Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2024
Ballionaire
Developer newobject
Ballionaire is a roguelike strategy video game made by Seattle-based developer newobject and published by Raw Fury. It was released on December 10, 2024 for Windows. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
305 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
58
Mixed
115 positive · 82 negative
95% range 51–65%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 115 | 82 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
108 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
2,292 of 2,734 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 305 · most liked firstBalatro dev shares an excellent list of his favourite indie games of 2024. TL;DR: Animal Well is his game of the year, with runner ups being Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, Arco, Nova Drift, Ballionaire, and Mouthwashing.
unlabelledView post →So @conradzimmerman.bsky.social was very right to make me play Ballionaire. That game is exactly my kind of thing. Balls go plink, boingy things go bing, and colors go everywhere.
unlabelledView post →His game of the year was Animal Well. Runners-up were Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, Arco, Nova Drift, Ballionaire, and Mouthwashing.
unlabelledView post →Game featured: Ballionaire store.steampowered.com/app/2667120/...
unlabelledView post →Really happy to announce that Ballionaire has sold 100k units in its first 10 days of launch. Making my own game has been a dream since childhood. Never too late. 🥹 🧡 Thanks to Ballionaire players for making it come true. store.steampowered.com/news/app/266...
unlabelledView post →Game Night: Satisfy the Whims of the Pachinko Gods In ‘Ballionaire’ hard-drive.net/news-games/g...
unlabelledView post →Dungeon Clawler is out!. **Official description:** Dungeon Clawler is a Roguelike Claw Machine Deckbuilder. Build your deck, grab weapons and items from the claw machine to battle enemies, discover powerful perks that create game-changing synergies and unleash crazy combos as you fight your way through the dungeon! **My take:** I played the demo earlier this year and it was a blast. I'm really enjoying the "roguelite with a gameplay twist" fad at the moment with Ballionaire, Balatro,…
unlabelledView post →BALLIONAIRE IS OUT NOW! 🥳🎉 This game is bonkers fun! So if you like fun, #indiegames and satisfying bonk noises then this is FOR YOU! We even have a 19% launch discount so go grab a copy (maybe some as gifts to, Tis the season and all). bit.ly/41nkjhh
unlabelledView post →It was fun for a while with the different stages. However, I noticed that there aren't a large enough variety of pins (items) and combos (synergies). You try to do something different but you won't score, so you end up doing the same combos over and over again and it becomes repetitive. I beat all of the difficulties in a few runs, except for the hardest difficulty (Ballionaire++), which seems like a really cheap difficulty that's designed in a way where it doesn't want you to win with…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first sighting of a game on Steam self-describing by comparing itself to Ballionaire 😭, and it's not even a plinko game. Honestly that feels amazing.
unlabelledView post →Ballionaire is the goofiest of goof games. Look at this nonsense drop! Pachinko on psychedelics and hyped on sugar. (Pretty sure this clip will sell some folks on the game and turn others completely away from it. 😂 Either way, it's ok cuz this really is the chaotic shenanigans that happens.)
unlabelledView post →Thought this was for me. Big numbers, roguelike, combos etc... Got bored before the first hour mark. Whole game feels bland and extremely gimmicky compared to similar ones like, idk, Raccoin. Not my cup of tea. At all
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Been Very Offline lately, but feel like it's worth a post about Ballionaire selling 200k units in the first ~10 weeks since launch! Thank you to everyone who has played the game. I'm still blown away by the response.🧡 store.steampowered.com/news/app/266...
unlabelledView post →When you wake up to the fact Game Grumps played one of the games you work on (Ballionaire). It’s so cool when things like that happen, I’m still not used to it even after years in this industry.
unlabelledView post →Ballionaire is a fantastic, crazy Pachinko roguelike that is extremely fun, and is a must-have on the #SteamDeck. A copy was provided by Raw Fury for review. Thank you! steamdeckhq.com/game-reviews...
unlabelledView post →In the style of Slay The Spire : Griftlands, Monster Train, Wildfrost, Accross The Obelisk, Dicey Dungeons (kinda) More action oriented : Risk of Rain Returns, Risk of Rain 2 (both games are awesome and quite different), Rogue Legacy 1 & 2, Gunfire Reborn, Spelunky 1 & 2 Unique : Balatro, Noita, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cultist Simulator, Ballionaire, Luck Be A Landlord Feel free to search about any of these games or ask some questions about them.
unlabelledView post →If you, like me, enjoy goof goof games with nice production and enough game play to keep you in it in spite of luck-o-the-physics (ie Dungeon Clawler) then uhhhh... you should know I kind of love Ballionaire.
unlabelledView post →Ballionaire will be out by the time I wake up tomorrow, and I already know y’all are going to love it store.steampowered.com/app/2667120/...
