by goles on 2/27/25, 3:54 PM with 158 comments
by superultra on 2/27/25, 4:24 PM
My engagement with Balatro is not quite the same as localthunks. I go in phases where I play a lot and then put it down and walk away, and then weeks later I get back into it. But that also feels like it's in the spirit of what localthunk is talking about here. It's a comfort game. A pasttime rather than an addiction. Balatro is a stress reliever for me and I can jump in, play, and jump out and it's fine.
I wonder what our digital world would look like if more tools and platforms adopted an approach that was not clinging desperately for everything all the time all at once.
by bbkane on 2/27/25, 4:44 PM
Unfortunately, many solitaire phone apps are filled with ads, slow, or have clunky controls.
A few years ago, however, I found https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.tobiasbielefeld.solitaire... . Its free and open source, and quite fast with nice shortcuts to move the cards.
I love this app and have played multiple Klondike/Spider Solitaire games a day using it. I wholeheartedly recommend it if you want a simple game of Solitaire in the same spirit as the post.
by ziddoap on 2/27/25, 4:57 PM
I think this is really important, especially for games. Play the game you make!
There's a fair number of games that I've played where the developer clearly has not sat down and played through the game as a player would. No skips, no custom developer-only starts or features, no rushing through sections "because I know what happens", etc. To be fair, though, these are often below $5 games on Steam, so I'm sure a chunk of them are cash grabs rather than an honest attempt at making a successful game.
by modeless on 2/27/25, 4:22 PM
by havblue on 2/27/25, 4:56 PM
It's great how rogue like/lite games such as slay the spire and Hades have riffed on that concept. Guess what, you won't have the same power ups this time. You're going to have to learn to play the same game in a different way. So in Balatro you're playing draw poker in an attempt to build different hands based on your strategy.
by exitb on 2/27/25, 4:35 PM
by santoshalper on 2/27/25, 4:35 PM
A post like this dispels that narrative - he clearly put a ton of thought into the design of that game and was incredibly intentional about where he wanted it to go.
by momojo on 2/27/25, 6:32 PM
I will pay money for more games like this. I want more games like this.
I could write an essay on this beautiful breath of fresh air. Balatro, like many beautiful pieces of software, is defined by what it is and isn't. No ads, no screwy Skinner box mechanics. Just wholesome gameplay.
by aaroninsf on 2/27/25, 5:34 PM
and have zero context. Who is this person? What is localthunk? What is "Balatro"?
A reminder there are subpopulations online within which <things> are well known and active references.
And others, like mine, where <things> have not once come up.
I think like podcasts, mobile games are a thing that is just totally invisible to me and <my circle>.
by evmar on 2/27/25, 7:09 PM
https://evmar.github.io/retrowin32/run.html?exe=sol.exe&dir=...
by Trasmatta on 2/27/25, 4:53 PM
This was the thing I found most interesting when I started playing the game, because it's so different from almost all games these days (especially roguelikes). I initially found it off-putting (part of me wanted more context for what was happening), but the more I played the more it made sense. And his comparison to Solitaire really drives that home.
But also, despite the lack of a character or enemies, the game has a huge amount of character, which I think was critical for its success.
by flocciput on 2/27/25, 6:47 PM
Anyways, love Balatro!
by throwaway019254 on 2/27/25, 5:16 PM
by 7thaccount on 2/27/25, 9:49 PM
Board game night would do the same thing, but there's something beautiful about how much variety you can get out of a single deck of cards or some double-six dominos. There's no setup or 50 page rulebook required either. Most card games I just watch a YouTube video and then just remember how to play for years.
by themadturk on 2/27/25, 11:45 PM
I'm something of a Solitaire addict. In addition to Belatro, the Microsoft Solitaire Collection is the only game on my iPhone, and I happily pay Microsoft $10 a year because the design is the most comfortable for me. Klondike soothes me like nothing else, but it's nice to be able to put a little variety in the game for me with FreeCell, Pyramid or TriPeaks (I'm not a Spider fan).
by dilDDoS on 2/27/25, 5:23 PM
> I play a couple runs before I go to bed
I do see the relaxing component of the game once you’ve got the hang of it and are playing on white stake. But I do feel like the game encourages you to take on more difficult/frustrating stakes and decks, so for someone working on gold stake for the black deck for example, it would absolutely not be something to play before bed (unless you’re in the mood to cry yourself to sleep)
by schnable on 2/27/25, 5:07 PM
by Waterluvian on 2/27/25, 10:52 PM
It’s amazing how that one word can change the entire vibe. It evokes a much more serious feel to it for me. Not sure what I’d call it, but I wonder if a different word would suddenly alter the whole vibe just a bit more towards that stated goal in the first paragraph.
by par on 2/27/25, 4:30 PM
by lacoolj on 2/27/25, 5:26 PM
by wiredfool on 2/27/25, 4:31 PM