Balatro was a slow burn success, the Poker-themed roguelike building a thriving audience via gradual word of mouth. So, for CloverPit, a Balatro-esque roguelike that swaps cards for the handle of a one-armed bandit, to shift 100,000 copies in a single day, should tell you just how good it is.
We've written about CloverPit a couple of times, most recently when its Steam Next Fest demo almost completely absorbed me back in June. The premise is simple - trapped in a tiny room with very little other than a slot machine and some lucky charms for company, it's up to you to make sure you make enough money to pay off your debts before you run out of time.
To do that, you'll have to rely on a healthy dose of good fortune, augmenting your odds with those charms (earned by spending your prize tickets while your real winnings go to hitting your deadline). A maneko cat might give you a little cash injection on a good roll, for example, while a lucky coin offers a 10% chance for a bonus spin. But as the amount of money you need to earn spirals quickly out of control, you've got to hope you've got a winning strategy to hand.
Just one of a handful of 'Balatro but a different form of gambling'-type games to appear since Localthunk's roguelike blew up last year, CloverPit seems to be doing very well for itself. Developer Panik Arcade revealed that it had sold over 100,000 copies in just 24 hours - an astonishing milestone for an indie game. And it's not just raw hype - 'Very Positive' Steam reviews sit just beneath the top tier at 92% approval. A 10% launch discount and a $10 price tag mean that you've got very little to lose, but if you're still not convinced, there's a very good demo available that even lets you carry your winnings over to the main game if you beat it.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for CloverPit, which was one of myriad indie games to shift its release date to dodge Hollow Knight: Silksong.
