If your group chat is anything like Engadget's Slack, probably comes up several times a week.The indie poker-style title is one of the most talked-about games of the year for good reason: it's endlessly compelling.But what if you don't have a laptop, phone, Steam Deck, Switch or other console nearby and you need your fix, goshdarnit? That's where a physical deck of playing cards may come in handy.A $16 deck is up for preorder on Fangamerand it's expected to ship in March.
The mockups show subtly pixellated cards that ape the game's art style.They have a red design on the rear — players will know that the red deck is the default set in the game.But what of the game-changing jokers? I'm afraid you only get four of those: Joker, Juggler, Blueprint and Gros Michel.Plus, they're just regular ol' jokers here.
That's a little disappointing, given how important jokers are in , but at least my personal favorite banana card is here.The same goes for the apparent lack of tarot, planet and spectral cards, which greatly modify each run.It's fun that there's a physical deck on the way, but it's a bit of a bummer that it's a standard set of cards that doesn't really play into the convention-breaking ethos of the video game.Perhaps a board game along those lines is in the works.
But for now I might have to pick up several of these decks.I'm probably going to ruin at least one set by using a Sharpie to have 52 diamond cards.Balatro Playing Cards$16See at Fangamer
