Tag: Playstack
News PEGI Won't Budge on Balatro's Ridiculously Bloated European Age Rating
"This sucks"
Balatro has been a huge success for solo developer LocalThunk, but it's not been completely clear of issues. Shortly after its release, European ratings board PEGI suddenly changed it to an 18, and it's been a sore spot for the developer ever since. LocalThunk recently called out the ridiculous rating — which over-eggs the point that...
News Dominant Balatro Dev Pokes Fun at Absurd PEGI Ratings Debacle
"I should add microtransactions/loot boxes/real gambling to lower that rating"
Localthunk, the mysterious developer behind poker-like sensation Balatro, has poked fun at the PEGI age rating debacle which marred its launch. The game was pulled from the PS Store after its age requirement was inexplicably raised from 3+ to 18+ for the use of "prominent...
News Balatro's Friends of Jimbo Stars Ominous Ben Starr as Jimbo
"You can't spell 'collaboration' without 'Balatro'"
There is something decidedly unsettling about the card game Balatro, judging by its marketing and that strange doll that occasionally takes over the game's social media accounts (we don't play, preferring the more refined Queen's Blood). An eerie new trailer with
News One Move Away on PS5 Is Like Unpacking Except You're Actually Moving House
You're crying
Unpacking must have proven so popular that it’s getting a kinda unrelated pseudo-sequel from a different developer, where your goal is to actually move house. Described as a first-person puzzle game, you need to stack up your worldly belongings as you embark on a new chapter in your life in One Move Away. “Whether you’re the...
News Indie Phenomenon Balatro Passes Another Impressive Sales Milestone
Ace in the hole
Roguelike poker revolution Balatro has passed another major sales milestone, with 3.5 million copies sold. The surprise hit has come an extremely long way since initially being removed from the PS Store following a PEGI rating dispute. Indie underdog stories are some of our favourites, and solo developer and artist LocalThunk...
News GOTY Dark Horse Balatro's Popularity Explodes Following TGA Nomination
Award shows are worthless, are they?
The seductive cult of Balatro continues to spread, with LocalThunk's poker-themed roguelike claiming untold more converts. The game's surprise Game of the Year nomination at Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards caused an explosive uptick in players across multiple platforms. That's in spite of conventional wisdom,...
News Balatro Deals More Free Crossover Cards Featuring Cyberpunk, Stardew Valley, More
Friends of Jimbo 2
Balatro, the hit roguelike card game, has just received another free update. Developer LocalThunk and publisher Playstack have announced and released the Friends of Jimbo 2 update, bringing a second round of cosmetic crossovers with other titles. Available now as a free game update on all platforms, you can now customise your...
News Balatro Collaborates with The Witcher 3, Vampire Survivors, More in Free Update
Available today on PS5, PS4
Card game sensation Balatro has just unveiled a free update that sees it cross paths with various popular titles. Named the Friends of Jimbo update, this freebie DLC will be available today as part of a game update on PS5 and PS4. As you can see in the above trailer, several games are being converted into cards in the...
News Sony Highlights Unbeatable's Rockin' PS5 Rhythm Adventure Gameplay
You treat me like a criminal
Further light has been shed on the upcoming, excellent-looking Unbeatable, an anime-inspired rhythmic adventure game. It follows Beat and her band as they evade the fun police in a world where music has been strictly outlawed. On the PlayStation Blog, Wout van Halderen from publisher PlayStack provided a little more...
News Smash Hit Roguelike Balatro Has Sold Over 2 Million Copies, Free Major Update Incoming
Cashing in
Balatro, the devilishly addictive roguelike deckbuilder, has now passed the two million sales milestone across all platforms. The game, almost entirely made by someone known only as LocalThunk, has been a big success critically, and we can safely say it's been a commercial hit too. The game sees players drawing cards and playing poker...
News Balatro Creator Ensures IP Won't Ever Be Used for Gambling
Leave nothing to chance
The developer behind smash-hit indie deck-builder Balatro is really not a fan of gambling, potentially as a result of the bizarre episode in which their game was pulled from console stores at launch due to a ratings board blunder. In any case, solo creator LocalThunk, who probably has a lot of money to worry about, recently...
News Beloved Murder Mystery Game The Case of the Golden Idol Gets PS5, PS4 Ports Next Week
Out on 23rd July
The highly regarded mystery game The Case of the Golden Idol will make its way to PlayStation next week as PS5 and PS4 ports have been confirmed to be releasing on 23rd July 2024. Using point-and-click gameplay, you'll solve a series of murders across 50 years of history using your deductive skills to fill in the blanks. Check out...
