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  1. Games
  2. Roguelike Games
  3. Balatro

Solo dev behind indie roguelike hit Balatro threatens us with a good time, might "bloat this game with even more banana lore"

News
By Hirun Cryer
Published 4 June 2024

They can do what they want, at this point

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Balatro
(Image credit: Playstack)
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The solo developer behind indie sensation Balatro has threatened to "bloat" their game with "even more banana lore."

You'd think a poker roguelike deck-building game couldn't have anything to do with bananas - but you'd be wrong. Balatro bloody loves a banana, and they can be found all throughout solo developer localthunk's game, on Joker cards for example, which grant a variety of multipliers or other, wackier, effects for your poker hands. 

The bananas could be about to get a lot more lore-heavy in Balatro. In the tweet below, developer localthunk threatens everyone with a great time, writing that when they sometimes consider what new content to implement in Balatro, they could theoretically "bloat" the card game "with even more banana lore."

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One of the main joys of thinking about new Balatro content is that I can potentially bloat this game with even more banana loreJune 2, 2024

It's a solid point - where do the bananas come from? Why are they only on certain Joker cards? What weird fascination does localthunk actually have with bananas? There's so many unanswered questions surrounding bananas in Balatro, and only one person and give us the answers we crave.

After sailing past one million copies sold in a matter of weeks, I think localthunk can pretty much do whatever they want with the zany roguelike. A mini novel on why the Cavendish Joker is represented by one banana? Go for it. Details on why Gros Michel has a chance of being destroyed at the end of every round? Why not.

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Elsewhere lately, localthunk revealed a slate of scrapped names for Balatro, and one of them was the wild Hyperborean Hold 'em.

Solo dev behind roguelike hit Balatro expected to sell "maybe 10 copies" and go back to their IT job - but they went on to sell one million copies instead.

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Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
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Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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