Developed by solo developer LocalThunk and published by Playstack, Balatro has made a sensational entrance into the video game landscape. This roguelike mixes poker, deckbuilding, and crazy combos: you chain winning hands with special cards with sometimes explosive effects to clear levels, the famous blinds. A seemingly simple gameplay, but which quickly becomes addictive – even obsessive.
A not-so-classic poker game…
At the 25th edition of the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the game simply dominated the evening: Game of the Year, Best Design, Best First Work and Innovation Award. Just that. A nice revenge for this title that missed out on the top prize at The Game Awards 2024, where Astro Bot had won everything (and obviously, it was deserved).
For such a modest project at the start, it's a nice feat. The recipe was clearly appealing: a simple idea, well executed, and a huge margin of improvement for players who like to refine their strategies.
Organized in San Francisco as part of the Game Developers Conference, the awards ceremony also highlighted other notable productions of the year.
Astro Bot, signed by the ASOBI team (a PlayStation studio), did well with the awards for Best Sound and Best Technology. The highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth received the Audience Award, while Black Myth: Wukong was distinguished for its artistic direction. The award for best narrative went to Metaphor: ReFantazio, a new production by Atlus (published by Sega).
In terms of honorary distinctions, the GDCA paid tribute to two well-known figures in the sector. Developer Lucas Pope (Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn) received the Pioneer Award for his original and often unclassifiable work. Sam Lake, creative director at Remedy (Alan Wake, Control) and actor in many of the studio's titles, was rewarded for his entire career.
During his speech, the Finn offered some advice to young creators: "Trust your vision, but always stay open to your team's ideas. And put as much art as possible into what you do. It's your secret mission." Not so secret, apparently.
The Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony was preceded by the Independent Games Festival (IGF), which annually recognizes the gems of independent gaming. This time, it was Consume Me that won the Grand Prize. Created by Jenny Jiao Hsia, this autobiographical game takes a darkly humorous look at eating disorders and the pressures of dieting.
Between the blockbusters and the personal projects, the evening showed one thing: video games have never been so diverse, nor so inventive. And Balatro has just proven that you can make a hit... with a simple deck of cards.
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