For me Balatro is definition of The Game. It should be in the dictionary as an example on the same level as Tetris, Zelda, Mario and other projects of a similar level that best capture the essence of my personal understanding of what a Game is. Simple idea, intertwining mechanics with depth, no bullshit. Pure complex fun. It's literally the strongest, titanium framework of gameplay design that doesn't rely on graphics, story, or music. All the fun is baked into its mechanics. And for me, games have always been primarily about a set of mechanics and their implementation, so Balatro gave me all that and nothing extra
As a game of simple, intertwining mechanics, it may indeed be remembered alongside Tetris as you suggest, or Solitaire and Minesweeper as the video suggests. ...but it won't be remembered alongside Mario or Zelda. Those games didn't just offer solid gameplay, but also iconic characters that have come to represent not only those game series, but video games as a whole. Balatro has no such icon to offer.
People who haven't played Balatro: "What the hell is this little card game doing in the nominees?" People who haven't played Astro Bot: "How the hell did this little platformer win?" Do you not see the irony here? I personally haven't played Astro Bot, but this is just ridiculous. Balatro should be a lesson that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but apparently some people have big problems with learning obvious lessons.
Totally agree! Unfortunately, maybe the part that was masked by the nominees section is the fact that each of these games was a masterpiece in it's own right. That being said, I recognize AstroBot is an amazing platformer (even if it is still a PS brand showcase) and I'm glad a passionate studio made a great game free of the trends that plague modern gaming :)
Even the original VR Astro Bot game was insanely fun. I haven’t played the new one as I don’t have a PS5 (i went back to PC after PS4)… but I have no problem imagining a good 2nd outing could be considered GOTY material.
Balatro should come pre-installed on every Mac OS, Android and Windows system. It indeed should stand shoulder to shoulder with Minesweeper, Solitaire, SkiFree and Space Cadet. It's a game people will be playing in 10 years, 20 years and possibly even in 100 years. It's presentation is timeless, yet rooted firmly in the 90s video poker machine. I have referred to it since first playing it as 'The Devil's Video Poker Machine' with good reason.
Thank you so much! It means a lot! And totally agree, was wondering how they would fit it in with so many orchestral themes but keyboard guitar killed it!
And you know what's gonna be fun? since the game size was small (150MB), it's possible for having an idea of Balatro becoming included game in future operating system, Like what Microsoft did with Solitaire and Minesweeper.
This game too refine to be in OS game, but it can be red alert2 things(like everyone just share and played in school pc) if this game is shareware so everyone can played in mobile just sharing an apk
Nobody’s mad about you saying Balatro’s good. We all know it is. But you’re making ridiculous claims like this simple card game is more worthy to win than Astro Bot or Metaphor, which is just not true at all. You’ve never played those games, and even if you have, your opinion isn’t objectively right, if anything it’s a lot closer to objectively wrong. Because Astro Bot and Metaphor were amazing games with millions of hours of effort and passion by many people, and they were better than a game made by one person that doesn’t even change screen.
This pre-game award written and post game award edit/posted video is something I’d watch religiously every year dude you had me wheezing. Ofc a nominee would have to be Balatro levels of going nuts about but still A+
Balatro has a lot in common with Tetris. It wasn't expected to sell/go as public as it did, the creator did it based on a game that already exists, the gameplay is simple but addictive, and both have a song that sticks with you until death.
There really is something to be said for anyone who can come up with a relative simple idea that is that engaging and new. Vampire Survivors is like this too. It requires a spark of inspiration from an individual creator to bring to life. An indie dev can't make the next Elden Ring, but a AAA developer can't make the next Balatro.
one thing overlooked in a lot of gaming is satisfying sounds that are familar, but dont feel 100% repetitive. Every theme of the OST has the same vibe, but a slightly different riff. there is the shop theme, and the main menu theme. Everything else is derived from that. Also the changing pitch as you incorperate more cards actively counted in your hand gives more sensory feed back to doing the proper mechanics to get a good run going. Everything has sensory inputs that dont get fatigued easily due to the design of them. Also, the familiarity everyone has with a card deck/poker hands allows almost anyone to jump in. Before even diving into the depth of the game with the card types, levels of hands, and joker stacking... there is already over a paragraph that can sum up its success.
Astro Bot also deserved to win just as much and I played both it and Balatro. Hell, The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom got flat out robbed by the Game Awards.
I've bought it twice. There has never been a mobile game I want to be with me like Balatro. Everyone who tries it is intrigued by the excellent game mechanics.
It has the same mechanics as Teamfight Tactics, it's just simplyfied into a card game. Having 20hours in it I can say that it's a great game, i understand the overwhelmingly positive status, but thanks i don't want to waste more time looking for challenge in a game which giving me dead-end seeds and not letting me quit until i start a new run. This game causing addiction, it ment to be.
Personally, Helldivers 2 was my goty mostly just because it was the source of most of the fun I had this year but after playing and watching this video, you've convinced me at the very least Balatro is a close second right above metaphor.
To dismiss Astro Bot as nothing but an IP showcase is sad when the game is genuinely a really good 3D platformer. Team Asobi is the 2nd smallest studio with only 65 people, just behind Balatro (for obvious reasons lol). I was rooting for both games.
I have this game on every damn system, phone, pc i own. I have been telling people about it before it even came out. I have played at least a bit of every other nomination and i still wanted this to win. It is amazingly addictive and i am all about the indie games lately
Subbed. Great voice, interesting commentary. I already had Balatro and agree with you on how good it is, but you would have convinced me if I had seen your video prior to buying it.
