This 'Balatro but Solitaire' deckbuilding roguelike isn't officially in Steam Next Fest, but its demo is just as dangerously gripping

Balatro's poker-themed take on a deckbuilding roguelike was an instant hit earlier this year, so when I heard there was a 'Balatro but Solitaire' game floating around, of course I had to jump into its free demo.

Solitaire Battle is the appropriately named deckbuilder "combining solitaire and autobattling, inspired by games like Balatro." The rules here are largely the same as the solitaire that many of us have lost hours chasing fireworks in, but reversed. Instead of creating columns of cards that line the screen, you instead need to peel away at them by clicking on the consecutive cards. In an autobattling twist, you'll attack your foe once you've got a streak going, and when you're all out of moves to make, it's your opponent's turn.

The whole Balatro-ness comes in with randomized upgrades that you can buy in between solitaire battles that might, let's say, increase your base attack's damage, give you more shop rerolls, debuff enemies, and generally mod your playstyle. Things get even more complex when you begin to unlock all-new characters, separate from the default tunic-wearing Link lookalike, that twist your runs further.

Solitaire Battle's itch.io demo has been up for months now, but received another hefty update recently that brings the game up to "13 heroes to play as or face on the battlefield, 50+ skills and artefacts to acquire, 10 bosses to defeats, 30+ achievements to unlock, 3 difficulty levels," and a "looping post-game that continues until you lose." Some of the tutorialization and upgrades aren't quite as clean as Balatro's, meaning you can't jump in and have fun within like, 15 seconds, but Solitaire Battle is still in active and had me hooked, regardless of some small caveats.

For more, check out some other cool upcoming indie games on the horizon.