CloverPit Review
Gambling addiction is a prison that will ultimately kill you in Panik Arcade’s roguelite CloverPit.
CloverPit. Credit: Panik Arcade / Future Friends Games
Italian developer Panik Arcade brings us CloverPit, following up their fantastic oddball platformer Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom with something completely different and fiendishly addictive. Publisher Future Friends Games originally slated the release for September 3rd but delayed it to avoid Silksong; this horror-tinged slot machine roguelite finally hit Steam today, and it's been worth the wait.
The premise is equally horrific and absurd. You're trapped in a hellish, rust-stained cell that’s like something out of the Saw franchise, where an unseen captor demands you feed tokens into an ATM. Fail to pay up, and trapdoors open beneath your feet, sending you plummeting into an abyss. Succeed, and your debt requirement increases in the next round. Your only salvation is the demonic slot machine sitting in your cramped prison, which you must manipulate and exploit to generate enough winnings to survive.
CloverPit. Credit: Panik Arcade / Future Friends Games
That manipulation of the odds is at the heart of the game. CloverPit is a clever roguelite that uses slot mechanics as the foundation for strategic combo building. Clover tickets let you purchase items that affect machine behavior: swing odds in your favor, increase multipliers and symbol values, provide extra spins, or boost ticket rewards. You must learn the ins and outs of the increasing number of items you unlock and select your purchases carefully to create powerful synergies that potentially transform modest winnings into massive payouts. Fail to do that, and your death is all but guaranteed.
CloverPit. Credit: Panik Arcade / Future Friends Games
Meanwhile, every three rounds, a phone rings offering Vampire Survivors-style upgrade choices that can fundamentally alter your strategy. The progression system feels satisfying as you unlock new items and discover ways to break the game. It can be frustrating to get a bad combination on offer at the shop in a run, but at least in those cases, it’ll end quickly, and you can move on to try again. And again. And again. The game definitely hooked me, making me want to play “just one more time.”
CloverPit. Credit: Panik Arcade / Future Friends Games
My only significant gripe is the punishing 666 combo that instantly vaporizes your round's earnings. Even at the stated 1.5% base odds, it appears far too frequently and feels deeply unfair. Certain items counterbalance their bonuses by increasing the odds of getting a 666. It’s just too punishing, and the complete randomness makes it feel cheap and unfair. Failing to earn enough money in your three spins is disappointing; losing it all because of random bullshit is infuriating.
The PS1-style low-poly graphics and chunky pixelated textures enhance the game’s oppressive atmosphere and encourage your imagination to fill in the gaps. It creates a surreal, claustrophobic experience that somehow undercuts its own horror with the cartoonishness of the game’s models and their proportions.
CloverPit. Credit: Panik Arcade / Future Friends Games
After several hours, I got far enough in a run to earn a key to one of four locked drawers, which allow you to store and hotswap items. There are three more drawers, and I have no idea what comes after that. So far, the game hasn’t offered any clues as to the reasons behind my imprisonment in this gambling hell. The addictiveness of the game, the satisfaction of earning coins when I pull the lever, make it a pleasure to throw myself at it again and again to see if I can unravel the game’s mysteries, assuming they exist. If nothing else, Panik Arcade has mashed together inspiration from Balatro and Shotgun Roulette to craft an original and compelling commentary on addiction and debt.
CloverPit is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: Steam Deck
