Balan Wonderworld

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 220 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 119 out of 220
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 220
  3. Negative: 97 out of 220
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  1. Balan_SuperFan
    Feb 20, 2023
    10
    This game honestly changed my life and I am well and truly grateful for the opportunity of playing this bestowed upon me. I love the simplistic controls, the perfection of the platforming and how tearful the Balans Bout quick time event would make me every time it appeared. I recommend this experience to everyone, because this game speaks to me on a level I have never experienced before.This game honestly changed my life and I am well and truly grateful for the opportunity of playing this bestowed upon me. I love the simplistic controls, the perfection of the platforming and how tearful the Balans Bout quick time event would make me every time it appeared. I recommend this experience to everyone, because this game speaks to me on a level I have never experienced before. Balan Wonderworld resonates with me on a level that just isn't comparable to any other game. I hope anybody reading this review has the opportunity to play the game!… Expand
  2. RIbbotreview
    Feb 17, 2023
    1
    As much as I like the designs of characters in the game... I cannot excuse the absolute TRASH HEAP this game is. I do hope I see Balan again because he is just so likeable. I'm sorry but this game is just plain bad
  3. LowStandards
    Jan 31, 2023
    0
    How is this game still being sold? I have extremely low standards for games, but this is a game where I would be comfortable giving a controller to a toddler.- no not even, no one should even play this game. Everything is on one button, and the movement isn't even extravagant or anything. It's a very sorry attempt at platforming. I would rather watch paint dry than play this game everHow is this game still being sold? I have extremely low standards for games, but this is a game where I would be comfortable giving a controller to a toddler.- no not even, no one should even play this game. Everything is on one button, and the movement isn't even extravagant or anything. It's a very sorry attempt at platforming. I would rather watch paint dry than play this game ever again. This game could've had potential but I don't know where they went wrong? I think the budget went into the opening cutscene. The world is lifeless and it feels like there's absolutely no variety in levels except that the colors change, and you get different suits. Why would you ruin a game that could've actually been something good?

    TLDR: game bad, graphics bad, and everything is on one button    … Expand
  4. 360barrier
    Nov 17, 2022
    10
    impressive graphcs, decent controls, very good camera and great theme. the graphics are welcome to 20 years into the future. very advanced. main character is entertaining. hopefully they release another one
  5. Bl41
    Sep 8, 2022
    0
    never played it, just rating it because everyone thinks it's a bad game, thats all
  6. davidthesloth
    Aug 1, 2022
    2
    nope, just nope. forget this game exists cause you're better off, trust me.
  7. gingee
    Jul 1, 2022
    0
    Just... *vomit*...
    First off, the performance. God... GOD awful.
    Second, the story... still waiting on one... Third, the graphics. They're fine... I guess... the artstyle is what brought me in to wasting my money. Fourth, misc. I HATE how this game does it's """""platforming""""". You get custom costumes by playing the game or doing tasks. And some, just remove your ability to JUMP. IN    Just... *vomit*...
    First off, the performance. God... GOD awful.
    Second, the story... still waiting on one...
    Third, the graphics. They're fine... I guess... the artstyle is what brought me in to wasting my money.
    Fourth, misc. I HATE how this game does it's """""platforming""""". You get custom costumes by playing the game or doing tasks. And some, just remove your ability to JUMP. IN A PLATFORMER. STOP GIVING THIS LAZY CASHGRAB OF AN EXCUSE FOR A GAME POSITIVE REVIEWS. 0/10.    … Expand
  8. WaluigisRevenge
    Jun 17, 2022
    0
    It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't haveIt doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi. It doesn't have Waluigi.… Expand
  9. Xeculiar
    May 16, 2022
    0
    Pros: there is literally nothing good about this steaming pile of ****