Unfortunately i didnt get around to playing any of the nominees, but Balatro and Astro Bot definitely seemed like the most unique offerings. Great video bro
I'll agree that Astro Bot didn't deserve GOTY, I'm not sure Balatro deserves it either. It's definitely an astonishing accomplishment with a totally unique design and concept, entirely made by a single person. Personally, I think games worthy of GOTY engage with the player to accomplish at least 3 things: make the player have fun, make the player learn something, and give the player a lasting feeling or emotion every time they play it. While Balatro is really good at doing the first two, the only feeling I feel when I play it is the same feeling I get with every rogue-like, anticipation to create a good run. That's it, no other emotion lingers after I'm done playing besides that. If Elden Ring's DLC winning is an insult to games starting from scratch, the Witcher 3 insulted a bunch of games a few years back, and it was deserved. I just don't think Balatro brings the same weight as SotE or Black Myth. That being said, Balatro is awesome and everyone should play it.
Man if you are rerolling to get good runs play seeds the fun of balatro is trying something new with every single run since there're better jokers but there're very few bad jokers like 99% of the jokers are playable one way or another and you should try to make every run count
@Cm-Lorenzo Never said the game isn't fun. It is addictingly fun. But it's also weird. Some runs are literally running on fumes, others breeze through the 8 antes but don't make it very far in endless, others just carry straight to ante 15 and many stop by ante 4 or have no chance of clearing ante 8. It's fun to have variety in builds but most players seem to aim for a somewhat viable endless setup since it accomplishes two things at the same time: beats the game and likely unlocks many undiscovered jokers and vouchers. Also, rerolling is there for a reason.
I definitely agree. I can see that it's a good game. I didn't care much for it, but I still put in decent hours. That says something. But it just isn't game of the year material. I have played "better" indie games that came out this year.
Thanks for a thoughtful and well balanced comment! I agree that Balatro doesn't have the weight of a larger adventure behind it, and at the same time I feel that maybe the "lasting feeling" is the feeling of wanting to come back to it like your favorite bar or restaurant knowing that you'll have a good time. A different feeling entirely than the impact left by a great story, but it all does come down to individual tastes and preferences...or even just what you're in the mood for. Thanks for your comment, cheers!
One minor point of disagreement: I don't necessarily agree that Rogue-likes have to be devoid of feeling. I think a great example of this is Hades: sure, it's about stringing together a good run, but it has strong characters as well. I like Zagreus, and am driven to help him try to escape the underworld and reach Olympus. I want to see what all of the characters have to say. I want to advance his relationship with Megaera, and want to discover more about the history of his family. I want to head-pat best boi Cerberus every time I'm in the house. And I appreciate the subtle humor and character interactions. Hades gives me characters to root for and care about. That being said, I think this only strengthens your argument.
Balatro, to me, has Tetris levels of potential. It is accesible, it is snappy, it is aesthetically pleasing. It's story is so similar as well, being a game made by a single dev. I anticipate it's future.
Very nice video. You actually make quite some solid points on why you think it stands above the rest on a foundational level. It's almost impossible to not be obsessed with it initially, but Slay the Spire is ultimately what draws me back in for the long term over it. I think the best game this year is Beastieball, but it's in early access so it's not exactly fully released. When it does though, I think it has a very high chance of taking over the internet just from the premise that is volleyball pokemon. It's not only unique, but it is executed nearly flawlessly. I wouldn't be surprised if it got a GOTY nomination as well, even with how stacked next year will be. The story is fully playable with post game as well so if you don't mind a few unfinished animations I'd highly recommend checking it out. Another honorable mention to UFO 50 for I think it's a historic achievement of a game that I feel didn't get the recognition it deserved. It is simply the pure embodiment of old school gaming, but with slight clever modern touch ups all throughout. I doubt we will ever see another game of its caliber anytime soon.
Commenting before i watch the video, I will edit it once the video is watched: As a huge fan of Balatro (i actively voted in the first place BECAUSE i heard Balatro was nominated) I personally would have loved to see it win. In contrast, I don't have a PS5 (Im too poor) so by definition, i have never played Astrobot. So i really dont have a horse in this race as much as i'd really want to. (Since i've heard great things about Astrobot) Heres the jist. the Game Awards as much as we'd like to try and separate it, is more-or-less the Oscars with game trailers in between awards. Functionally these awards do not make one game better than another, nor does it mean that games that do not win awards are worse because of that fact. We shouldn't feel the need to put down other games or be upset that one game got a piece of metal over another game. Balatro did pick up a handful of awards so it got some recognition (and hell, we even got to hear the orchestral rendition of the score). but even if it didn't get the GOTY, that shouldn't change the fact that Astrobot and Balatro can, and are BOTH be good games at the same time.
Balatro is very VERY good. But the amount of fun I had in Astro bot just made me feel like a kid again. Astro bot just makes you feel like the developers thought of everything the player would think of doing. Balatro winning would be a disservice to the other games.
Seeing as GOTY games are 90% judged by a group of judges and 10% by the community... You didn't lose faith to the common people, you lost it to the judges. Jokes aside, still happy that Balatro sweeped The Game Awards (3/5 nominations) while being nominated as The Game of the Year. Anyways, return to monke.
I've played balatro, and safe to say it is BY FAR in my top 3 indie games of all time. But, to say that it deserved goty is wrong (i think astro bot is a great game, although wukong shouldve won) All this to say: Balatro won the perfect award (Indie GOTY) and i think thats perfect. It represents what balatro is, a random indie game which came out of nowhere and won one of the biggest awards you can get.
