Deckbuilding roguelikes have become a top-tier genre in recent years. Slay the Spire has undoubtedly been the king of the genre since it launched into early access back in 2017, but the arrival of Balatro in 2024 definitely made the contention for the throne a lot more crowded. Balatro arrived out of nowhere and took the world by storm, being a bona fide game of the year contender among behemoths like Helldivers 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Dragon’s Dogma 2.
But that overnight success came after almost three years of hard work. And just over one year after the game launched, the developer Localthunk released a diary detailing the development of the game, from its beginnings in December 2021 through to the game launching in February 2024.
