Grimdark, Balatro-styled slots roguelike Cloverpit launches to a rave reception

Despite the poker-like presentation, 2024 megahit Balatro isn't actually about gambling, although its rambunctious risk/reward rolls will certainly see you weighing up the odds. Nevertheless, Localthunk's creation is one of bright, joyful colors and soothing vibes. Cloverpit stands in complete tonal juxtaposition to this, dropping you into a dark space filled with rusty slot machines and grimy ATMs. Every round, you must earn enough to pay off your debt, or you'll be cast into the death pit below. Yet, in its own horror-stained way, it's fast earning a reputation as one of the best roguelikes of this year.

Developer Panik Arcade took the decision to push back the release of Cloverpit to steer clear of Silksong's launch, and now that new date has arrived. Tasking you to "gamble for your life in a never-ending debt simulator," the studio describes its creation as "the demonic lovechild of Balatro and Buckshot Roulette, a roguelite that traps players in a hell of their own creation."

As someone who's spent hours playing virtual slots in everything from Pokemon Red and Blue to Neopets, I can attest to the simple satisfaction of rolling the reels and hoping to score big. At its most basic, that's the core of Cloverpit, but of course it's the manipulation element where skill and judgment starts to come into play. There are all manner of ways to alter your outcomes and payouts, along with meta-progression and an endless mode.

More than 150 different items can be discovered to turn the odds in your favor, with numerous synergies to exploit. Consume memory cards that can dramatically alter the rules for the rest of the run. Snatch relics that will snowball smaller wins into increasingly bigger prizes. Make a desperate phone call to save your luck from the brink. If you want to guarantee what you'll see, you can also take advantage of Cloverpit's seeded runs.

With more than 500,000 wishlists to its name following several demos, there's clearly plenty of interest, and so far the Cloverpit launch is off to a great start. The active player count has already reached 15,000 and rising, and the Steam reviews sit at 96%, granting it the coveted 'overwhelmingly positive' tag. "What a wild ride this has been," Panik Arcade writes. "We want to say a huge thank you to everyone for supporting the game so far and for sticking with us when we had to push the launch back a few weeks."

Of course, despite the sinister overtones, this is all in good fun, much like Balatro before it. "Is this gambling? Hell no," the developer emphasizes. "Cloverpit is a roguelite horror game, and not a slot machine simulator. Our slot machine is designed to be broken and ultimately overcome, and will never ask you for real money."

Cloverpit is out now, with a 10% launch discount available through Friday October 10 meaning you'll pay $8.99 / £7.65. There are also separate bundles available with Inscryption, Balatro, and Buckshot Roulette, all of which grant you an extra 10% saving on your chosen pair. Find them all here.

Always on the hunt for the best indie games? So are we, and we've rounded up our favorites in 2025. Cloverpit also works great on the best gaming handheld, if you like to take things on the go.

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