I have been hooked on Balatro in the past week which in a way can be compared to Splinterlands as it's also a digital card game. These are some thing that I see where Splinterlands can learn from Balatro...
What is Balatro
So Balatro is a Card Deck-Building game in a way similar to Slay The Spire but with Poker Hands where you build and upgrade your deck along the way with the objective to get a synergy where you are able to reach crazy multipliers and beat the scores to reach the next level. In a way, it is like Patience but ramped up x1000 with excitement. It's an indie game created by 1 developer as a passion project who never thought it would become the success it is now after it sold 2+ Million copies and got nominated for Game of The Year.
Things Splinterlands can Learn From Balatro...
While I still like Splinterlands, there are just too many aspects where it potentially could do so much better and which would help it to get more new player which is the one things that it needs the most.
1. Developed For Fun!
So for Balatro, zero compromise was taken and everything was designed to be as fun and enjoyable as possible. One of the things it is praised for is that while in theory it would be perfectly suited as a money grabbing Pay2win Microtransaction game, it has none of that whatsoever. This also really shows in the game as all I wanted last week was to play it without any expectation to earn money or get anything else out of it than just fun. Ultimatelty this is what gaming is about and Play2Earn games also will need to achieve this where now most of them would completely collapse if you take away the earning potential
Splinterlands on the other hand is just one big compromise where economic factors are put first and nearly always come at the cost of fun and gameplay. By far, Splinterlands would be most fun if everyone was able to play with MAX Level cards at an even playing field without being overly complicated by too much choice. Yet there is none of that in the game whatsoever. All of this potential is completely lost at the moment.
2. Play When You Want!
3. Fixed Play Sessions!
4. Maximising Gameplay Synergy!
One of the absolutely great things about Balatro is that a game session allows you to create an insane synergized strategy based on the choices that you make. There is no better feeling than getting the right complementing card and pulling off an insane combo score. Splinterlands has a lot of potential for decks that have great synergy but most of the time this is just completely killed by the game rules and the restrictions, not even talking about the need to own all the cards at higher levels.
The most fun in Splinterlands is when you have a specific strategy in mind and actually pull if off against an opponent who is similarly competitive. Most of the time this only really works if there are no Game Rules. In 95% of the matches, the 3 game rules pretty much dictate what you have to play and there is little to no room for experimentation. I would love to play the Sthispa Summoner more but the game simply doesn't allow me to do this properly.
5. Trophies, Achievements & Unlocks!
6. No Time Limitations!
In Balatro which is also a deck-building game at its core, you have no time limitation to check all the factors and variables before making a choice to proceed. This makes it possible to actually think and strategize making optimal choices without any pressure or stress whatsoever. In Splinterlands one of the featured that you instantly get hit with a Countdown Clock in which you need to get everything figured out. Most of the time this results in playing similar-type decks with small adjustments as there simply is not enough time to properly strategize let along form the most optimal deck as possible. While I get why it is done this way, at the same time Splinterlands would be so much more fun if you were given a challenge with no time limitation to create an as optimal as possible solution. I'm sure that there are many ways that this could be done in the game one way or another.
7. Level Playing Field!
One of the Great things about Balatro is that it has a low Purchase cost which gives you the entire game with zero pay2win or other microtransactions involved putting everyone on a level playing field. Money is not a factor to play or be the best in the world.
Splinterlands however is probably one of the most extreme Pay2Win game in the world right now. It requires a yearly 5000$+ investment which doesn't even give you everything as the most recent overpowered Heloise The Hollow Auction Card which will only have 100 Copies goes for 1000$+ making it that only the elite whales will be able to play with it and have fun helping them stomp the plebs who can't afford it.
This while it would perfectly be possible to create a game mode where no crazy investment is needed putting everyone on a level playing field which would be super fun to play.
How To Fix Splinterlands
I wrote an article about 3 weeks ago (Link) which includes a way to perfectly fix all these key issues and make Splinterlands way more accessible. It involves a game mode where you pay a fixed fee to enter as an indirect way to buy rewards/packs and where you get max level cards to play with that are provided by players who stake them on land which get part of the entry fee as passive rental income.
Conclusion
It remains rather frustrating to see how the potential for Splinterlands to be as fun of a game as Balatro is limited because economic incentives are prioritized above fun and gameplay. This while it is perfectly possible to overcome those and make a game as fun and exciting for gamers around the world. This said, there still are many differences between a game like Balatro and Splinterlands.
