Roguelike deck-builder Balatro is one of the best roguelike games because it's like real poker with about 100% less risk and 100% more surrealist fun. Special Joker cards with unique, enhancing abilities are integral to winning, letting players do devious things like amass more money or multiply their scores. And according to Balatro's solo developer LocalThunk, there wouldn't be so many of them if it weren't for a slight miscommunication.
"I once told Playstack (my publisher) that the full version of Balatro would have 120 Jokers," LocalThunk said on Twitter. "In a meeting later that week, they mentioned something about '150 Jokers,' and instead of correcting them, I just made 30 more Jokers."
Because they didn't plan to have 150 Jokers, LocalThunk says they initially had no ideas for the additional cards, but that "life finds a way."
Though LocalThunk doesn't remember which 30 Jokers owe their existence to life finding a way, in a separate tweet they share that several fan-favorite cards would "be in the ether if I spoke up." Those cards include Lucky Cat (which earns a 0.25x multiplier whenever a Lucky card is played), Baseball Card (which supplies a 1.5x multiplier for each Uncommon Joker you hold), and the rare card Campfire (which receives a 0.25x multiplier per each card you sell).
"So… the best ones?" replies one fan on Twitter.
"A lot of these are personal favorites," says a popular reply. "Thanks for not speaking up."
"Thank GOD you have social anxiety, or this game would be so much harder," agrees another fan. It's true. At its core, LocalThunk's story is a moral tale: now we know there's at least one thing that being too quiet is good for.
