- Publisher: Square Enix
- Release Date: Mar 26, 2021
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
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- Critic score
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Apr 1, 2021Balan Wonderworld is perfect for those who want a relatively relaxed game that delights the mind while not being overly tricky, fills up the cuteness meter, and rewards those who seek out every collectable. There are occasional frame rate drops and some potential confusion at the start due to lack of narration or knowledge about musicals. Along with what for some will be an issue with minimal lack of difficulty increase outside of boss battles and post-game content, this means overall enjoyment may be restricted for some players.
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Apr 5, 2021All in all Balan Wonderworld is an archaic action-platformer with tons of shortcomings in terms of level design and overall presentation. If you love the genre, you would probably be repulsed by this game, instead of welcoming it with open arms.
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Apr 1, 2021It's worth diving into for visuals alone. The chibi art style is adorable and certainly elevated the visuals beyond the typical cheery Unreal Engine 4 vibe to something much more, and the variety of costumes, while the amount makes it a huge game of hit-or-miss, brings a new level of diversity to the character themselves.
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Mar 30, 2021Exploring Balan Wonderworld's levels can be fun, but ultimately its single button gameplay and technical issues hold it back.
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Apr 1, 2021Balan Wonderworld is sadly an old-school platformer with all of the 90's worst flaws. Yet colorful, Yuji Naka's first game with Square Enix lacks almost everything, and everyone who likes even a tiny bit the genres should look somewhere else to find some fun.
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Apr 1, 2021A slightly embarrassing attempt to recall the early days of 3D platforming, with a central gimmick that never really captures the imagination and clunky controls and gameplay.
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Mar 31, 2021Balan Wonderworld presents itself as having a world filled to the brim with imagination, ambition, whimsy, emotion and more. And while the game’s world has a lot of that, the actual game sadly does not. It lacks a solid narrative, satisfying gameplay and a good amount of variety, instead containing uninspired levels, awkward controls and a progression system that feels more like it rewards grinding. Fans of early 2000s platformers may be tempted to try it out, but there are far better alternatives to pick up instead. If this is supposed to be an ode to musical theater, then this is Balan Company’s Turn Off the Dark, and Balan Wonderworld is going to need a massive revamp in order for the franchise to survive.
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Mar 30, 2021The unwavering cheerfulness that permeates every ounce of Balan Wonderworld can’t overcome the shallow gameplay and questionable design choices that come every step of the way.
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Apr 22, 2021Balan Wonderworld is a boring, dull and dated platformer presented in a beautiful package to persuade parents who are looking to buy a game for their children.
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Apr 16, 2021An oversimplified control system and an archaic level design could have been a fad if Balan Wonderworld had been released more than a decade ago. But in these times, Balan Wonderworld is nothing more than an uninteresting, tasteless relic of the past. Players who are interested in beautiful, fantasy-inspired platformers have many more interesting options out there to pick.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 119 out of 220
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Mixed: 4 out of 220
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Negative: 97 out of 220
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Mar 27, 2021
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Mar 27, 2021Loved it.
One of the best platform games I've played in this gen.
I highly recommend it to anyone who wants experience a nice game -
Mar 27, 2021