    Cons: literally everything about this trash

    and most of the positive reviews are bots
  10. Robloxian
    May 11, 2022
    0
    WORST GAME EVER idk why but whenever i get a new power up it replaces something that is required to play the game and the dance every time i finish a level
  11. Catboy
    Apr 15, 2022
    0
    Such a perfect game rhehdixytyhehrguguidjsbdbdhdjcuvjfjrbebebsjdicuvuvvrnrnnfdkfjdjfjtcjfnrbt
  12. Normaliv
    Mar 31, 2022
    4
    This game is similar to writing a book, but publishing the 1st draft. It almost makes sense in most regards, but just misses the mark. After playing the game, I genuinely did not even understand what the story was about, and the platforming was just, meh. So overall, a pretty bad game, despite the 10s from lots of people./
  13. Zachu
    Mar 13, 2022
    0
    Played this with a friend on PS4, definitivley the worst multiplayer experience I have ever had the displeasure of undergoing in my life. To start, the second player in multiplayer is taped to the singleplayer, and you each share 1 screen; hope you like teleporting around the map, Player 2. I do not feel bad giving this game a big fat zero because of the bafflingly stupid design decisionsPlayed this with a friend on PS4, definitivley the worst multiplayer experience I have ever had the displeasure of undergoing in my life. To start, the second player in multiplayer is taped to the singleplayer, and you each share 1 screen; hope you like teleporting around the map, Player 2. I do not feel bad giving this game a big fat zero because of the bafflingly stupid design decisions that plague every step you take. The level design is the most straight forward crap you could ever imagine. There is barely any creativity displayed in these levels. Your moveset in a 3-D platformer is jump, every godamn button is jump on the controller and when you use a power sometimes you have the inability to jump. The costumes are not fun in the slightest, not even the ones that let you cheese the broken piss poor game design are fun. The steamy **** on top of this cake is probably the presentation, offering an overly abundant amount of ugly motion capture to every character and enemy making them look like lifeless puppets. When a character does a backflip in Balan Wonderworld its a motion captured human doing a backflip. If I were to see a human do a backflip I would be like damn that is impressive, but when it's pasted onto a cartoon character that you can animate to do anything you want it comes off lazy and sloppy. AND they retail it at $60. Avoid this game like the plague.… Expand
  14. hama33644
    Jan 30, 2022
    1
    Absolute garbage, plus the publisher or whoever pays to or up faked positive reviews….
  15. FilipeGoncalves
    Dec 22, 2021
    8
    A nice and pleasant game.
    A classic platform game with a maybe simplistic gameplay (for many too much simplistic)

    Some task and levels need to be replayed to platinum the game
  16. JacobTheToadMan
    Dec 8, 2021
    10
    Pounding Pig is my favorite costume its a pig and that's funny its also an Angry Birds reference because its a pig plus the Vacuum Cleaner is pogger
  17. PenisPickles69
    Jun 23, 2021
    10
    Balan Wonderworld > The Last Of Us Part 2!

    Balan Wonderworld has everything that TLOU2 doesn't, including the following. 1. Gameplay that is generally fun and full of unique/creative variety that always keeps the game fresh as you progress through it, and is not just a boring walking simulator. 2. Characters that are interesting, charming and naturally likable, and the way they    Balan Wonderworld > The Last Of Us Part 2!

    Balan Wonderworld has everything that TLOU2 doesn't, including the following.

    1. Gameplay that is generally fun and full of unique/creative variety that always keeps the game fresh as you progress through it, and is not just a boring walking simulator.

    2. Characters that are interesting, charming and naturally likable, and the way they tackle serious issues in life gives you a good reason to care about the characters!... In other words they're not just bland generic flesh-robots that you're forced to play as after one of them abruptly murders the beloved main character (without any proper transition/build-up that would've given it an emotional impact that it completely lacks when it happens), nor do they feel incredibly forced and manipulative with little to no actual character development whatsoever with their main appeal being pretty much just SJW bait. The characters in Balan Wonderworld are nothing like that at all.

