Reviews on Balan Wonderworld: What a Blunder-Full World

“The Wonderworld Balan is a set of half-formed ground ideas that waste a lot of glamor.”

Slow motion
General level
Gimmicks for half-ripe clothing
Limited trial

If Wonderworld Balan Doesn’t cause major studios to accept early access, will be nothing.

When Square Enix released a demo for its colorful puzzle platform ahead of its launch, the response was bad. Players criticized everything from the game’s fiddly camera to its painfully slow animations. A few weeks before its release, Square Enix announced that it was working on a one-day patch to address the feedback, but admitted they won’t be able to turn the ship completely in time.

The previous press will set some immediate expectations for fans who hope the game will be a triumphant return to regain the form for former leader Sonic Team Yuji Naka. There will almost certainly be some long tinkerers here to get the game in the right shape. Think of this as an accidental beta.

Have a chance Wonderworld Balan is able to gain popularity thanks to its captivating aesthetics and responsive background. But for those who don’t nurture much nostalgia about Dreamcast, it’s a disappointing place of half-formed ideas, playing like a raw prototype for a game that is still many years away.

Did not pass the basic exam

Wonderworld Balan will feel instantly familiar to anyone who grew up in the heyday of 3D cameras. Players explore themed worlds, overcome obstacles, and collect shiny gems scattered throughout the levels. Its simplicity could be an attraction for those hoping for a nostalgic ride, but the game stumbles upon the basics.

Movement is slow, as if the game’s protagonist is struggling to sprint through the mud. The character’s standard dance moves are so short that even the tiniest of gaps can prove to be a risk. The limited number of minigames is just the boredom and repetition of ad nauseam. Most notably, the camera is an unmistakable monster that will run away as soon as it hits the wall.

Even the narrative frame causes noise. The child protagonist teamed up with Poland, a top-hat conductor, to help solve strangers’ problems in a strange world. Each level represents the character’s specific struggles, like a fiery cave envisioning a firefighter’s deepest worries. The strange thing is that the real story behind each world is just shown after completing its two levels and right before a three-hit “three-hit” boss battle the feeling was completely irrelevant.

Its simplicity could be an attraction for those hoping for a nostalgic ride, but the game stumbles upon the basics.

Nothing really connects to each other. Levels have intentional visual motifs, but there are very few scenes that actually make use of their setups or story in a meaningful way. Most are just filled with interchangeable background challenges that lack any real personality. Whenever the game introduces a promising mechanic, such as the train ride section of a festival level, it quickly skips the idea.

It all felt like a doodle on a whiteboard transformed into a rudimentary proof of concept.

Wardrobe malfunction

The game’s defining mechanism is its costume system, but that’s what actually causes the already fragile seams to break. During the adventure, players can collect more than 80 different outfits. Each person acts as a power that provides a different perks, such as the ability to climb a spider web or wrestle with large gems. The idea is that each can be used to solve different background puzzles and drive experimentation.

It is an attack Super Mario Odyssey that’s so bad, it’s wrong

I haven’t talked about the game controls yet, as there’s not much to say. Any face button or trigger button acts as a single action button for the outfit fitted. No dash, no attack and most importantly no dedicated jump button. For example, when wearing an artist’s outfit, pressing a button shoots a beam of paint forwards. That’s it. That is all you can do until the outfit changes.

The system may have worked, but it was deployed in a nearly thought-free way.

The idea is to think carefully about the abilities you may need to solve a puzzle, but that creates unpredictable complications. In one example, I went to get some gems scattered around a laser lattice. As I tried to leave that area, I realized I took a small step down the 6-inch wall. None of my equipped outfits had the dance action, which meant I was just stuck there. The only way to progress was to do a deliberate laser hit, destroy my three outfits and return me to default without jumping skin.

This happens continuously in my playthrough. I’m going to pass a level, lose an outfit that can dance and realize I’m stuck now. Likewise, there are times when progress means having a specific ability equipped. If you go to an area and don’t dress properly, you’ll have to step back until you find it.

The game tries to solve that with an accessible dressing room by standing on a checkpoint long enough (this is never explained and currently doesn’t trigger consistently), but players need to There is an outfit with tags to pull it out of stock. More often than not, I find myself having to break out of a level altogether, go back to the world with the outfit I need and go all the way back to completing an obvious, simple quest.

To make matters worse, some fun abilities to play with. They essentially grant the basic actions that need to be used in specific situations. There is no real test. If there is a rotating gear, gear gear should be fitted. Some outfits are also functionally identical, giving players different animations to perform the same action, like hovering over gaps. Others are simply useless, like an outfit that allows the player to run faster… but it activates randomly. Admittedly a humorous troll.

The system may have worked, but it was deployed in a nearly thought-free way. The levels are designed around the assumption that the player always has the right tools for the job. Whenever they are not wearing, they will encounter a well-designed shrug.

Put on your charm

The only thing Wonderworld Balan success brings to the table the charm. It boasts a playful art style and lovely background music, even when its works are overplayed. While not in the right place, the films of the story are loving micro-films about empathy and kindness.

There is a cute game, albeit completely underdeveloped on Sonic Adventure 2So is the Chao Garden. Players take care of an island full of colorful little rabbits to eat the gems gathered through the levels. It’s disappointingly shallow and barely has any interaction at all, but at least it matches up with the good vibes the game is trying to provide, even if it’s not fun.

“Failure to be fun” is a running topic here. Wonderworld Balan May act like an adorable cartoon, but it’s not like an interactive adventure.

Does it work? Are not. At least is it thinking outside the box? Sure.

What’s really compelling is that we rarely see a major studio release fail this way. Publishers like Square Enix these days don’t need to bet much as they have lots of reliable franchises and a trend toward gaming is set to appeal. Wonderworld Balan is a real risk to see in a time when AAA gaming can feel completely predictable.

That could give it a cult advantage over gamers looking for something different. It has the same energy as the forgotten disc-like discs Billy Hatcher and the giant egg. Does it work? Are not. At least is it thinking outside the box? Sure. With a dedicated fan base forming behind it, Square Enix will likely have the feedback loop it needs to make the sequel work. Drop the sequel in early access and let its fans know the problem before it’s too late.

Get ours

It’s fascinating to write Wonderworld BalanIts flaws are part of its return charm, but that won’t be entirely correct. Favorite 3D performers like Sonic Adventure maybe have some jank with them, but they are still very happy to play. Wonderworld Balan stumbling over the basics with slow motion, overly simple controls, and half-hearted costume gimmicks create nasty hurdles at every turn. It’s captivating enough that the “they don’t make them like they used to” crowd can rally behind it, but those who want a nostalgic hit are better off hunting for a Dreamcast and sticking to the Real classics.