Yeah ngl I was rooting for Balatro but EXPECTING Wukong to win...Even then, I didn't expect Balatro to beat Animal Well in both indie categories so that was wild but I'm obviously not complaining :)
I was going round telling everyone to play balatro , I loved Astro bot up to a point that the challenge levels started really pissing me off, balatro never made me angry and I’ve played it for at least twice as much time (~120 hours, so I’ve barely scratched the surface but had a great time for a tenner)
Agree. I've never heard of the robot game that won lol. Never heard of someone playing it etc... Balatro gets the love it needs from the fans so I guess it's mission accomplished
I hope anyone who hasn't played Slay the Spire finds their way to it after they are finished with Balatro. So many of the same concepts, applied differently and just as enjoyable.
Hard to choose, this year I played the half life games through for the first time, as well as Cyberpunk 2077 and of course Balatro. All games are fantastic in their own way. Loved the video
Balatro is amazing. The only reason that it didnt win is because the judges thought that Astro bot was a better example of what AAA games should be. They probably thought that Balatro winning wouldnt jave as big an impact. It was a political vote for the best.
I am 2 minutes into this video and I am hitting Subscribe. I have already laughed out loud for real more times than during any other video I watched today (and i watched a lot of videos today XD...I have a problem T_T XD)
Your statement to ff7 is kinda unfair. The only thing that is the same with the original is about 60% of the story. The OG was turn based, rebirth is hack and slash. Ignoring the story which they changed up quite a bit, the 2 games have nothing to do with each other.
Out of the six that got nominated, my pick would have been Metaphor, but out of every game I played this year, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth blew me away like no other.
I love your edits bro had me giggling a ton. I wish I had extra money fro games right now I really want to try balatro and black myth wukong but I also need to eat food lol
If we use how much award they win that night is gonna way better to count who deserve it...its a system that we use in school for being like the best athlete that year
That is one way to do it, but I do think that for an awards "show" it may be too boring to let anything sweep too hard...usually they give the game that isn't GOTY a win in its own genre like they did Wukong, Balatro, and Metaphor...or if it's an overwhelming win, they'll just let the game sweep anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
the win of Team Asobi's platformer will make a better improvement for gaming industry than an indie game winning the GOTY and give a directly message to Sonny, so I don't care who won. It's just an award show. My personal favorite game was Animal Well but loved all of the nominees(Except FF7 rebirth) that I've played.
Balatro was a funny game i stumbled on like a month ago and have put plenty of hours just having a blast. Mods are great too! I can safely say this game has earned a spot in my personal top 10 singleplayer games.
Look, I was a day 1 Astro Bot fan. I adored nearly every second of that game, and my only real complaint is the length. It was and still is my GOTY. However, I did start playing Balatro a few weeks ago, and I can say that I absolutely would not have been too upset if it won. I had been interested for a bit, and finally got around to it shortly after the nominations came out. I picked up a PS5 physical copy and after playing it about half an hour, I immediately bought the mobile version. It's crazy how good of a game a single person can make.
As someone who wanted Metaphor to win, I thought Astro Bot would take it. And despite my pick not winning, I think it was absolutely deserving. As someone who loves Balatro, I don't think it is as good as either of those 2 games. Everyone is different
I agree. I haven’t felt this addicted to a game since battlefield 3 came out. I literally have to hold myself back from playing it too often or my wife gets pissed lol
Balatro won best mobile game, good enough for me lol. Wuithering waves and Zenless Zone Zero aren't really mobile games, they're punching above their weight class IMO
balatro deserved the game of the year award more than the past like 5 years of nominees. i know i shouldnt expect anything from geoff keighley’s circus of sucking off big corporations every year but a genuinely innovative game that is ONLY A GAME and not some grindathon thats a cutscene that costed 500 million dollars not winning the award for GAME OF THE YEAR is still. astonishing. astro bot was good but its just mario galaxy, they even admitted it. the only reason it won was geoff didnt want to make the big corporation mad that their game didnt win. balatro was the only nominee that was a true innovator, there was nothing like balatro until it came out and now theres already dozens of copycatters. if that doesn’t show the pure genius of localthunks creation and how deserving it was of the goty win, idk what would be.
The shaking of keys and Minecraft parkour side videos is what pushed me to subscribe. Finally, a TH-camr who caters to my zoomer's needs while dropping those Wikipedia summary dumps. I hope I'm a victim of the algorithm Gods and this video is being force-fed to many others like me.
*cough* helldivers 2 *cough* oh yeah but that balatro thing is pretty good too. i haven't played astro bot (and i never plan to) so i can't say whether it deserved to beat it or not but it's pretty cool. if they had online pvp then i think it would've definitely won off sheer numbers (not like the sales figuers aren't already crazy)
As Swen said in his speech, they made the game cause no other like it was on the market. Astro Bot and Balatro getting nominated over Stellar Blade and Metaphor doesn’t hurt me in the slightest cause they are great games, but IP’s we’ve seen before and from companies who people have complaints about from previous experiences.
I always thought Wukong had no chance at GOTY simply because...people didn't really talk about it even a month after release. Ultimately it doesn't actually feel like it has sauce, but rather like a billionth rerelase of Assassin's Creed or CoD - interchangeable. I also felt this way about Astro Bot though, so clearly that wasn't good criteria.
Damn, this fucking game got me addicted to gambling. Yesterday I sold my second kidney to pay my debts and now I live on life support. I bought this game while it was 3+ on PEGI, so I thought it was a legit family friendly game and not a gambling trap! Localthunk I want my kidneys back 😂
Listened this one all the way through. Dope video man! Starting this game soon myself and im definitely hyped after hearing your time with it! I just gotta say, my one issue is how you absolutely shit on Astro Bot and mocking it’s winning. As if it isn’t a masterpiece for its genre such as literally EVERY title which was nominated this year. The game is filled to the brim with heart, personality, and polish. Genuine question, im guessing you never played it yourself right? The game was honestly an amazing experience. So im assuming the only way it’s not for you is if you aren’t a platformer guy. Which is fine in that case. But just because a game isn’t for you, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have won.
