Local Thunk, the developer behind the popular game Balatro, recently shared an in-depth look into the game's development journey on their personal blog. In this comprehensive account, they reveal a unique approach to game creation, emphasizing personal enjoyment over conventional game design strategies. Notably, Local Thunk admits to not playing any rogue-like games during the development of Balatro, with one exception.

Starting in December 2021, Local Thunk consciously decided to avoid playing roguelike games. The developer's reasoning was clear: they wanted to explore the genre naively, making mistakes and reinventing the wheel rather than borrowing established designs. This approach, they believed, would not necessarily result in a better game but would preserve the joy of game development as a hobby, rather than a commercial venture.

However, in June 2023, Local Thunk broke this rule once by downloading and playing Slay the Spire. They were struck by the game's quality, describing it as a game that could have easily influenced their design had they played it earlier. The developer's initial intention was to study Slay the Spire's controller implementation, but they ended up being captivated by the game itself.

Local Thunk's blog post also provides fascinating insights into Balatro's development process. For instance, the game's working folder was originally named "CardGame" and remained unchanged throughout development. The working title was "Joker Poker" for a significant portion of the project.

The developer also discussed several scrapped features, including a system where players could only upgrade cards in a pseudo-shop, multiple upgrades for cards similar to Super Auto Pets, a separate currency for rerolls, and a 'golden seal' feature that would return a played card to the player's hand after skipping all blinds.

An amusing anecdote shared by Local Thunk involves the game's final number of Jokers. Initially set at 120, a miscommunication with the publisher Playstack during a meeting in October 2023 led to the number being increased to 150, which Local Thunk ultimately felt was a better fit for the game.

Lastly, Local Thunk revealed the origin of their developer name. It stemmed from a humorous moment when their partner, learning to code in R, suggested naming variables "thunk." This, combined with the Lua programming language's use of the "local" keyword, inspired the name "Local Thunk."

For those interested in the full story behind Balatro, Local Thunk's blog offers a wealth of information. IGN has praised Balatro, awarding it a 9/10 and describing it as a deck-builder that captivates players, potentially derailing weekend plans with its addictive gameplay.