original) and that's enough for me to give it a recommend. There's no pay-to-win, there's no ridiculous amounts of DLC designed to bilk people out of money regularly, no account creation required to play, etc. It would be incredibly easy to monetize this game and siphon money out of people with legitimate gambling issues. It's been a couple years and there's no sign of that, though if it ever does happen it'll be enough to change my recommendation.