News Play Texas Hold 'Em with Balatro's Physical Edition on PS5, PS4
Poker pun
Indie hit Balatro is currently holding all the cards and, in a masterful flourish, is releasing the game physically on PS5 and PS4. There is no word on a release date yet, but punters can expect each Special Edition to come with a pack of Joker/booster cards to play with, even when away from the game. Filthy rich solo dev and creator of...
News Indie Hit Balatro Ups the Ante with Over a Million Copies Sold
On fire
It's been on sale for just under a month, but Balatro has already reached a huge sales milestone. After reaching the 500,000 mark after only 10 days, the indie roguelike has now doubled that figure, now having sold over a million copies. The announcement came via the game's official social channels: Developed mostly by a single person,...
News Smash Hit Indie Roguelike Balatro Has Sold Half a Million Copies in 10 Days
Playstack's fastest selling game
The wonderful Balatro's rise to stardom has been fascinating to see. Relatively obscure until close to launch, the indie, poker-based roguelike quickly ballooned in popularity, becoming publisher Playstack's fastest-selling title in just a few days. Now, 10 days after release on PC and consoles, the game has reached...
News Indie Hit Balatro Removed from Console Stores in PEGI Age Rating Dispute
On a different planet card
You may have heard about Balatro recently — it's the latest indie sensation currently doing the rounds, and it's truly excellent. The roguelike deckbuilder has you playing poker hands to score points, and using joker cards and other upgrades to amplify those points to potentially stratospheric levels — it's tremendous...
Mini Review Balatro (PS5) - Roguelike Poker Ain't No Joker
You wanna know how I got these cards?
Balatro is a fantastic roguelike deckbuilder that hides delicious depth behind its simple, recognisable exterior. With a deck of 52 standard playing cards, you need to earn enough chips to defeat each Blind, and to do so you must play valid poker hands — to start with, anyway. The game quickly shuffles away...
News Highly Acclaimed Poker Roguelike Balatro Out Now on PS5, PS4, Free Trial on PS Plus Premium
Not joking around
There's a lot of buzz surrounding Balatro right now, the poker-based roguelike deckbuilder. While this is a genre many balk at, the indie title has thus far proven to be a winner, with early reviews putting it in the 90s on Metacritic. It's now available on PS5 and PS4. Each run begins with a regular deck of standard playing...
News Roguelike Poker Game Balatro Raises the Stakes with PS5, PS4 Release in February
Hand it over
Now this seems like a match made in heaven, right? Balatro is an indie game that combines poker with roguelike elements and all the synergistic shenanigans of deck builders. It's just been confirmed for release on PS5 and PS4 as well as other platforms, and it's just around the corner, launching on 20th February 2024. Developed by...
News Detective Mystery The Rise of the Golden Idol Uncovers the Truth on PS5, PS4 in 2024
Elementary
Fans of detective puzzle games should pay attention to this one. The Rise of the Golden Idol was announced at The Game Awards 2023, and it's coming to PS5 and PS4 sometime next year. The Rise of the Golden Idol is actually the sequel to a PC/Switch title named The Case of the Golden Idol. While the first game skipped PlayStation, it...
Mini Review The Last Faith (PS5) - Competent Metroidvania Scratches That Bloodborne Itch
Provided you have the appetite
The Last Faith is a solid gothic fusion of Metroidvania and Souls-Like, mashing mechanics from two relatively crowded subgenres into something that stands out thanks to gorgeous pixel art. Fans of tough, 2D platformers will likely find a lot to like here, doubly so if you are one of those tortured souls afflicted by a...
New blood
The Last Faith has always looked promising, and now we've got a confirmed release date. The Bloodborne-styled 2D action game has stuck to its previously announced window, and will arrive on the 15th November. And yes, it continues to impress in its latest trailer, which features some particularly punchy gameplay clips. Metr
News 2D Bloodborne-Like Action Game The Last Faith Carves Out a November Release on PS5, PS4
Bloody hell
The Last Faith was announced over a year ago, and it's one we've been patiently waiting for. It's another of those action games that aims to bring the hardcore challenge of Soulslikes into the realm of side-scrolling. Coming from publisher PlayStack and developer Kumi Souls Games, this one in particular seems to have Bloodborne coursing...
