I’ve just uninstalled and removed Balatro after yet a near, very close 8/8 ante finish. I have been failing and failing, I’ve only ever seen and gotten to 8/8 ante twice, this being the second time. Every other run has been just insulting me to where no strategy has ever worked, I feel like a lot of it is RNG and pre-determined outcomes based on seeded runs.

And I hate that way of playing. It always feels like I’m getting smacked down by a troll bully who I can never overcome. They’d kick me down every failed run I’d have, then they give me a false sense of security the further I get. “Awwww, getting tired of being owned? Here, let me help you by giving you a few seemingly lucky breaks. SMACK Oh! OWNED YOU AGAIN! FUCK YOU! LOLLOLOL! I BANGED YOUR MOTHER, GIT GUD, NOOB!1”

I just don’t understand why these kinds of games are around, even when I have a good idea who it is for.

  • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    51·
    2 days ago

    Sure, but again that’s the point. I can get why someone might not have the patience for it, but you can’t really change the front-loaded negativity or pacing without sacrificing the whole message. It’s a crucial aspect of the storytelling.

    Honestly, people who give up on it kinda validate the themes. You and your dozen friends didn’t persevere, like many of the characters. Giving up is one response to bleakness. That’s not a value judgement, like I said it isn’t for everyone, but it is kinda poignant that by checking-out you demonstrate exactly what it’s saying, to some degree.

      • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        31·
        2 days ago

        Not what I said. Dropping out of a game because it’s too bleak reinforces the game’s theme of people dropping out of reality because it’s too bleak.

        Like I said, it’s not for everyone. But you quit before the threads start to come together. If you don’t care about those threads, that’s your choice. You said you’re interested in exploring the themes the game centers around, and if that’s true you really should give it a real shot and give the game the time to tell its story. But the negativity and pacing are an aspect of that storytelling. People are supposed to be assholes, it’s supposed to feel a bit like a slog, it’s supposed to feel bleak. They aren’t telling the story badly, you’re just not interested in the story.

        • ampersandrew@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          2 days ago

          I gave it 5 hours. That’s a real shot and the point of this thread. And I also thought the story that I saw thus far had a tendency to info dump too much, which I found inelegant.