Summary
Balatrois undoubtedly a smash hit for developer Localthunk, stealing away the free time of everyone who dares to give the game a try. Even those confused by its nomination for Game of the Year at The Game Awards this yearquickly changed their tune once they got sucked into the brilliance of Balatro.
It’s been so popular that Balatro has had quite a few little crossovers in recent months, teaming up with games as small asVampire Survivorsto games as massive asCyberpunk 2077(with one even going the other way). The Friends of Jimbo updates have been letting players swap the faces of certain cards with characters from other games, like Geralt fromThe Witcher 3and Pierre fromStardew Valley.
Friends of Jimbo Pack 2 was released around a month ago, but it seems as though LocalThunk has no plans to stop the crossover train any time soon, as Friends of Jimbo Pack 3 was announced today by Ben Star dressed as the titular Jimbo. That absolute angel of a man really will do anything for the bit.
Balatro Is Crossing Over With Shovel Knight And Divinity: Original Sin 2
Just like with previous packs, Friends of Jimbo is teaming up with a wide range of titles, though there’s a strong focus on indies this time around. Your big titles areDivinity: Original Sin 2(the game that Larian released prior toBaldur’s Gate 3) and the ever-present, live-service titleWarframe.
As for your indies,Shovel Knighthas made its way into yet another indie title, while other popular indies such asCult of the Lamb,Don’t Starve, andEnter the Gungeonall feature.Potion Craftis arguably the smallest game to be included in the pack, while1000xResistrounds out the group,a game that is criminally underrated, and you should all go play right this second. After a quick round of Balatro, of course.
All of these cards are available to use right now, on PC, mobile, and consoles, almost as if LocalThunk decided to get in a little bit of last minute showboating before The Game Awards. It can’t hurt, right?
Balatro
WHERE TO PLAY
Balatro takes the classic card game of poker and adds roguelike gameplay, using Joker cards with various abilities to build your deck and attempt to defeat pesky blinds.
