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A free update to the poker-themed, deck-building roguelike Balatro delivers four new crossover inspired by The Witcher: Wild Hunt, Vampire Survivors, Dave The Diver, and Among Us.
The update was announced in Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct Indie World Showcase, and went live shortly after the livestream aired. Now titled Balatro: Friends of Jimbo, the game is available for $13.49 through the Nintendo eShop. Balatro is also available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
What is Balatro?
Balatro is a poker-inspired card game that features combo-building tactics found in card-based roguelike. “Combine valid poker hands with unique Joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds,” as the game’s eShop description says. “Earn enough chips to beat devious blinds, all while uncovering hidden bonus hands and decks as you progress.”
The announcement trailer showed card styles featuring The Witcher’s Geralt, Yennifer and Jaskier (Dandelion) as pixelated renditions of the King, Queen and Jack:
Other games included in the collaboration include the Dave the Diver, star of the eponymous 2023 indie hit, along with his pal Bancho. The sushi-making sensei deploys his signature knives as the King of Diamonds.
Vampire Survivors leads with Dracula, of course, and Among Us pitched in with some signature animations and its familiar, space-suited stealthy characters.
Balatro developer LocalThunk concluded the trailer with a vague tease of future collaborations by saying, “That will do… for now”.
In other Nintendo card news, the Japanese gaming giant is set to open a new museum on the very factory where it all started. The classic card game of Hanafuda, which Nintendo was known for printing will be part of the displays, and fans who make their pilgrimage can take home a little bit of the company’s history with their own printed cards.
The museum exhibition will revolve around Nintendo’s nearly 50-year-old mascot Mario as part of a treasure trove of consoles and gaming memorabilia. The exhibit opens Oct. 2.
Featured image via LocalThunk
