Ballionaire
Games
roguelike pachinko game
SHOW HN2025
1,581points
356comments
#3of 3,837 in 2025
Top 1%of 2025 by points
How HN took it
LovedMost comments that take a side are positive
76 positive, 94 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 5 critical, out of 177 comments about the project. Thread score +0.41.
Design: 21 for, 2 againstExecution: 7 for, 1 againstIdea: 5 for, 1 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 againstDocs: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Streamable, easy to understand premise
From 2 comments
100%, it was really the only form of promotion the game had, besides the demo itself, and the trailer. Ballionaire was accidentally designed to be verrrrrrrry streamable.
newobj on HNHow much impact to you think internet influencers had on your sales? I recall seeing it being played there first.
daedrdev on HN
Fun and compelling early on
From 2 comments
Godot 4.2 / C#. Godot is an amazing engine and I highly recommend it for indie devs. The iteration cycle is a few seconds. IMHO, using Unity will absolutely slow you down, as a…
newobj on HNHonestly it felt fun on day 3, the first time you could drop a ball and there were a couple triggers that did things. As a verrrrrrry pessimistic person, the fact that I actually…
newobj on HN
Objections
Meta progression feels weak
From 2 comments
Godot 4.2 with C#. Done differently? Hmm. It was an intense duration of work and I set a firm deadline for myself of EOY 2024 to avoid it dragging out into a…
newobj on HNI very explicitly, with my family's support, set up the expectation that the game was my #1 priority in 2024. I only took one small vacation, during which I still worked. My wife…
newobj on HN
Game gets harder rather than easier over time
From 1 comment
It was intentional that the game got harder by broadening the pool of drafts. The design goal was that you need to develop your skill to build more flexible boards, that don't…
newobj on HN
Requests
Linux or Mac support
From 1 comment
Hi, I enjoyed playing Ballionaire. I do like this style of rogue-likes where things can maybe break the game itself (infinity, slow down the game completely when too many eggs…
bb88 on HN
Questions
Publisher deal and advance terms
From 2 comments
Incredible work, Brian! I'm in awe of what you've done in such a short amount of time. I started an indie game company (still working on our first title) and had a few related…
randfish on HN200,000 units is a far cry from just a 'minor hit' - congratulations! During the project, what was the biggest instinct you had that was ultimately validated by its success, but…
switz on HN
Steam revenue cut and margins
From 2 comments
Out of curiosity, what kind of margins do you get when you sell a game on Steam? Like, what percentage of a sale ends up in your bank account (pre-taxes). Also, how do Steam…
tombert on HNHow much of a cut does the publisher and steam take from a $20 purchase?
helsinki on HN
How the price was set
From 1 comment
How did you determine the price of the game?
c0wb0yc0d3r on HN
Alternatives named
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Balatro
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