The Unforgettable Quest: Tetris Player Discovers Game-Crashing “Brilliant Ending”

Someone has managed to overcome the challenge set by Balatro, erasing the arrogant grins of these characters by achieving a score so high that it practically caused the poker-themed roguelike to crash.

Streamer Nandre shattered the “high score limit” within the game a few days ago, but recently he has raised the bar even further while streaming. In the video below, after surpassing an ante of 39, you can observe Nandre reach a score so elevated that it forces the display to glitch, causing white-noise cards to scatter across the screen. I’m not skilled enough at Balatro to discern what kind of hand he’s holding, but whatever it is, Nandre’s hand is too substantial to be completely visible. The glitch persists until the game ultimately crashes, leaving viewers fixated on a blank screen.

“You can’t go any higher than this,” Nandre remarks during the stream. “This is literally the maximum ante you can achieve in the game without modifications. The true conclusion of Balatro has been reached. Now I can take a break…”

Balatro’s ‘remarkable conclusion’ mirrors what transpired recently with Tetris NES, which lacked a proper ending coded into the game, such as credits or a congratulatory message. Instead, 34 years post-release, a 13-year-old block-turning prodigy made history as the first person in the world to reach Tetris’ end screen by achieving such a high score that the game’s code became too unstable to continue functioning. The ending of Balatro carries a uniquely poetic significance in that regard.

However, developer Localthunk’s unexpected success has garnered attention for more than just its ending. The Game Awards 2024 may have predictably awarded many trophies to games with substantial funding, yet Balatro secured victories in three categories: Best I