The whole idea of "Game of the Year should go to the one title doing something ground breaking to push the industry forward" is absurd. Baldur's Gate 3 didn't do anything particularly unique, neither did Elden Ring but their content, gameplay and polish was much higher quality then the competition. Balatro is great, but discarding games like Metaphor or Astrobot for not being wholey unique is so reductive. I for one think Metaphor is such a refined experience in terms gameplay and worldbuilding it stands on its own against the Persona or SMT games and its a deserving game of the year, I could say the same for each candidate (maybe besides Elden Ring DLC, but that's another problem) That being said I also loved other indies to pieces this year (Crow Country / Indika / 1000xResist / Rodeo Clown) but it's sk toxic to just try and tear down other games just to prop up your favorites.
While I have a shitton of hours in BALATRO, I wouldn't give it game of the year over echos of wisdom. Balatro needs a significant rebalance of it's late game and honestly it's kinda designed to maliciously throw you under the bus to guarantee additional runs out of you. Scoring needs to be re evaluated etc. echos of course isn't even a option for goty, but I'm not surprised.
I love the shit out of astro bot so I voted for that but if it wasn't there, 100% would've voted for balatro. First played it months ago and im still playing it to this day. its just one of those games thats so damn special . hard to sell to anyone by just talking about it but when they start they just instantly get it also definitely agree with the point that balatro will outlive all of these games
In a way, Balatro and AstroBot seem like they're both just misunderstood passion projects :) I'm looking forward to what comes from people playing AstroBot as a result of it's win and also glad Balatro did as well as it did!
@ Im sure a tooon of people are gonna check out balatro (and im sure a ton already have) because of its mere appearance as a goty nominee and im so glad
I don’t think, or know, if LocalThunk really wanted to win GOTY, the game is amazing and I really wanted it to win but I think it might’ve put too much on him afterwards.
I was honestly rooting for either Balatro or Astro bot to win because funny robot game or funny card game made by 1 guy with spare time beating out dlc and souls like boss rush action game #73 would be so funny. Astro bot winning is awesome and funny but if Balatro had won it would’ve been more funnier, at least it got best indie game
This video sucks I already knew it was gonna be ass due to its editing.
heh
@@samdog7534 heh
lmfao
heh
🃏
I’ve been saying for months “Imagine how much productivity would have been lost if Balatro was a Windows game in the 90s.”
There would be that one guy in the office sharing all the strats
balatro didn't won goty because they dont want to accept publically that indie games now much better than aaa
I wonder what cost Sony more money, buying the game awards or making Concord 🤔
Astro bot?
@@JosephStillGames Concord,no money was spent on buying awards,you're just salty.
they wont dare to bring a card game, especially one using poker card to announce it as GOTY, some country still bring the age of the game to mature @@
@@maskedlover8768 then why do they rated goty elden ring? It's the game about killing people after all
For me Balatro is definition of The Game. It should be in the dictionary as an example on the same level as Tetris, Zelda, Mario and other projects of a similar level that best capture the essence of my personal understanding of what a Game is. Simple idea, intertwining mechanics with depth, no bullshit. Pure complex fun. It's literally the strongest, titanium framework of gameplay design that doesn't rely on graphics, story, or music. All the fun is baked into its mechanics. And for me, games have always been primarily about a set of mechanics and their implementation, so Balatro gave me all that and nothing extra
Couldn't say this better myself!
Well said. It’s about making actual *GAMES*. Sadly most of the industry doesn’t understand that.
As a game of simple, intertwining mechanics, it may indeed be remembered alongside Tetris as you suggest, or Solitaire and Minesweeper as the video suggests.
...but it won't be remembered alongside Mario or Zelda. Those games didn't just offer solid gameplay, but also iconic characters that have come to represent not only those game series, but video games as a whole. Balatro has no such icon to offer.
Thank you, I lost the game again
You put it so eloquently. I was thinking it was a “pure game” or a “literal game” but couldn’t quite put it to words.
Fine you’ve convinced me, I’ll start gambling
Same
Best part is unlike gambling you don't have to lose any real money...
...just your time.
you dont risk anything with Balatro except your time =]]
Same lol 😂
Tried to convince all my friends to vote just so they would vote for this game
(At least it won indie, debut indie, and mobile)
You did your part, soldier! (also ngl thought one of the Indies was gonna go to Animal Well, so honestly wild that it swept but deserved)
People who haven't played Balatro: "What the hell is this little card game doing in the nominees?"
People who haven't played Astro Bot: "How the hell did this little platformer win?"
Do you not see the irony here? I personally haven't played Astro Bot, but this is just ridiculous. Balatro should be a lesson that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but apparently some people have big problems with learning obvious lessons.
Totally agree! Unfortunately, maybe the part that was masked by the nominees section is the fact that each of these games was a masterpiece in it's own right. That being said, I recognize AstroBot is an amazing platformer (even if it is still a PS brand showcase) and I'm glad a passionate studio made a great game free of the trends that plague modern gaming :)
i bet the demo of Balatro took many people soul =]]]]] like me
Even the original VR Astro Bot game was insanely fun. I haven’t played the new one as I don’t have a PS5 (i went back to PC after PS4)… but I have no problem imagining a good 2nd outing could be considered GOTY material.
And then they suggest the nominees should be more gacha games.
