Balantica

About

Balantica is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Team Hanzan and was released on December 16, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Balantica is a single-player strategy game where you manage the balance of hope between two twins by assigning diverse cards with unique effects. Maintaining equilibrium is crucial, as tipping the scale or failing trials reduces its health and jeopardizes the journey. With evolving relationships and strategic deck-building, each decision shapes the twins' fate in about 2 hours of gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 35 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging gameplay experience, blending card mechanics with a focus on hope and despair.
The art style and sound design are charming and contribute to the overall atmosphere of the game.
It's a free game that provides a fun challenge, making it accessible and enjoyable for a wide audience.

The final boss presents a significant difficulty spike that can be frustrating and discouraging for players.
There are concerns about the lack of replayability and diversity in gameplay, with some players feeling the game becomes repetitive quickly.
The game suffers from bugs and technical issues, such as pop-ups getting stuck and occasional black screens.

gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
53%
14%
The gameplay is described as fun and engaging, featuring unique mechanics that blend deckbuilding with themes of hope and despair, reminiscent of "Slay the Spire." While the game offers interesting challenges and a captivating atmosphere, some players feel it lacks run diversity and replayability, with many feeling they explored most of the content after just a few runs. Overall, the mechanics are praised for their creativity, but some execution issues leave room for improvement.
- “Runs don't take too long, the gameplay isn't something I've seen before (in a good way), and it's simple enough to be easy to understand while difficult enough to pose a challenge.”
- “The game’s dark, atmospheric art and haunting music set the perfect mood, and the card-based mechanics make for a unique challenge.”
- “The scale balancing mechanic and competent card play makes this bite-sized game a real treat.”
- “Overall, I have very mixed feelings on this game. Absolutely, I have a skill issue and that would resolve some of these problems, but the lack of run diversity and the execution of some mechanics leaves a lot to be desired.”
- “It has a little replayability but probably not enough for more than 2 hours of gameplay currently.”
- “Gameplay was okay, not the best roguelike or card game I've played, but also not the worst.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its whimsical and thematic focus on hope, despair, and relationships, while others criticize its lack of depth and a coherent plot. Although the writing is generally well-received, issues like typos and a singular narrative route limit its replayability. Overall, the story complements the gameplay but leaves room for improvement in depth and engagement.
- “Deckbuilding roguelike kind of like Slay the Spire, but the story and mechanics center on hope, despair, balance, relationships, courage, and fear rather than combat.”
- “I love the fact that, from a simple premise, you added enough constraints and backstory to make this game extremely challenging and fun to play at the same time.”
- “One of the most unique deck builders I've ever played; the artwork and story throughout are well done, and some of the events are absolutely tragic. It's short but has a ton of replayability for a free-to-play game.”
- “It is a story about nothing.”
- “- plot / conflict / story arc is terrible.”
- “The main negative point would be that there is only one route for the story, which restricts the replay value.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's graphics feature a unique art style that draws comparisons to other titles, particularly "Don't Starve," and is generally well-received for its charm and hand-illustrated quality. However, some users note issues with AI-generated images and inconsistencies in the execution, such as poor cutting around edges. Overall, while the artwork is appreciated, opinions vary on its originality and execution.
- “I really like the art style for the game; the twins give a very 'Don't Starve' feeling.”
- “I really like the concept of this game and how the artwork looks!”
- “One of the most unique deck builders I've ever played; the artwork and story throughout are well done.”
- “The worst part is that the actual art style (not the AI slop) is actually really nice.”
- “The art style is unoriginal and stolen from other games.”
- “Charming hand-illustrated graphics marred slightly by some poor 'cutting' around the edges/borders of some graphics.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Overall, the game's replayability is generally viewed as limited, with many players noting that it primarily revolves around achieving completionist goals rather than offering diverse gameplay experiences. While some elements, like collection mechanics and unique storytelling, provide a degree of replay value, the lack of multiple story routes and overall difficulty may deter players from returning after a few hours.
- “Not as infinitely replayable, but I put in more time than I expected.”
- “Collection enhances its replay value.”
- “One of the most unique deck builders I've ever played. The artwork and story throughout are well done; some of the events are absolutely tragic. It's short but has a ton of replayability for a free-to-play.”
- “But in spite of having a roguelike structure, it lacks replayability.”
- “As it stands, it was an interesting take on the concept, but it doesn't feel like it has enough replayability or difficulty to come back to.”
- “The main negative point would be that there is only one route for the story, which restricts the replay value.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's haunting music and atmospheric sound design effectively enhance its dark mood, contributing to a unique and immersive experience. Players appreciate the quality of the music, which complements the card-based mechanics and overall gameplay.
- “The game’s dark, atmospheric art and haunting music set the perfect mood, and the card-based mechanics make for a unique challenge.”
- “The music is nice too.”
- “The music loop is repetitive and lacks variety.”
- “The overall music is forgettable and doesn't enhance the gameplay experience.”
- “The soundtrack feels out of place and fails to create an engaging atmosphere.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's dark art style and haunting music create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience, while the card-based mechanics add a unique layer of challenge.
- “The game’s dark, atmospheric art and haunting music set the perfect mood, and the card-based mechanics make for a unique challenge.”