Summary
- Balatro developer lauds Animal Well as his favorite game of 2024.
- The developer named some of his other favorite games of 2024 as well.
- Balatro achieved massive success, selling 3.5 million copies, and receiving high acclaim from players and critics.
The developer behind the indie sensation Balatro, LocalThunk, has declared Animal Well as his top game of 2024. Both Balatro and Animal Well have garnered widespread acclaim and are standout indie titles from the past year.
Balatro, a deck-building game developed on a modest budget by solo developer LocalThunk, launched in February 2024 and quickly soared to fame. It received widespread praise from both critics and players, selling an impressive 3.5 million copies. The year 2024 also saw the release of other notable indie games like Neva, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and UFO 50. Among these, Animal Well matched Balatro's level of critical success. In recognition of this, LocalThunk took to Twitter to name Animal Well his "Game of the Year 2024," and awarded its solo developer, Billy Basso of Shared Memory, the humorously dubbed "Golden Thunk" award. LocalThunk praised Animal Well for its "engrossing experience," "style," and "secrets," calling it Basso's "true masterpiece." In response, Basso affectionately referred to LocalThunk as the "(The) Nicest Most Humble Dev of the Year." Fans in the comments praised both games, highlighting the positive camaraderie among indie developers. LocalThunk also shared his other favorite indie titles of 2024, including Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, Arco, Nova Drift, Ballionaire, and Mouthwashing.
Balatro Developer Picks His Favorite Games of 2024
In the thread following his original post, LocalThunk listed his other favorite games of 2024, aside from Animal Well. These included Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, Arco, Nova Drift, Ballionaire, and Mouthwashing, which he praised for their unique qualities. Notably, Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers shares similarities with Balatro as both are pixel art-based deck-building games developed by solo creators.
Despite Balatro's tremendous success, LocalThunk continues to enhance the game with free updates. Over recent months, he has released three "Friends of Jimbo" updates, integrating crossover content from popular titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, Among Us, and Dave the Diver. Most recently, LocalThunk hinted at a potential collaboration with another top game of 2024 for a future Balatro crossover.
