Balatro creator finally gets the last harrowing achievement he needed to 100% complete his own game, now feels 'better equipped' to design its upcoming expansion

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LocalThunk is free from his self-inflicted purgatory.

Balatro
(Image credit: LocalThunk / Playstack)

I have to admit, when I saw last week that Balatro creator LocalThunk was struggling to 100% his own game, I felt a bit of schadenfreude. That final achievement he needed—Completionist++—is locked behind a truly brutal grind, and as someone who's always looked at what's required to earn it with horror, I felt some vindication in seeing its creator unable to reach their own near-impossible goal.

Alas, he's had the last laugh—LocalThunk announced over the weekend on X (formerly Twitter) that he has finally done it, reaching full 100% completion of Balatro.

"Was a ton of fun to hunt for Completionist++," he says. "I play a few runs before bed and it's been a great part of my daily routine."

For those who haven't quite reached those depths of Balatro themselves yet, Completionist++ requires you to get a gold sticker on every Joker. Getting a gold sticker requires playing on gold stake difficulty and then having that Joker equipped when you beat Ante 8 (the final boss of a run, before endless mode kicks in).

On the face of it, that doesn't sound too over the top, but not only is gold stake harrowing thanks to all the difficulty modifiers it adds, but there are also 150 Jokers to get through, many of which are not at all suitable for the kind of wild endgame builds you need to win those runs. It's a test of your strategic thinking, but also a case of rolling the dice many, many times until RNG falls just right in your favour.

(Image credit: LocalThunk)

So, fair play, LocalThunk has definitely put in the time and the work to become a true master of his own game. And I can't be too resentful about it, because he's also used it as an excuse to tease upcoming goodies.

"I think it's also equipped me to better design the 1.1 update," he says. "Pumped to do it over again with the new content when it's out!"

I might not have the Completionist++ achievement, but I'm still the kind of Balatro sicko that has been absolutely champing at the bit for this patch, so it's great to hear it's front of mind. Though hopefully this doesn't mean he's now designing even more horrible challenges for 1.1.

Robin Valentine
Robin Valentine
Senior Editor

Formerly the editor of PC Gamer magazine (and the dearly departed GamesMaster), Robin combines years of experience in games journalism with a lifelong love of PC gaming. First hypnotised by the light of the monitor as he muddled through Simon the Sorcerer on his uncle’s machine, he’s been a devotee ever since, devouring any RPG or strategy game to stumble into his path. Now he's channelling that devotion into filling this lovely website with features, news, reviews, and all of his hottest takes.

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