I’ve always been a massive fan of card games, physical and digital. It started in grade school when I participated in the growing fad of collecting Pokemon cards but never actually playing with them. As a teenager, I was introduced to Magic: the Gathering, which is where I realized why I was so obsessed with card games in the first place. From there, things went uphill, with tons of available card games, each with their twist on the genre. I think the genre only improved once I realized it was slowly moving to the mini-game portion of AAA games. Have you played Gwent? I couldn’t believe that CD Projekt Red would even dare release The Witcher 3 without already having a release date in mind for the physical version of the card game.
Unfortunately for me, the fun of particular genres begins to feel washed out after a while. That is precisely what happened to the genre of games that I would once risk getting reprimanded at work just to fit in one more game. But then, Balatro. What’s better than Balatro? Balatro on mobile.
Wow, Balatro on mobile rekindled that love like wildfire. I felt as though I finally understood what everyone was on about when Pokemon Go first launched. I would be doing overnight babysitting gigs and be on my phone the entire night because I am working through a really good run and am close to defeating the Boss of the Eighth Ante. I wouldn’t even realize it until the toddler I was taking care of would barge into the room because it was “wake up time” (it was three in the morning, NOT wake up time).
I Believe in the Heart of the Cards
I immediately re-downloaded all of my favorites. Before long, I was trying to reconfigure my old Soren and Arcanine decks to make them applicable for Standard play in their respective games. Realistically, Balatro is just so simple. Long story short, you’re playing Poker with the change in rules being that Jokers serve ability, multiplier, and upgrade bonuses to help you earn more points during every round. Gameplay involves your hand, your chosen Jokers, any additional upgrades, and the points you need to reach to win. My personal favorite aspect of the game is that since you aren’t going against any other players, you can stop and pick up where you left off whenever. As a result of this super casual and straightforward gameplay, I was reminded of the genre I loved.
I’d even forgotten some of my favorite in-game card games, like Queen’s Blood from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Caravan from Fallout New Vegas. Despite those not being as accessible as others you can pull out and play, I still installed those games. It made me realize that not only should developers toy with the idea of creating video games with card game aspects, like Inscryption and Slay the Spire, but card games should be included in even more AAA games as minigames or side quest options. They often feel like their own world within whatever game you’re playing. Whenever I was hunting for specific cards, no matter what game, I would find myself exclusively doing that, not spending a moment extra on the story or side quests.
In some cases, like with Gwent and Queen’s Blood, those card games were given their own internal storylines, immersing players further into those worlds. While playing through Rebirth as part of my beat, I remember the Queen’s Blood storyline being among the first I would think to finish whenever I reached a new area. That, paired with Balatro’s release this year makes me hopeful that card games are on the verge of making a comeback massively. Trust me when I say that I can’t WAIT to see what Slay the Spire 2 offers.
I know that not every gamer is as adamant about having card games involved more often in the gaming sphere, but I know right now, it’s an incredible time to be a fan.
