I've played an hour of Nubby's Number Factory and I'm already convinced it's as addictive as Balatro

The other day, after I had finished my daily duties for this here wonderful website, I hopped on Discord to see my friend streaming a game to another friend. That game looked like the terrible CGI of a driving theory test or a work information video had made a horrid hate baby with all the combined assets of Clipart and a child's drawing that would definitely put said child in therapy. Meet Nubby's Number Factory, a game I couldn't take my eyes away from.

In Nubby's Number Factory, you'll face a plinko-style pegboard in front of you. On that board you shoot the purply grey little ball Nubby to get as many points as you need to meet quota. If you fail to meet the quota, the sun explodes. Also, there's some skinny dude with cartoon glasses who is almost definitely the developer watching and reacting to your moves. Like Balatro, Nubby's gives you a simple premise that doesn't require any skill to get stuck in with. Then, when you can add dancing dinosaurs and pregnancy tests to your inventory, each giving their own buffs that rely on luck as much as they do strategy, and you'll feel yourself be pulled in.

Eventually, should you get far enough, you'll end up begging certain items or perks to activate as you hope that you can eek out another victory and stop the sun from exploding. What Nubby's hides behind its strange world and at times grotesque visuals is actually a very solid gameplay system, one that it is as easy to understand as it is enjoyable to play. You won't watch someone playing and need fifteen YouTube essays to figure out what's going on, which is why perhaps everyone I've shown this game to can't help but want to take a look for themselves, like I'm passing on some sort of Nubby virus.

With items at the Nubby Mart, food and buffs at the Café Nubby, perks that drop every so often and even a black market with its own lot of items, there's so much variety in Nubby's that you'll find yourself strategizing on the go, unable to set out with a clear plan in mind like a roguelike such as Hades. But, this is where Nubby's Number Factory really impresses.

The idea behind Nubby's isn't that you just get super strong and can blast through the levels as if they were nothing, as the better you do the more points you'll have to score next round to proceed. Therefore, the game works best when you're teetering on the edge of victory or damning defeat, and your heart might as well start paying rent in your mouth when you're watching the little idiot ball that is Nubby bounce around, hoping that he'll hit the pegs you need. As you build up, you may rely less on Nubby, even gaining bonuses as soon as he bites the dust, but you may also need the little spherical buddy to help you climb to victory. This is where I get the real pseudo-gambling high Balatro gives.

With its Y2K aesthetic, addictive gameplay, and different challenges that it gives you, Nubby's feels like a true indie treasure that we'll be talking about for a while to come. With around 300 reviews on Steam at the time of writing, it feels very much like a hidden gem right now, but I'm sure that is like to change. This isn't a review or preview, just a piece on an indie I think could scratch the Balatro itch if you want to swap cards for a little grey ball. Nubby's Number Factory, you are a strangely compelling mess.