Malcolm Owen
'Balatro' and 'Balatro+' are now available on iPhone and iPad, with players able to choose between the paid edition from the App Store or the Apple Arcade Plus version.
Previously teased as arriving on iPhone and iPad late in September, Balatro from LocalThunk and Playstack is now available to download on mobile devices. The launch on Thursday brings the game to both the App Store and the Apple Arcade subscription.
A deck-building roguelike, Balatro tasks players with creating the best deck to produce the best poker hands. However, unlike regular poker, players can use cards with unique abilities that change how the game is played.
The main objective is to collect chips to outdo challenging blinds, with the ultimate goal of defeating the final ante of the boss blind. As play continues, players can discover hidden bonus hands and decks, providing more ways to play and to alter their deck.
The game has already been released on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It's also appeared on Steam for both Windows and macOS.
It is a highly regarded game, securing a score of 90 on Metacritic and a 97% positivity rating on Steam.
Balatro is available from the App Store for iOS and iPadOS, priced at $9.99. Balatro+ is also available as part of the Apple Arcade subscription.
William Gallagher
Andrew Orr
2 Comments
I just tried it on my Mac. The first thing I noticed is that the resolution looks like VGA resolution (640x480) which does not leave a good first impression. After 2 minutes, I couldn't figure out why the "Play Hand" button was always greyed out. I tried clicking everything on the screen, but nothing worked. So I had to quit the game. No doubt it's just me, there's nothing wrong with the game.
This is my favourite game of the year and it's wild that it's on Apple Arcade from release.
That's a design choice.