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Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe says he's 'got way into Balatro' after designing collab art for the poker-themed roguelike, and it's like being 'in a trance'

Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe reveals his recent gaming habits, including the roguelike Balatro, Outer Wilds, the Riven remake, and even Fortnite, offering insights into his diverse tastes beyond his farming simulator hit.

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Following his recent release of 1.6.9 on PC and the long-awaited 1.6 on all other platforms, Stardew Valley creator and solo developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone shares some of the games he's been playing - and it sounds like poker-themed roguelike Balatro has been taking up quite a bit of his time.

Speaking in a recent interview with Nintendo Life, ConcernedApe discusses what his favorite games are and what he's been up to outside of his seemingly eternal work on Stardew Valley. "There's a lot of good games that I've played," he admits. "Recently I got way into Balatro." He then describes just how addictive the smash-hit roguelike can be once it's opened: "Hours have gone by. You really lock in, you like zone in, you're in a trance."

He goes on to praise the soundtrack: "Oh, the music's great. I love the music." As a fan of both games, it's exciting to see ConcernedApe so invested in Balatro - especially after he worked on collab art for the fellow indie title last month. It's not the only game he's been playing, however, as he cites a couple of other bangers after talking about Balatro. "What else? I recently played Outer Wilds for the first time."

ConcernedApe then says Outer Wilds is "good," calling it "one of those games that everyone needs to play once, you know." Aside from Balatro and Outer Wilds, he's also "played the Riven remake" and "grew up" with the original, a title he sees as "one of the best of those genres of games ever." As for what he's been playing alongside other devs, ConcernedApe confesses that, while "a little controversial," they sometimes play Fortnite together.

Craving a new cozy adventure while you wait for even more updates? Here are our favorite games like Stardew Valley.