Balatro has been one of the most popular games of the year. No one expected a card game to be this well received, and yet, it sits among the Game of The Year nominees at this year’s The Game Awards. Its simple yet engaging formula makes it extremely hard to put down, and it only got harder once it came to mobile.
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Things get all the more impressive when you learn that Balatro was created by a solo developer, LocalThunk, and has been nominated for a total of five awards at TGA. The developer reacted to these nominations, was incredibly thankful to the community but also took the opportunity to recommend some other indie titles.
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As spotted by GamesRadar, LocalThunk posted to Reddit, saying, “I wanted to thank all of you wonderful people for giving my game a shot and celebrating the unbelievable 5 Game Award nominations for Balatro with me. It’s been a really surreal day.
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“One of the things I’ve learned this past year is how kind and supportive the indie dev community is. We all know how hard this industry can be and help each other when we can, and I’ve met so many amazing people that love what they do and the people they work with.”
He proceeded to say that he feels “uncomfortable” calling the awards and nominations for Balatro his. I feel like my game just happens to be the current face of this beautiful and passionate corner of the industry. I just happen to be the lucky one to be propped up. As such I have a few games that didn’t get consideration that I think you should keep your eye on!”
The indie games LocalThunk recommended:
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“Please give these games a try, a wishlist, gift them to a friend,” he concluded. “They are great games that I have played a lot in 2024 made by great people! These games all either launched or had demos in 2024.”
Balatro’s nominee categories include Best Mobile Game, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, Best Game Direction, and of course, Game of the Year.
Balatro takes the classic card game of poker and adds roguelike gameplay, using Joker cards with various abilities to build your deck and attempt to defeat pesky blinds.