Summary
To celebrate hitting 2 million units sold,Balatro’s developer LocalThunk put up a new post on the roguelike card game’s Steam page back at the start of August. To mark the momentous occasion, LocalThunk stated that three major announcements would be dropping over the Summer, the first of which was thatBalatrowould be receiving a big gameplay update in 2025. LocalThunk has just dropped the second majorBalatroannouncement of the Summer, and it’s set an incredibly high bar for the eventual third reveal.
Duringthe latest Nintendo Direct, a newBalatrocontent update named “Friends of Jimbo” was revealed. In a free update available right now,Balatrohas added not one, not two, but four crossovers with major gaming franchises. Each of these crossover packs changes the appearance ofBalatro’s face cards and adds one or two new animations to the game, and it can be enjoyed on all platforms at no extra cost.
Every Crossover Balatro’s Friend of Jimbo Update Adds to The Game
The Witcher 3
A game that really needs no introduction,The Witcher 3is still widely considered to be one of the greatest action-RPGs ever made, and somehow, it’s barely aged a day over the last nine years. With a fairly popular Netflix show now under the franchise’s belt as well,The Witcher’s characters are known far and wide, making their appearance inBalatroall the more impressive.Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer, and Jaskier/Dandelionappear as the King, Queen, and Jack cards respectively.
Among Us
One of the biggest Indie games in recent memory,Among Ushas found its way toBalatroin itslatest “Friends of Jimbo” update. ThisAmong Uscollab turnsBalatro’s King, Queen, and Jack into the social game’s Red Crewmate, with the King revealing Red to be a monstrous Impostor. Though the designs used forAmong Us’Balatroface cards aren’t quite as immediately recognizable asThe Witcher 3’s Geralt, Yen, and Jaskier, they still add a nice layer of collaboration to the game.
Vampire Survivors
A particularly fitting crossover givenVampire Survivors' similar breakout nature in 2022,Balatro’s latest update has also added some new face cards based on the hit roguelike bullet hell. Here, the Jack card has been turned intoVampire Survivors' iconic garlic-wielding Poe, while the Queen card depicts Queen Sigma, and the King displays the vampire that adornsVampire Survivors' cover art, but who infamously doesn’t actually appear in-game.
Dave the Diver
The most recent release in thisBalatrocrossover update,Dave the Diver,launched back in January of last year. Half ocean-exploring action game and half sushi restaurant manager,Dave the Diveris an addictive, bright, and fun game that’s managed to make quite a name for itself over the last year and a half. Along with appearing inBalatro,Dave the Diverhas also crossed over with fellownautical-themed Indie gameDredge, the King of the Monsters himself,Godzilla, and even the fighting franchiseGuilty Gear. InBalatro,Dave the Diver’s titular hero appears as the Queen card, while sushi restaurant investor Cobra is depicted as the Jack card, and head chef Bancho is the King.
While these crossovers don’t drastically affectBalatro’s gameplay in any way, they don’t need to. The core gameplay loop ofBalatrois exceptionally strong, and these collaborations simply offer fans of those series an incentive to jump back in for just one more round.
