Balatro Dev Unveils an Exclusive Guide to the Hottest Indie Games of 2024

Balatro might have potentially dominated the awards this year – securing a place on our 50 best games of 2024 list as well as Eurogamer readers’ – but the developer LocalThunk has taken the opportunity to highlight other indie titles that captured his attention in 2024.

In a post on X, LocalThunk listed his “highly esteemed Golden Thunk Awards”, giving top honors to the “captivating experience” of Animal Well.

“My highly esteemed Golden Thunk award for Game of the Year 2024 goes to Animal Well!” he stated.

“Animal Well was an engaging experience. Overflowing with style and secrets, it made me feel like an outsider in this industry as a developer. Billy Basso crafted a true masterpiece.”

The runners-up were Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers – labeled as a “beautifully synergistic and strategic card game,” LocalThunk noted, “people wrongly dismissed this as a Balatro clone, but this was announced before my game ever was” – along with Arco, Nova Float, Ballionaire, and Irascible Organ’s exceptional Mouthwashing.

“I didn’t even realize this was a horror game when I began playing it at 11pm one fateful evening,” the developer remarked. “I was captivated immediately, and both the world it built and the profound message interwoven into the gameplay remain with me vividly months later.”

LocalThunk’s outstanding Balatro received multiple honors at last month’s The Game Awards, including Best Mobile Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Best Indie Game.

The anonymous solo developer recently mentioned that there is a part of him that regrets the game’s success, as he misses when making games was merely a pastime.

When asked in an interview if he regrets Balatro’s success, he responded: “Honestly, yeah. Don’t get me wrong – this