If it's not Unreal engine powered CoD clone, then it's not a real game, that's how most of "gamers" think 😂
Balatro should come pre-installed on every Mac OS, Android and Windows system. It indeed should stand shoulder to shoulder with Minesweeper, Solitaire, SkiFree and Space Cadet. It's a game people will be playing in 10 years, 20 years and possibly even in 100 years. It's presentation is timeless, yet rooted firmly in the 90s video poker machine. I have referred to it since first playing it as 'The Devil's Video Poker Machine' with good reason.
Replace Solitaire with Balatro? 🃏🔥
Criminally underrated channel & video. But they did KILL on the balatro theme with the orchestra.
Thank you so much! It means a lot! And totally agree, was wondering how they would fit it in with so many orchestral themes but keyboard guitar killed it!
And you know what's gonna be fun? since the game size was small (150MB), it's possible for having an idea of Balatro becoming included game in future operating system, Like what Microsoft did with Solitaire and Minesweeper.
This game too refine to be in OS game, but it can be red alert2 things(like everyone just share and played in school pc) if this game is shareware so everyone can played in mobile just sharing an apk
... you're telling me Balatro is the new Doom?
@@KyrieFortune If you can, I try to find out an apk just only 60 MBs.
Fun fact: This is my most disliked video so far...even more than Suicide Squad...I will happily die on this hill
I'm gonna turn into tha joker baby
But it's like 6 tho
*its audience
Nobody’s mad about you saying Balatro’s good. We all know it is. But you’re making ridiculous claims like this simple card game is more worthy to win than Astro Bot or Metaphor, which is just not true at all. You’ve never played those games, and even if you have, your opinion isn’t objectively right, if anything it’s a lot closer to objectively wrong. Because Astro Bot and Metaphor were amazing games with millions of hours of effort and passion by many people, and they were better than a game made by one person that doesn’t even change screen.
@@thecatinthehat125 astro bot sucks just play Nintendo land
it also deserved to have its theme played in 7/4
The Game Awards orchestra: "hold our beer"
2:17 missed opportunity to use the wheel of fortune "Nope!"
AGHHHH YOU'RE RIGHT!!! 1/4 chance I'll remember next time ;)
This pre-game award written and post game award edit/posted video is something I’d watch religiously every year dude you had me wheezing. Ofc a nominee would have to be Balatro levels of going nuts about but still A+
Lmao, that's a great idea...I'll likely be wrong on at least a bi-yearly basis XD, cheers and see you next year!
Balatro has a lot in common with Tetris. It wasn't expected to sell/go as public as it did, the creator did it based on a game that already exists, the gameplay is simple but addictive, and both have a song that sticks with you until death.
There really is something to be said for anyone who can come up with a relative simple idea that is that engaging and new. Vampire Survivors is like this too. It requires a spark of inspiration from an individual creator to bring to life. An indie dev can't make the next Elden Ring, but a AAA developer can't make the next Balatro.
lmaoo laughed a ton with the editing, you're so underrated!! keep up the great work man!
Hey! Thanks a bunch, I'm glad y'all like the memes as much as I do :) Appreciate you!
@JosephStillGames you're amazing bro!! been a while since I've seen a video I enjoyed as much as this one
I agree with you that Balatro will outlive a lot of the games in last few years
0:31 this will be balatro in 2015
imagine a portal with rtx for balatro
Balatro is my game of the year. I have almost 500 hours into it across all platforms
“Astro Bot doesn’t deserve GOTY”
-Every person who’s never played Astro Bot
Me looking at the nominees: “Balatro? What the hell is a Balatro?”
Me 4 weeks later: “Your life”
I’m going against the grain and liking the video. The editing was good, it was funny, and also I now want to play Balatro
2:58 Was about to click away, got called back real quick haha
0:30 Balatro with RTX on looks sick
one thing overlooked in a lot of gaming is satisfying sounds that are familar, but dont feel 100% repetitive. Every theme of the OST has the same vibe, but a slightly different riff. there is the shop theme, and the main menu theme. Everything else is derived from that. Also the changing pitch as you incorperate more cards actively counted in your hand gives more sensory feed back to doing the proper mechanics to get a good run going. Everything has sensory inputs that dont get fatigued easily due to the design of them.
Also, the familiarity everyone has with a card deck/poker hands allows almost anyone to jump in. Before even diving into the depth of the game with the card types, levels of hands, and joker stacking... there is already over a paragraph that can sum up its success.
Astro Bot also deserved to win just as much and I played both it and Balatro. Hell, The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom got flat out robbed by the Game Awards.
Tbh, I am so happy that balatro winned 3 awards and, getting beated by Astrobot only makes me want to play Astrobot :)
Agreeable normie
I've bought it twice. There has never been a mobile game I want to be with me like Balatro. Everyone who tries it is intrigued by the excellent game mechanics.
It has the same mechanics as Teamfight Tactics, it's just simplyfied into a card game. Having 20hours in it I can say that it's a great game, i understand the overwhelmingly positive status, but thanks i don't want to waste more time looking for challenge in a game which giving me dead-end seeds and not letting me quit until i start a new run.
This game causing addiction, it ment to be.
@Keszeeg Just press pause button and quit run to start again.
Personally, Helldivers 2 was my goty mostly just because it was the source of most of the fun I had this year but after playing and watching this video, you've convinced me at the very least Balatro is a close second right above metaphor.
I loved playing Helldivers 2 with my friends, really excited to try the illuminate soon...Thanks for watching!
To dismiss Astro Bot as nothing but an IP showcase is sad when the game is genuinely a really good 3D platformer. Team Asobi is the 2nd smallest studio with only 65 people, just behind Balatro (for obvious reasons lol). I was rooting for both games.