unlabelledView post →Had potential. No update in over a year, would not recommend buying this game unless the developers return to it and make it a more fleshed out experience.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ballionaire is having its first ever 30%-off sale! If you haven't checked it out yet, the game's only $8.63 USD right now! store.steampowered.com/app/2667120/...
unlabelledView post →Has the visuals of a game that should go crazy on your dopamine receptors, but fails to do so. Suffers from the over-abundance of unique mechanics that don't chain well together, and in turn dilute the item pool, making runs easy since the score threshold is low, and mentally underwhelming since you can just win every run consistently. Easy games aren't bad, this just doesn't make you feel like you are playing something that was well thought out. Wish there were more mechanics OUTSIDE of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New Northern Lion Ballionaire VOD just dropped! (He did legitimately break the game :P) www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD0V...
unlabelledView post →Ballionaire is a pretty great stoner game. It's a pachinko roguelite--excuse me, **autobonker**
unlabelledView post →Pretty boring game. I know it's a roguelike and all, but it's almost.. too random? Feels like it's impossible to reach any specific goal, even when I use the in-game feature to disable items I'm not interested in. Also seems kind of like it has specific "builds" that just function better than others -- I've tried doing a food/consumable build 5 times now and it never generates enough money, despite how many relevant items I've unlocked. Just meh overall.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I should have played the demo first. Just not fun for me. Lots of choices and seems like none of them really matter. Almost too many choices, so creating synergies would mean knowing how every single peg works, or checking through all the pegs before placing a new one. Is this a game that you could probably get good at if you put the time into it, maybe, but it's not fun, so why bother.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm excited for today's work, like a lot, hit in new seam of game design last night. I'm also excited to be on the couch reading Triangle Agency tonight and blitzing through Ballionaire in front of a fire.
unlabelledView post →🚨 Come play Appulse demo during Pins & Pegs event to have a chance to win a Raw Fury game ! They published Blue Prince, Dome Keeper, Ballionaire and many other great games ! Play the demo on Steam : store.steampowered.com/app/3558110/... #indiegame #gamedev
unlabelledView post →I had a little bit of fun but the balance is off and the progression is weirdly done. By my second game I had completely broken everything because Dam is overpowered and after that there was no real point. A lot of the game is not really sufficiently explained, but due to the lack of balance, you don't really need to know
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ballionaire by @newobject.bsky.social releases on December 10th on #steam 🎉 I had the opportunity to discuss his game, his journey in #gamedev, which includes a 20-year hiatus, and much more. Be sure to check out his #indiegame and our #podcast talk: open.spotify.com/show/25XobMx...
unlabelledView post →I like it. I wish it were a bit more structured. A lot of it is confusing in how it progresses and the items are confusing enough. I don't want a simpler game, just more explaining what things actually do. Another review said it gets old after two days and I felt like that was true but I still keep coming back every few days to play a round. A fun challenge.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New Scope Creepers Podcast with NewObject the dev behind Ballionaire! @newobject.bsky.social #gamedev #godot #indie #podcast #indiedev #youtube youtu.be/WLCN3JU33Ec?...
unlabelledView post →Last month's Ballionaire partnership gave you a game that was both very BRIGHT and very COLOURFUL. This month we're going for DARK and DANK. We'll announce our partner game and studio a little today. Get the news straight from the source via our newsletter: www.pantaloon.io #indiegames
unlabelledView post →Welp - time to play a just-released possibly ridiculous game? BALLIONAIRE! The name is great, we'll see what it's like. Come join stream! twitch.tv/asmadigames Post-PAX ADVENTURES!!! (???)
unlabelledView post →Y'all -- check out DOGPILE!! This an incredibly fun (and deep!) Suika-style game brought to you by some of the same folks who worked on GUBBINS! (bless🙏) Beautifully human-made whimsical art. Really fresh gameplay. (Fun fact: Gubbins was a significant influence on the look of Ballionaire!)
unlabelledView post →Ballionaire is out now on #steam 🎉 - tell your friends (and enemies)! Make sure to check out @newobject.bsky.social ´s game - not only is it loads of fun, you are supporting an awesome #indiegamedev. He shared his story on episode 33 of our #podcast. To celebrate, here is our one page review:
unlabelledView post →Had potential, but no one balanced or gave meaningful updates to the game. Only two builds actually get you to late game in harder difficulties.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →With very little progression, and very poor balance, Ballionaire will only really appeal in the longterm if you're an absolute pachinko addict. Use the dam, win. If you're more about enjoying a Rube-Goldberg machine, there are better games for it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Over-delivering on my key performance indocators. Game: Ballionaire (really fun, highly recommended) Final boss score: 2 million I manually ended the run at 552 quadrillion because the game had gone into an infinite loop. Left it running for half an hour and it wouldn't end. PC slowed to a crawl with the game running at 1 FPS with balls filling the entire screen. It was a fun run. Also got 4336 rerolls....which was amusing.
