I didn't want to leave a review for this game until I gold staked every deck but I have 60 hours on record with this game and I realize that's not happening anytime soon for me.

It's hard for me to give Balatro praise in a way that has not been done better by so many others. It's mechanically one of the most intruiging concepts for a deckbuilding roguelike I have ever encountered, and the mental math formula is addicting as hell. The game-feel on all of the effects, cards, and even the sfx and music are just perfect. I feel like I'm playing a card game in an extra-spatial dimension while I'm waiting on the world to end. It's honestly just perfect, which is hard in a genre where so many of these kinds of games feel repetitive, flat, and dry.

While the premise "battle for bikini bottom meets dark souls" sounds like a stupid joke, Another Crab's Treasure really sells it in a complete package and makes it work. I think it says something about the developers commitment to recreating the beloved fromsoft formula that I can confidently say this is one of better "soulslikes" in existence.

That being said, this game has lowered the skill requirement, not only in it's generous accessibility settings, but also in the way that certain pieces of gear and spells you unlock will eventually take the challenge out of most the combat. Personally, I hit that point about half way through the game. However, to my personal experience, this lowering of skill requirement kept me more engaged with the game because I rarely ever felt "stuck" or like I was unable to move forward at the pace I wanted to. While I am mildly upset that I didn't spend the amount of time I might have liked to on some of the later bosses, I could easily play again with some self-imposed limits and completely change my experience.

Everything about this game (aside from it's often juvenile sense of humor) is charming. The art is fantastic, the boss designs (both in looks and movesets) are very fun. The levels are well designed, with plenty of secret areas to be revisited once you unlock new abilities.

Taking only 30 hours to 100%, I'd recommend this game to anyone, especially those looking for an entrypoint into the soulslike genre who do not want anything majorly intimidating.