I have this game on every damn system, phone, pc i own. I have been telling people about it before it even came out. I have played at least a bit of every other nomination and i still wanted this to win. It is amazingly addictive and i am all about the indie games lately
Balatro is one of my top ten favorite videogames of all time. Whatever hill you’re dying on better have room on it for me.
Subbed. Great voice, interesting commentary. I already had Balatro and agree with you on how good it is, but you would have convinced me if I had seen your video prior to buying it.
Thank you, I will put this comment on the fridge 🫰🏼
Unfortunately i didnt get around to playing any of the nominees, but Balatro and Astro Bot definitely seemed like the most unique offerings. Great video bro
Thanks mate, hope you get to! Cheers
I'll agree that Astro Bot didn't deserve GOTY, I'm not sure Balatro deserves it either. It's definitely an astonishing accomplishment with a totally unique design and concept, entirely made by a single person. Personally, I think games worthy of GOTY engage with the player to accomplish at least 3 things:
make the player have fun, make the player learn something, and give the player a lasting feeling or emotion every time they play it.
While Balatro is really good at doing the first two, the only feeling I feel when I play it is the same feeling I get with every rogue-like, anticipation to create a good run. That's it, no other emotion lingers after I'm done playing besides that.
If Elden Ring's DLC winning is an insult to games starting from scratch, the Witcher 3 insulted a bunch of games a few years back, and it was deserved. I just don't think Balatro brings the same weight as SotE or Black Myth. That being said, Balatro is awesome and everyone should play it.
Man if you are rerolling to get good runs play seeds the fun of balatro is trying something new with every single run since there're better jokers but there're very few bad jokers like 99% of the jokers are playable one way or another and you should try to make every run count
@Cm-Lorenzo Never said the game isn't fun. It is addictingly fun. But it's also weird. Some runs are literally running on fumes, others breeze through the 8 antes but don't make it very far in endless, others just carry straight to ante 15 and many stop by ante 4 or have no chance of clearing ante 8. It's fun to have variety in builds but most players seem to aim for a somewhat viable endless setup since it accomplishes two things at the same time: beats the game and likely unlocks many undiscovered jokers and vouchers. Also, rerolling is there for a reason.
I definitely agree. I can see that it's a good game. I didn't care much for it, but I still put in decent hours. That says something. But it just isn't game of the year material. I have played "better" indie games that came out this year.
Thanks for a thoughtful and well balanced comment! I agree that Balatro doesn't have the weight of a larger adventure behind it, and at the same time I feel that maybe the "lasting feeling" is the feeling of wanting to come back to it like your favorite bar or restaurant knowing that you'll have a good time. A different feeling entirely than the impact left by a great story, but it all does come down to individual tastes and preferences...or even just what you're in the mood for. Thanks for your comment, cheers!
One minor point of disagreement: I don't necessarily agree that Rogue-likes have to be devoid of feeling. I think a great example of this is Hades: sure, it's about stringing together a good run, but it has strong characters as well. I like Zagreus, and am driven to help him try to escape the underworld and reach Olympus. I want to see what all of the characters have to say. I want to advance his relationship with Megaera, and want to discover more about the history of his family. I want to head-pat best boi Cerberus every time I'm in the house. And I appreciate the subtle humor and character interactions. Hades gives me characters to root for and care about.
That being said, I think this only strengthens your argument.
Balatro, to me, has Tetris levels of potential. It is accesible, it is snappy, it is aesthetically pleasing. It's story is so similar as well, being a game made by a single dev. I anticipate it's future.
Very nice video. You actually make quite some solid points on why you think it stands above the rest on a foundational level. It's almost impossible to not be obsessed with it initially, but Slay the Spire is ultimately what draws me back in for the long term over it.
I think the best game this year is Beastieball, but it's in early access so it's not exactly fully released. When it does though, I think it has a very high chance of taking over the internet just from the premise that is volleyball pokemon. It's not only unique, but it is executed nearly flawlessly. I wouldn't be surprised if it got a GOTY nomination as well, even with how stacked next year will be. The story is fully playable with post game as well so if you don't mind a few unfinished animations I'd highly recommend checking it out.
Another honorable mention to UFO 50 for I think it's a historic achievement of a game that I feel didn't get the recognition it deserved. It is simply the pure embodiment of old school gaming, but with slight clever modern touch ups all throughout. I doubt we will ever see another game of its caliber anytime soon.
ufo50 is game of this year to me
maybe even game of the decade looking forward
"Shut up and fight me in the comments. I won't be there. I'll be playing Balatro." - ME TOOO It's awesome
the second key jingle literally brought me back to the video
Commenting before i watch the video, I will edit it once the video is watched:
As a huge fan of Balatro (i actively voted in the first place BECAUSE i heard Balatro was nominated) I personally would have loved to see it win. In contrast, I don't have a PS5 (Im too poor) so by definition, i have never played Astrobot. So i really dont have a horse in this race as much as i'd really want to. (Since i've heard great things about Astrobot)
Heres the jist.
the Game Awards as much as we'd like to try and separate it, is more-or-less the Oscars with game trailers in between awards. Functionally these awards do not make one game better than another, nor does it mean that games that do not win awards are worse because of that fact. We shouldn't feel the need to put down other games or be upset that one game got a piece of metal over another game. Balatro did pick up a handful of awards so it got some recognition (and hell, we even got to hear the orchestral rendition of the score). but even if it didn't get the GOTY, that shouldn't change the fact that Astrobot and Balatro can, and are BOTH be good games at the same time.
For me, Unicorn overlord would be GOTY with Balatro as close second
why do you not have more subs
love the video
Thanks, Mom ❤️
If it actually won GOTY, the outrage and salt from the gamers(tm) would be *even more* gloriously entertaining.
