A working prototype of Balatro was built for the Nintendo E-Reader, playing in-round gameplay with a mocked blind selection and win screen.
Technical hurdles include displaying large scores within 32-bit limits, fitting many on-screen numbers given only four numeric draw slots, and accommodating 150 unique jokers’ graphics.
Sprite count limits (56 sprites) and background use require careful design or hand size restrictions to display cards.
Space constraints on E-Reader cards mean only a subset of jokers and features can fit; the full text rules pop-ups are impractical.
Handling decimal values is a major challenge; options are fixed-point, software floating point, or dropping decimals in favor of integers.
Despite limitations, a demake capturing Balatro’s essence is feasible with concessions, and a full GBA version would ease but not eliminate constraints.
The prototype won’t be publicly released without approval from the original Balatro developer.
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