News Animalistic Roguelite AK-xolotl Lets You Weaponise Your Offspring on PS5, PS4
Axolotls are weird
You've got to differentiate your roguelite indie game somehow, right? AK-xolotl, an upcoming top-down shooter from Playstack and 2Awesome Studio, was announced earlier this year, has just received some new details over on the PS Blog, including a gameplay trailer that looks suitably hectic. Playing as an axolotl
Mini Review The Entropy Centre (PS5) - Portal-Esque Adventure Rewinds Time
If I could turn back time
Waking up in a strange facility, protagonist Aria Adams finds herself a Handheld Entropy Device (HED): a gun-like entity which can bend time, and houses a sassy virtual companion named Astra. If that sounds vaguely familiar, then you should already know what to expect. It’s hard to ignore the influence of Portal in The...
News Quippy Puzzler The Entropy Centre Locks in 3rd November Release on PS5, PS4
No way home
The Entropy Centre is looking to fill that Portal-shaped hole in every gamer's heart with its dark-science setting and quippy talking gun. In an explosive new trailer, we finally got confirmation of a release date. You can look forward to diving into this one on 3rd November, on PS5 and PS4. You play as Aria, who awakens in the bowels...
News Learn the Basics of Time Manipulation in The Entropy Centre, Coming to PS5, PS4
Be kind, rewind
The Entropy Centre is a mind-bending first-person puzzler that is slated to launch on PS5 and PS4 later in 2022, and today we got a good look at the kind of gameplay experience on offer. The closest parallel to The Entropy Centre is, of course, the Portal franchise, but whereas those games deal with portals, this one is all about...
News The Last Faith Is a 2D Souls-Like Metroidvania That Looks Like Bloodborne with Magic
Comes to PS5 and PS4 in 2022
Yes, we've had a number of games attempt to capture the Dark Souls formula in side-scrolling fashion. Many of them are very good — Hollow Knight, Death's Gambit, and Blasphemous spring to mind — and this latest example, The Last Faith, shows a lot of promise. From publisher PlayStack and developer Kumi Souls Games,...
News Save Earth with a Talking Gun in Time-Bending Puzzler The Entropy Centre on PS5, PS4
Shooting its mouth off
In lieu of Portal 3 (come on, Valve), we'll happily take The Entropy Centre, a freshly announced first-person puzzle game that looks to be in a similar vein. Developed by UK-based indie team Stubby Games, it's not asking you to think with portals, but to think in reverse. Yep, this game is all about manipulating the passage of...
News PS Plus Blocks Free Mortal Shell PS5 Upgrade
Mortal hell
It's becoming an all too familiar story: the latest lineup of PlayStation Plus titles has just become available in a couple of territories, and Mortal Shell cannot be upgraded to the native PS5 version despite advertising being able to do so free of charge. This means that the version part of PS Plus is blocking the ability to do so,...
Review Mortal Shell (PS4) - A Souls-Like for Hardened Veterans
The Stone Roses
Republished on Wednesday, 1st December, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December 2021's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. All forms of art take inspiration from that which came before, but those that do must reflect on those forms and develop upon them to stand...
News Mortal Shell: The Virtuous Cycle DLC Is Free for Owners of the Main Game, Starting Today
Limited time offer
Mortal Shell's new DLC, The Virtuous Cycle, was announced a few weeks ago, and it looks like a meaty update to the solid Souls-like RPG. The expansion releases today for the PlayStation 5 and PS4 versions of the game. Normally it would cost £6.99/$7.99, but a special launch deal means those who already own the game can get the...
News Mortal Shell DLC The Virtuous Cycle Is a Roguelike, Out 18th August
New playable Shell, transforming weapon
The pretty good Souls-like out of developer Cold Symmetry titled Mortal Shell is being treated to a new piece of DLC on 18th August 2021 that makes it a roguelike. Named The Virtuous Cycle, it will be available for both the original game on PlayStation 4 as well as the PS5's Enhanced Edition. Check out the...
News Cutesy Deck Builder Rise of the Slime Comes to PS5, PS4 on 20th May
Slime time
If you're a fan of rogue-likes, card-based games, or both, Rise of the Slime might be up your street. Like Slay the Spire before it, this indie title blends the two, with procedurally generated paths and random elements mixing with steady, strategic deck building. Playing as a slime wearing a fancy crown, you'll engage in turn-based card...
News Rise of the Slime Is a Cheerful Card-Battling Rogue-Lite Coming to PS5, PS4 This Summer
Mr Blobby
Slay the Spire is a personal favourite of this author, so news of a rogue-lite, deck-building adventure game is music to our ears. Rise of the Slime is just that — an indie title about battling your way through the land using a selection of powerful cards. As you can see in the above trailer, the game has a charming, stick puppet...
