- Void Poker 1992 is a Balatro-esque take on the turn-based RPG genre
- Create poker hands in order to deal damage to enemies as you work to fight the boss
- Take a rest in safe Havens and choose from seven different distinct characters
Earlier this week, I reviewed Gambonanza and, to say the least, I had mixed feelings. Ultimately, what was a well-designed and made game failed to live up to the same epoch as Balatro for me. But it also showed that you can take the same ideas as Balatro and do something different and interesting with them.
Which is precisely what Void Poker 1992 seeks to do. While not exactly as Balatro-like as Gambonanza was trying to be, there are plenty of similarities, yet just as many differences. In Void Poker 1992, you’re playing a turn-based RPG, but rather than raw numbers, your damage and progress are decided by poker hands!
But be careful because a pair or worse, nothing, will leave you vulnerable to counter-attack from each enemy. The goal is, of course, to reach the boss at the end of level 45. Along the way, you’ll run into Havens in which you can rest and recuperate, and which can be upgraded to make the next run easier.
Embrace the void
Alright, so maybe I’m stretching the definition of Balatro-like here. But hey, got to have that name recognition to get you interested, eh? And to be honest, Void Poker is a difficult beast to nail down in terms of genre. It seems to be a grab-bag of mechanics that looks as if it all works rather harmoniously.
I’m very interested in virtually every aspect of this, as you can probably guess. The art, the gameplay and the general vibes remind me of that crunchy, pixelated 90s RPG style. And with Void Poker 1992 set to land on iOS come May 30th, we’ll hopefully see an Android release sometime afterwards!
But if you’re still a bit sceptical, why not try and get into the RPG mood before giving it a go? Our list of the best RPGs on iOS is a great place to start for some of our top picks in the genre, you can play right now!
