Summary
Roguelike deck-building gameBalatrois currently one of the highest-rated games of the year, earning an incredible 92 overall rating. Anyone interested in checking the game out after learning about its impressively high review scores should note thatBalatrois readily available to play across PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, so it has a presence on almost every modern gaming platform.
Developed by LocalThunk and published by Playstack,Balatrohit the scene on February 20. It combines poker with elements typical of the roguelike and deck-building genres.Balatroplayersare tasked with putting together real-life Poker hands combined with unique cards with special abilities. It seems like an odd concept on the face of things, butBalatrohas proven doubters wrong with the glowing reception it’s enjoyed so far.
Balatroreviews have been overwhelmingly positive since its release, with reviewers heaping praise on its addictive gameplay, clever mechanics, and satisfying challenge. 22 critic reviews have been counted forBalatroso far on thereview aggregate site OpenCritic, leaving the game with a 92 overall rating at the time of this writing. This makes it the second highest-rated game of 2024 so far, just behind the upcomingFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Highest-Rated Games of 2024 So Far
There are times when there is a disconnect between the critic and user reviews for a game, but that can’t be said aboutBalatro. Not only hasBalatroearned near-universal acclaim from critics, but it is currently enjoying an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating from Steam users as well. Now, it’s entirely possible thatBalatro’s review score will shift in one direction or another as more reviews are counted, but it seems like the game will remain one of the top-ratednew game releases of 2024without much trouble.
Balatro’s incredible debut makes it one of four games with a 90 or higher overall rating released in 2024 so far.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthreviewshave been high enough to secure a 93 overall rating for that game, whileTekken 8andThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredtrail behindBalatrowith 90 overall scores.
2023 was a banner year for high-quality new game releases, and it will be interesting to see if 2024 can top it by the time it’s all said and done. 2024 has a long way to go if it hopes to match last year’s offerings, but games likeBalatrohave ensured that it’s getting off on the right foot.