Mini Review Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition (PS5) - Souls-Like Gets a Deserved Second Chance
Time to shell out for an upgrade
In an era where Souls-like games have become increasingly popular, Mortal Shell on PlayStation 4 gained a cult following for its expansive world and dedication to its Dark Souls roots. As The Foundling, your goal is to defeat The Unchained and the many difficult bosses in your way, all while inhabiting new shells and...
News Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition Is Real, Coming to PS5 Next Week
Free upgrade for PS4 owners
Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition has now been officially confirmed for PlayStation 5 by publisher PlayStack after the Trophy list leaked its existence last week. It isn't too far away either, with a release date of 4th March 2021 revealed in the announcement trailer above. If you already own the game on PlayStation 4,
News Mortal Shell, Hunting Simulator 2 Prepped for PS5 Release
Trophy lists confirm next-gen ports
One thing we’ve noticed since the turn of the year is that PlayStation 5 ports are popping up out of nowhere. You’ll recall The Sinking City launching on Sony’s next-gen console in New Zealand this week – before it was even announced by developer Frogwares. Now, two Trophy lists have emerged: Mortal Shell...
News Mortal Shell Scratches Your Dark Souls Itch, Er, This Month
Out in just over a week
Deathly gloomy Dark Souls-inspired action role-playing game Mortal Shell will start using its stamina from 18th August, and there’s a disgustingly macabre trailer to celebrate the fact above. Developed by Cold Symmetry, we’re going to describe this as an homage rather than a copycat because, well, we’re trying to be...
News 'Tough-As-Nails' Action RPG Mortal Shell Still Set for 2020 on PS4, Gets New Gameplay
See you in shell
A quick update on Mortal Shell, the supposedly super tough action RPG from developer Cold Symmetry: it's still due to release in 2020 on PlayStation 4. The game reappeared as part of IGN's Summer of Gaming livestream, and got a decent chunk of new gameplay footage thanks to the 16-minute developer interview that we've embedded...
News Mortal Shell Is an Unforgiving Action RPG Coming to PS4 in 2020
And it looks great
If you're hankering for a new game in the vein of Dark Souls or Bloodborne, you should probably take a look at Mortal Shell. Newly announced from developer Cold Symmetry and publisher PlayStack, the game is a hardcore RPG that looks mightily impressive in its debut trailer. Check it out above. On the face of it, Mortal Shell...
Mini Review Doctor Who: The Edge of Time - A PSVR Game Only Whovians Could Love
Wibbly wobbly timey wimey
It's always felt like BBC's campy sci-fi show should be a home run in video games, but it's rarely translated well to an interactive format. PlayStation VR adventure Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is an effort to change that, but it's ultimately a bit flat, leaning a little too heavily on fan-pleasing moments instead of...
News Doctor Who: The Edge of Time Brings a Dalek Invasion to PSVR This November
Exterminate!
PlayStation VR's release schedule seems to have somewhat dried up as of late, but maybe that's because every other developer is getting out of the way of a forthcoming invasion courtesy of the Cybermen and the Daleks. Doctor Who: The Edge of Time has confirmed that the TARDIS will come to PSVR's rescue next month on 12th November...
News First Doctor Who: The Edge of Time PSVR Gameplay Is Very Brown
We're not impressed
The first slice of footage for Doctor Who: The Edge of Time has just hit the internet, and we can't say this is the most impressed we've ever been by a trailer. Take a look for yourself in the clip above. It's all incredibly brown? We see the player first collecting items while a voiceover plays from what we assume is Jodie...
News Pilot the TARDIS in Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, Coming to PSVR in 2019
About time
Doctor Who has had a pretty rocky relationship with video games. The most recent on PlayStation was 2011's Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, and it was a pretty big disappointment. However, with refreshed interest in the storied sci-fi series, mostly thanks to Jodie Whittaker, it makes sense to revisit the idea. Doctor Who: The Edge of Time...
News Cross-Platform Co-Op Stars in PSVR Sequel Dick Wilde 2
Buddy up with PC players
Dick Wilde was a pretty harmless PlayStation VR shooter, perhaps notable for featuring PSVR Aim Controller support during the peripheral’s early days. Playstack has now announced that a sequel is on the way, and it’ll feature cross-platform co-op across the PlayStation 4 and PC, as the titular red neck and his pair of...
Hands On Tackling Dick Wilde with the PlayStation VR Aim Controller
Later aligator
Sony doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to supporting peripherals, but here we are a day into the PlayStation VR Aim Controller’s life and it’s already got a new game: Dick Wilde. This was, of course, all pre-planned to coincide with the accessory as we already knew it had pledged support for t