unlabelledView post →I wish there was a neutral option available for reviews. That's how I feel about this game - neutral. Despite seemingly being finished, some parts of the game clearly aren't. I've found placeholder text in the settings, I think? Something that you shouldn't see, anyways. Not that I care much for it being present, but regardless, it is present. The game is... quirky? 99% of the graphics are 2D, but something that always catches me off guard is the dancing stick figure that shows up…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd like to see an #indiedev take all of the addictive/fun gambling type elements & put it in one spectacular package. Cards, slots, plinko, claw machines, learn from recent games like Balatro, Dungeon Clawler, Ballionaire, & make the most addictive game of all time. #indiegames
unlabelledView post →"Trust me, just play it" ...is not a phrase I use lightly, but in the case of Ballionaire it is warranted. store.steampowered.com/app/2667120/...
unlabelledView post →Already on the first run, boredom set in after barely an hour... That's a record for me. I don't even want to start the game anymore. The worst part is that I don't really know why. Maybe because almost nothing happens on the screen? Maybe because it's more random chance than the player that decides? It's not my first game of this kind, and it looked more active and interactive than the others, but it's actually the opposite.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, I was really hopeful for this game, but it was just kinda boring, and not very satisfying. I wouldn't really recommend it...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game 2: Ballionaire (PC, 2024) Such a fun take on a roguelite deckbuilder style of game with some "pray for RNG" moments! If i have one criticism, it's that it's overwhelming to learn out of the gate. But it's a blast when all the cogwheels start turning. Will report back to see if it holds up!
unlabelledView post →Finally completed a run on Ballionaire - that's taken a lot longer than it should have 🤣 Semi-addicted to this game 😅🎮
unlabelledView post →Started playing Ballionaire- I have no clue what is going on but I love it! Do love a randomly addictive game 🎮🤣
unlabelledView post →Ballionaire is annoyingly good and I want to play it all the time https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2024/12/ballionaire-is-annoyingly-good-and-i-want-to-play-it-all-the-time/ #Ballionaire #Godot #IndieGames #SteamDeck #Linux
unlabelledView post →Saturday shout-outs to @mosscollectors.bsky.social and @tricko.bsky.social for being die-hard Ballionaire playtesters. Your support and feedback has been invaluable in the final stretch of delivery, the game is much better because of y'all!
unlabelledView post →A month since Oct Next Fest and we were delighted with the coverage we received. It was great hearing all the feedback on our demo! Special thanks to @localthunk.bsky.social who gave our game and Ballionaire by @newobject.bsky.social a shout out! And a huge thanks to GamesRadar for the write up!
unlabelledView post →A little unintuitive gameplay regarding different builds and gets boring fast.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My work over the last ~12 months: Game prototypes: - Ballionaire 2 - Boat game - Bulldozer game - Factory game - Physics-based autobattler - TCG designer simulator - First person survivors-like - Worm simulator - Turn-based frame perfect roguelike fighting games
unlabelledView post →The game is fun for 20 minutes, then you realize the foundation of the game is made with toothpicks. The game has way too many different types of balls/items which sounds good on paper until you realize they don't synergize with each other whatsoever. You basically always want one type of ball or set of items. It's hard to go for one type of synergy so you try to do multiple but by the time you try to setup different types of synergies you can't get anything going because the items don't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is really a lot of RNG, but it's still kinda fun. I'd say it works best on the Steam deck because that's exactly the kind of game you want to play when you're not at the computer. I really wish I could say something better about this game, but honestly, it's just OK...between this and "Luck Be a Landlord" it's like gambling without the real risk of losing anything but your mind.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →kind of boring if you keep getting ♥♥♥♥ RNG but the runs that do go off are really fun. main complaint is no endless mode and only 4 difficulties
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →shoutout to @newobject.bsky.social for creating such a pure form of digital crack We featured Ballionaire in our very first Bold & Bizarre Games Bulletin - back when the game was a prototype on Itch.io. It's been amazing to chart its success since then, and somewhat of a full circle moment for us.
unlabelledView post →Got up to a little Ballionaire tonight. This guy has seen some things. I think I have this game figured out now.
unlabelledView post →The challenge is to choose 25 games you intend to play in 2025. One game a day, for 25 days. Future release, backlog, replaying a fav, any game - just no explanations, no reviews, no particular order. Day 20 Ballionaire (on PC, Switch, Switch 2, or mobile?) #gamingsky #gamechallenge #promosky
unlabelledView post →My new "relaxing or before bed" game. Ballionaire is FUN! store.steampowered.com/app/2667120/...
unlabelledView post →Tactical Tuesday Live Showcasing our friend @adamvision.bsky.social ‘s game Flip Flop XL Venturing back in the Darkest Dungeon Capping things off with a #sponsored game segment of Ballionaire So much fun to be had tonight twitch.tv/generalandrews
unlabelledView post →*dusts mic off* play the Ballionaire demo, out now! store.steampowered.com/app/2667120/...
unlabelledView post →
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