Frequent readers (and why wouldn't you be?) may recall one of the more oddball stories last year involving Balatro, the roguelike deckbuilder, which was initially classified as PEGI 18 by rating boards. This put it on the same level of content as something like Grand Theft Auto, which naturally baffled many people, including the developer.
However, it seems that PEGI has recognized their error and has reclassified Balatro, now designating it as the more appropriate (at least in my opinion) PEGI 12. According to developer Localthunk, who announced the news on Twitter, this reclassification was partly due to an appeal by Balatro's publisher to the board.
This isn't the first time Balatro has run into issues with external organizations; it was also briefly pulled from the Nintendo eShop due to perceived gambling content. This is despite the fact that players can't actually win real money or make bets, and the only use of cash is as an abstract way to purchase more cards within each run.
As mentioned above, one of the key reasons Balatro was initially classified as PEGI 18 was due to the depiction of gambling-adjacent imagery. Essentially, the concern was that someone might figure out what a straight flush or a flush is.
This classification issue has also affected platforms like mobile, despite the presence of in-app transactions in virtually every app on our humble platform. So, while it's better late than never, this reclassification should not have been necessary in the first place.
If this news is finally swaying you to try out Balatro, why not take a look at our tier list of Jokers to find out which of these game-changing cards are worthwhile and which ones aren't?
