Global economy in danger? "Balatro" is released for cell phones and tablets
Cheeky jokers and big numbers: The indie hit "Balatro" is getting a mobile version. The purchase price is slightly cheaper than on other platforms.
(Image: Playstack)
"Balatro" is one of the biggest indie hits of recent years. The roguelike card game from solo developer LocalThunk will soon be coming to mobile devices: "Balatro" will be released on September 26 for iOS via the Play Store and Apple Arcade as well as for Android – and is not included in the Google Play Pass.
Many people online are now worried about their productivity. This is because "Balatro" is considered an addictive time waster that deceives with its simple look. The aim is to achieve the highest possible high scores with poker hands in order to beat an increasing target value each round. Various jokers, which are unlocked during the course of the game, can be arranged into crazy combinations, which can lead to high scores of billions and billions of points over the course of the game.
The fact that this captivating game principle will soon also become a mobile time-waster in the announcement trailer for the mobile version is perhaps not without reason causing the global economy to plummet into crisis. On Steam, 97 percent of over 40,000 players give the game a thumbs up. Many of them have played for more than a hundred hours.
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Mobile version for 10 euros
"Balatro" was released on February 20 for PC, Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S as well as Nintendo Switch, where the game usually costs 14 euros. The mobile version is slightly cheaper with a price of 10 euros, but does not appear to have any differences in terms of content.
You also have to pay the price if you already own a version. The mobile version of "Balatro" is a stand-alone game. This also means that you theoretically have to unlock new jokers and challenges. However, if you want to, you can unlock everything at once with one click –, which is handy for "Balatro" veterans who have already unlocked everything and don't want to start all over again.
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For future versions, developer LocalThunk is considering implementing a cross-save function. This would allow you to continue playing the mobile version later on your PC. However, this is not yet possible in the current version.
While the Switch version of "Balatro" is rated from 12 years of age, the Google Play Store shows a rating of 6 years and above. Balatro is not listed in the USK test database. Heise online has asked the USK for comment.
(dahe)