This still happened
Balatro is very VERY good. But the amount of fun I had in Astro bot just made me feel like a kid again. Astro bot just makes you feel like the developers thought of everything the player would think of doing. Balatro winning would be a disservice to the other games.
Seeing as GOTY games are 90% judged by a group of judges and 10% by the community... You didn't lose faith to the common people, you lost it to the judges.
Jokes aside, still happy that Balatro sweeped The Game Awards (3/5 nominations) while being nominated as The Game of the Year.
Anyways, return to monke.
The keys jingling at the perfect time earned my sub.
You folks have taken the key jingling a lot more positively than I ever anticipated lol
I hope this doesn't become a recurring video element ☠️
I've played balatro, and safe to say it is BY FAR in my top 3 indie games of all time. But, to say that it deserved goty is wrong (i think astro bot is a great game, although wukong shouldve won)
All this to say: Balatro won the perfect award (Indie GOTY) and i think thats perfect. It represents what balatro is, a random indie game which came out of nowhere and won one of the biggest awards you can get.
Yeah ngl I was rooting for Balatro but EXPECTING Wukong to win...Even then, I didn't expect Balatro to beat Animal Well in both indie categories so that was wild but I'm obviously not complaining :)
Haha this video had me laughing, I like your style. Balatro is the best.
I was going round telling everyone to play balatro , I loved Astro bot up to a point that the challenge levels started really pissing me off, balatro never made me angry and I’ve played it for at least twice as much time (~120 hours, so I’ve barely scratched the surface but had a great time for a tenner)
that god damn key jingle caught my ass the second time
FF7 Rebirth is my GotY. Balatro is next to it
Solitaire of the modern era. One of the truest lines ever spoken in the year 2024. Balatro deserves a DLC/sequel more than any AAA game
Agree. I've never heard of the robot game that won lol. Never heard of someone playing it etc... Balatro gets the love it needs from the fans so I guess it's mission accomplished
I hope anyone who hasn't played Slay the Spire finds their way to it after they are finished with Balatro. So many of the same concepts, applied differently and just as enjoyable.
Hard to choose, this year I played the half life games through for the first time, as well as Cyberpunk 2077 and of course Balatro. All games are fantastic in their own way. Loved the video
Balatro is amazing. The only reason that it didnt win is because the judges thought that Astro bot was a better example of what AAA games should be. They probably thought that Balatro winning wouldnt jave as big an impact. It was a political vote for the best.
WOMP WOMP
I am 2 minutes into this video and I am hitting Subscribe. I have already laughed out loud for real more times than during any other video I watched today (and i watched a lot of videos today XD...I have a problem T_T XD)
Very glad to have made you laugh :) Thank you for your comment, and good luck with your problem
Your statement to ff7 is kinda unfair. The only thing that is the same with the original is about 60% of the story. The OG was turn based, rebirth is hack and slash. Ignoring the story which they changed up quite a bit, the 2 games have nothing to do with each other.
Out of the six that got nominated, my pick would have been Metaphor, but out of every game I played this year, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth blew me away like no other.
I love your edits bro had me giggling a ton. I wish I had extra money fro games right now I really want to try balatro and black myth wukong but I also need to eat food lol
I hear you, times are tough but hope you get to play soon!
Wow I'm actually not the only one who thought this!
Congratulations, you're mow on the come up
I want to play it but I’m too scared of frying my dopamine receptors
And wasting my money on rogue-like games
You dare deny your dopamine receptors their purpose???
Ngl, this channel has s a u c e
[*keanu reeves point*] no you have s a u c e !
If we use how much award they win that night is gonna way better to count who deserve it...its a system that we use in school for being like the best athlete that year
That is one way to do it, but I do think that for an awards "show" it may be too boring to let anything sweep too hard...usually they give the game that isn't GOTY a win in its own genre like they did Wukong, Balatro, and Metaphor...or if it's an overwhelming win, they'll just let the game sweep anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
listening to this while I play my 96th balatro run today
Are yah winning son?
the win of Team Asobi's platformer will make a better improvement for gaming industry than an indie game winning the GOTY and give a directly message to Sonny, so I don't care who won. It's just an award show. My personal favorite game was Animal Well but loved all of the nominees(Except FF7 rebirth) that I've played.
Balatro was a funny game i stumbled on like a month ago and have put plenty of hours just having a blast. Mods are great too! I can safely say this game has earned a spot in my personal top 10 singleplayer games.
Look, I was a day 1 Astro Bot fan. I adored nearly every second of that game, and my only real complaint is the length. It was and still is my GOTY. However, I did start playing Balatro a few weeks ago, and I can say that I absolutely would not have been too upset if it won. I had been interested for a bit, and finally got around to it shortly after the nominations came out. I picked up a PS5 physical copy and after playing it about half an hour, I immediately bought the mobile version. It's crazy how good of a game a single person can make.
Love the view from both sides! Thanks for your comment :)
As someone who wanted Metaphor to win, I thought Astro Bot would take it. And despite my pick not winning, I think it was absolutely deserving. As someone who loves Balatro, I don't think it is as good as either of those 2 games. Everyone is different
I agree. I haven’t felt this addicted to a game since battlefield 3 came out. I literally have to hold myself back from playing it too often or my wife gets pissed lol
Balatro won best mobile game, good enough for me lol. Wuithering waves and Zenless Zone Zero aren't really mobile games, they're punching above their weight class IMO
Thinking Balatro is Game of the year material is exactly why we keep getting slop
balatro deserved the game of the year award more than the past like 5 years of nominees. i know i shouldnt expect anything from geoff keighley’s circus of sucking off big corporations every year but a genuinely innovative game that is ONLY A GAME and not some grindathon thats a cutscene that costed 500 million dollars not winning the award for GAME OF THE YEAR is still. astonishing. astro bot was good but its just mario galaxy, they even admitted it. the only reason it won was geoff didnt want to make the big corporation mad that their game didnt win. balatro was the only nominee that was a true innovator, there was nothing like balatro until it came out and now theres already dozens of copycatters. if that doesn’t show the pure genius of localthunks creation and how deserving it was of the goty win, idk what would be.
