In the midst of all the buzz surrounding the massive success of Balatro, gaming enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating a wave of new gambling-adjacent roguelites. And honestly, I’m all for it! We’ve got a lineup of exciting titles on the horizon, including Replicat, a picture-pairs deckbuilder, Meowjong, a cat-themed Mahjong-based roguelite, and Runeborn, a deckbuilding-meets-slot-machine-meets-rune-matching game set to release next week. But one of the first games to hit the scene is CloverPit, a slot-machine-themed experience that takes the grim reality of gambling to a whole new level of darkness.
I’m not entirely sure why slot machines have such a sad vibe to them, but CloverPit really leans into that melancholy. The game’s eerie pixel graphics remind me of Inscryption, and the whole atmosphere feels demonic, to be honest. You’re stuck in a dingy room with a slot machine that demands you to make a certain number of coins within a limited number of rounds. If you fall short, well, let’s just say it’s game over for you. The cherry on top? There’s a red phone that rings between rounds, offering you buffs or debuffs reminiscent of Deal or No Deal. It’s a lot to take in for such a tiny prison of a game.
Now, I’m not an expert on this stuff, but playing CloverPit feels strangely captivating, much like feeding coins into a real-life slot machine in the dead of night. The game’s mechanics are pretty fixed, much like a real fruit machine, but with the added twist of Lucky Charms that can give you an edge. However, unlike Balatro, where skill plays a significant role in your success, CloverPit seems to rely more on luck. Sure, you can strategize with your Charms, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to what the game decides to throw your way. And if things don’t go your way, well, it’s back to square one. But there’s something oddly addicting about hitting that restart button over and over again, uncovering new elements each time and questioning why you’re stuck in this twisted game in the first place. So, even though CloverPit may not measure up to the greatness of Balatro, it still manages to keep you coming back for more, despite its flaws.
