The developer behind the Steam hit Balatro has named his top games for 2024. In first place is even a popular indie title. Its developer has reacted to the praise.
Who is the developer of Balatro? Balatro is a true indie game created by only one person. Namely, the developer who goes by the name LocalThunk.
Overall, he worked for about two and a half years on the project, which has received much praise since its release in February 2024. On Metacritic, the game has an impressive score of 90 points. The unusual mix of roguelike, deck-building, and poker is also very popular among players.
They gave a positive rating of 97% on Steam. At the Game Awards, Balatro also won awards. A true success story. This raises the question of what the solo developer enjoys playing himself.
The indie developer loves indie games
What is LocalThunk’s favorite game? On x.com, the developer has now awarded the ironically termed “very prestigious” prize. The best game of 2024 is Animal Well.
LocalThunk explains this as follows: “Animal Well was a captivating experience. Billy Basso has created a true masterpiece that oozes style and secrets, making me feel like an imposter in this industry as a developer.”
Bill Basso, who developed the Metroidvania Animal Well, also works alone. He read the praise from the creator of Balatro and promptly reacted to his post.
Basso calls LocalThunk in his own post on x.com the “nicest and humblest developer of the year”.
What does the community think about this? Fans of both games are thrilled that the two developers are praising each other. The interaction is perceived on x.com as heartwarming and pleasantly positive:
- “I love the positivity and the self-driven solidarity of indie developers. Be cool, support each other, and everyone is better off. No time or energy for toxicity, let’s just make and play great games,” writes Nathaniel Myers.
- “I love the love,” says Constance.
- “Animal Well is truly a masterpiece,” agrees PeaceArcher with the Balatro developer.
But not only Animal Well is among LocalThunk’s top titles.
What other games does he like? Other titles the developer believes deserve a mention include Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, Arco, Nova Drift, Ballionaire, and Mouthwashing.
So it is primarily indie games that accompany and inspire the developer throughout the year. Which of these have you played? Feel free to let us know in the comments. LocalThunk was recently upset due to news regarding Balatro: The developer behind the surprise hit 2024 on Steam is incredulous that his game is rated 18+ – angrily pointing at EA and FIFA
