The roguelike Balatro was certainly one of the big surprise hits in 2024. In fact, the game's popularity is so great that it's now even spilling over into the real world. As the Canadian one-man developer LocalThunk announced, a real card game based on the title will be released soon.
Actually, the principle of Balatro is as simple as it is ingenious. The deck builder combines the classic poker rules with modern roguelike elements. By cleverly putting together your hands, you increase your point multipliers and have to beat the blinds. There are almost endless possible combinations, which quickly leads to the well-known “one more round” disease.
If you just can't get enough of Balatro, you're in for a treat. Because as the one-man developer LocalThunk announces, a physical version will be produced together with Fangamer. You can pre-order the real playing cards now, at a price of around 18 euros. However, you shouldn't expect to give the real-world Balatro as a gift for Christmas. Shipping is currently planned for March 2025.
Included are 52 cards, all of which are based on the pixel art of the video game template. The deck size matches the original, as do the four jokers included. Because of course these also come from the virtual version. Of course, you don't have to expect any particularly unusual ideas; ultimately, it's a largely regular poker deck. Still a great thing for fans.
In general, the developer of Balatro should be on cloud nine. In addition to jumping into the real world, his game also received attention at the Game Awards and was nominated in a whopping five categories, including a chance to be named Game of the Year 2024. We keep our fingers crossed!
