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From Balatro to Landlord
‘The one largest influence on Balatro was Luck be a Landlord.’
Those aren’t my words, but those of Localthunk, the somewhat mysterious, yet acclaimed, indie developer of Balatro; a game that has taken the gaming scene by storm over the last year or so, consuming more of my life than any game over the last decade or two.
If you haven’t played Balatro, you owe it to yourself to do so, as once the mechanics stick, the addictive loop is extremely hard to break. If you have played it, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
But the most interesting thing about how Balatro came about is in Localthunk’s words regarding Luck be A Landlord and whilst these two games are very different in their own right, you can most definitely see where those similarities lie.
Is Luck be a Landlord as good as Balatro? Nah, it’s not. However, it isn’t too far away from delivering the same kind of addiction.
Luck be a Landlord is a slot machine-styled game in which you spin for your life. Or at least spin for your rent, because if you don’t earn enough cash over a set number of spins, you’ll be unable to raise the funds to pay for your keep and your evil landlord will not hesitate in kicking you out onto the streets. Or at least in this scenario, ending a run that could have lasted seconds, minutes or possibly hours in the process.
Retro Reels and Addictive Spins
Retro visuals are front and centre of Luck be a Landlord, and it’s something I’ve noticed over and over again. Slightly pixelated, a little bit rough, but more than clear enough for delivery of detail, I’ve gone from spinning through this game on Mac via Steam, to Xbox and the opportunity to push it through my much loved XGIMI Horizon projector. A 3 metre wide screen is perhaps not the best way of playing Luck be a Landlord; it really does feel like overkill.
I don’t think playing on Xbox is the best way either. It’s fine and all that, don’t get me wrong, but the immediacy of hovering over symbols on Steam, making the most of the power of a touchpad is a much preferred input method as opposed to an Xbox controller and diving into and out of stats through face and menu buttons, bumpers and triggers. Play for long enough and you’ll get the hang of it, and kudos goes to those at TrampolineTales for managing the controller port how they have. But I’ve constantly been found wanting to head back to Mac to continue my rise through apartment levels. Much like Balatro, for me, the console switch isn’t quite as addictive.
That’s not to say there is much wrong, for the same basic game is extremely strong in how it works, with a pull that considerably brings those one more go vibes and needs. That speaks words for those much vaunted mechanics.
I guess we should cover more of how Luck be a Landlord plays, and just why it’s so addictive.
In Luck be a Landlord you are presented with a 4×5 slot machine, situated on a single screen. You best get used to that screen too, because it that which you will be staring at for hours on end, reels spinning up, showing symbols in the process. Each of those symbols comes with a cash reward attached, and from the five starting pieces – flower, cat, coin, pearl, cherry – the world then becomes your oyster.
The goal is to earn enough cash in a set number of spins to ensure that you can pay your rent as the spin counter hits zero. Do so and your landlord will up your rent for the next stage, building time and time again until your luck, or your combo-building skills, run out.
Floors, Modifiers, and Essences in Luck be a Landlord
Making it to an end-stage of any run is all that is required to open up a new floor, as an Endless Mode continues play, and whilst there are no modifiers in place for floor 1, complete that and move to floor 2 and certain rent levels will increase. From floor 4 comes further changes to how Luck Be a Landlord plays, limiting rerolls and adding in unremovable duds that take up precious playspace, whilst Essences and more arrive further down the line. And then Luck be a Landlord drops in even more twists, none of which will be divulged here as they are most definitely best uncovered through play. Working your way around, but also with, these new mechanics is what makes every run a unique and intriguing task.
Symbol Synergy and Strategic Spins
It’s in the symbols where the power lies. For instance, a dog works well with various people, as will the overruling General Zaroff, adding to the coinage each provides, whilst a combination of bees, flowers, seeds, rain and sun fast turn into a formidable force. Others work on a turn-based system – the snail giving zero coins as it arrives on the scene, only to then drop 5 in one go every 4 turns. If you combine that with further enhancements that lessen the spin requirements, and the slower spinning symbols can prove extremely generous.
You’ll also need to rely on luck too though, with symbols combining with others, mostly those adjacent to each other. 99% of your time with Luck be a Landlord will depend on how the slots drop, but we’ve discovered some neat little unlockable tricks that add in a bit more player input, swapping symbols, respinning columns, destroying symbols as the time calls.
Building Your Deck
In Luck be a Landlord, it’s all about building a deck, an inventory, of symbols that work well together, limiting the depth of your inventory by destroying and removing items as play dictates. But it’s a game that is so deep with strategy and tactics, that once the first few spins are out of the way, and your inventory starts to expand, runs can differ massively. We’ve had some great success working a ton of different angles of play, whether that be concentrating on using animals as a base, or utilising card play, dropping diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades to channel our inner Balatro. Mostly, Luck be a Landlord will dictate things itself, with the choice of three common, uncommon, rare and very rare symbols popping up after every spin, perhaps then pushing play in a certain direction, with powerful perma-items helping matters further.
A Lucky Spin on Addictive Gameplay
It is however in that luck-based system where the love may eventually start to wane. There’s no doubt that starting with the same five pieces, just amended every so slightly for the floor you find yourself playing, means that early stages feel somewhat familiar, and the luck required for a run to succeed or fail is in the hands of the TrampolineTales gods. However, even then, for the most part it still becomes tricky to break the appeal, the addiction, the draw.
Should you have fallen for the likes of Balatro, and feel you need something similar yet different, then Luck be a Landlord should 100% be taken in. The luck-based gameplay may sometimes see runs fail, and controller input isn’t quite as intuitive as that of a touchpad, but there’s still some real appeal and addiction found from the combo-building mechanics and slot machine ideas that Luck be a Landlord brings.
Just prepare to lose hours of your life. Again.
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Buy Luck be a Landlord on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/store/luck-landlord/9N263L48ZCV5