Balatro is my game of the year, no matter what
Balatro is not just the best game of the year, its the closest thing to a perfect game since tetris
The shaking of keys and Minecraft parkour side videos is what pushed me to subscribe. Finally, a TH-camr who caters to my zoomer's needs while dropping those Wikipedia summary dumps. I hope I'm a victim of the algorithm Gods and this video is being force-fed to many others like me.
Glad you liked it! As they say in spanish, mi brainrot es su brainrot :)
LocalThunk captured lightning in a bottle with this game, I wanted Balatro or Metaphor to win GOTY.
I played from 7pm yesterday to 3am today my first time. It's like crack.
An Industry Plant Game did NOT deserve game of the year
This game should have won game of the year and it's not even close
Is the last scenes of the skeleton from Chile?? I see he is wearing a huaso hat and the police are Carabineros
Si
*cough* helldivers 2 *cough*
oh yeah but that balatro thing is pretty good too. i haven't played astro bot (and i never plan to) so i can't say whether it deserved to beat it or not but it's pretty cool. if they had online pvp then i think it would've definitely won off sheer numbers (not like the sales figuers aren't already crazy)
As Swen said in his speech, they made the game cause no other like it was on the market. Astro Bot and Balatro getting nominated over Stellar Blade and Metaphor doesn’t hurt me in the slightest cause they are great games, but IP’s we’ve seen before and from companies who people have complaints about from previous experiences.
I describe it as Solitaire poker
Wukon deserved GotY but Balatro is a certified banger
Balatro GOTY for me too. I have 500hs going for second completionist++. Then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth….
I always thought Wukong had no chance at GOTY simply because...people didn't really talk about it even a month after release. Ultimately it doesn't actually feel like it has sauce, but rather like a billionth rerelase of Assassin's Creed or CoD - interchangeable.
I also felt this way about Astro Bot though, so clearly that wasn't good criteria.
At least we got a platformer to win GOTY; made a lot of people mad. I bet Balatro would have done the same.
Damn, this fucking game got me addicted to gambling. Yesterday I sold my second kidney to pay my debts and now I live on life support. I bought this game while it was 3+ on PEGI, so I thought it was a legit family friendly game and not a gambling trap! Localthunk I want my kidneys back 😂
Listened this one all the way through. Dope video man! Starting this game soon myself and im definitely hyped after hearing your time with it!
I just gotta say, my one issue is how you absolutely shit on Astro Bot and mocking it’s winning. As if it isn’t a masterpiece for its genre such as literally EVERY title which was nominated this year. The game is filled to the brim with heart, personality, and polish. Genuine question, im guessing you never played it yourself right? The game was honestly an amazing experience. So im assuming the only way it’s not for you is if you aren’t a platformer guy. Which is fine in that case.
But just because a game isn’t for you, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have won.
Come back at noon central time 😉
The whole idea of "Game of the Year should go to the one title doing something ground breaking to push the industry forward" is absurd. Baldur's Gate 3 didn't do anything particularly unique, neither did Elden Ring but their content, gameplay and polish was much higher quality then the competition.
Balatro is great, but discarding games like Metaphor or Astrobot for not being wholey unique is so reductive. I for one think Metaphor is such a refined experience in terms gameplay and worldbuilding it stands on its own against the Persona or SMT games and its a deserving game of the year, I could say the same for each candidate (maybe besides Elden Ring DLC, but that's another problem)
That being said I also loved other indies to pieces this year (Crow Country / Indika / 1000xResist / Rodeo Clown) but it's sk toxic to just try and tear down other games just to prop up your favorites.
While I have a shitton of hours in BALATRO, I wouldn't give it game of the year over echos of wisdom. Balatro needs a significant rebalance of it's late game and honestly it's kinda designed to maliciously throw you under the bus to guarantee additional runs out of you. Scoring needs to be re evaluated etc. echos of course isn't even a option for goty, but I'm not surprised.
I love the shit out of astro bot so I voted for that but if it wasn't there, 100% would've voted for balatro. First played it months ago and im still playing it to this day. its just one of those games thats so damn special . hard to sell to anyone by just talking about it but when they start they just instantly get it
also definitely agree with the point that balatro will outlive all of these games
In a way, Balatro and AstroBot seem like they're both just misunderstood passion projects :) I'm looking forward to what comes from people playing AstroBot as a result of it's win and also glad Balatro did as well as it did!
@ Im sure a tooon of people are gonna check out balatro (and im sure a ton already have) because of its mere appearance as a goty nominee and im so glad
I don’t think, or know, if LocalThunk really wanted to win GOTY, the game is amazing and I really wanted it to win but I think it might’ve put too much on him afterwards.
To quote the Wheel of Fortune: Nope!
Dude the game awards don't mean much it's just a marketing ploy to get more units for games just like the Oscars
I was honestly rooting for either Balatro or Astro bot to win because funny robot game or funny card game made by 1 guy with spare time beating out dlc and souls like boss rush action game #73 would be so funny. Astro bot winning is awesome and funny but if Balatro had won it would’ve been more funnier, at least it got best indie game