    3. A decent story that is pretty simple but carefully structured in a way that is easy to follow, and is not an overly complicated incoherent mess that doesn't even know what kind of messages it's trying to convey, nor is it overall insulting to human intelligence to the point where it ultimately pushes you away and makes you never wanna play it ever again, instead of it drawing you in wanting more, which Balan Wonderworld always does! (Unlike TLOU2)    … Expand
  18. Petrokolos
    May 19, 2021
    10
    What a game. A true masterpiece. Excellent soundtrack and great platforming. Maybe game of the year 2021? Who knows.
  19. JJWMK2
    May 17, 2021
    2
    got some charm from cut senses and Tim, however the charm is not good enough because frustrating and evil hazard in the way plus bad level design, but they get for rushing the game instead of delaying the game (lot of feedback they requested were ignored)
  20. KillByleth
    May 16, 2021
    10
    I absolutely adore this game. It's not difficult, and I love to relax with that. I love dancing along to the dance sequences at the end, its a nice little detail there. No satanism at all unlike some other games I've played. The fact many people HATE this game is really sad, it deserves more love. I love Yuji Naka, he gives me all sorts of amazing masterpieces like this one. Truly a hiddenI absolutely adore this game. It's not difficult, and I love to relax with that. I love dancing along to the dance sequences at the end, its a nice little detail there. No satanism at all unlike some other games I've played. The fact many people HATE this game is really sad, it deserves more love. I love Yuji Naka, he gives me all sorts of amazing masterpieces like this one. Truly a hidden gem, the best platforming game ever made, and one of my favorite games of all time. Give this one a try, it'll be worth your 60 bucks!!!!… Expand
  21. greninjaX
    May 11, 2021
    0
    what a waste of time. square enix doesn't make video games, they make movies disguised as RPGS. they could never make a platformer. and yuji naka is the guy who made sonic. he's never made a good game in his life. the man has no talent.
  22. Albirch
    May 8, 2021
    8
    This is a good throwback to classic platforming games. I wish the story from the novel was in it, but it's still a fun time.
  23. Kotayro
    May 5, 2021
    6
    Balan Wonderworld is a game that could've been at least a decent game. Most if not all of Balan Wonderworlds story and other details like the dancing animals and sitting giants aren't explained in the game but instead in the official website and novel. There are certain mechanics in the game like the Balan's Bout and repeatedly picking up costumes you lost again can feel repetitive. BalanBalan Wonderworld is a game that could've been at least a decent game. Most if not all of Balan Wonderworlds story and other details like the dancing animals and sitting giants aren't explained in the game but instead in the official website and novel. There are certain mechanics in the game like the Balan's Bout and repeatedly picking up costumes you lost again can feel repetitive. Balan Wonderworld is a game that gradually gets better with the player collecting new suits to use in different levels in different situations.

    To sum it all up Balan Wonderworld is a game that has the a lot of what a good game needs, but is incorporated poorly.    … Expand
  24. PolygonPal
    May 1, 2021
    7
    A wonderfully gorgeous game that sadly failed to live up to hype due to various gameplay problems.

    The Good: Beautiful worlds and amazing character designs. Gorgeous cutscenes and mesmerizing tunes. Emotional. Playing with Tims is surprisingly fun. Easy to play. Costume system allows for creative solutions to puzzles. Balan Statues make for an interesting way to unlock more    A wonderfully gorgeous game that sadly failed to live up to hype due to various gameplay problems.

    The Good:
    Beautiful worlds and amazing character designs.
    Gorgeous cutscenes and mesmerizing tunes.
    Emotional.
    Playing with Tims is surprisingly fun.
    Easy to play.
    Costume system allows for creative solutions to puzzles.
    Balan Statues make for an interesting way to unlock more levels and reward exploration.

    The Bad:
    Incredibly simple gameplay. If you understand a costume's function you've pretty much mastered it.
    Very bad at explaining mechanics. (The Box Fox costume is the definitive example of this in game)
    Level design early on is extraordinarily basic.
    Tims might seem annoying and uninteresting if the player doesn't feel motivated to play with them. The game also explains nothing about them.
    Items in levels must be reset by defeating the boss(which are all very, very easy). This makes grinding for gems and going for Gold Hats on Balan Bouts rather annoying.
    Relies heavily on the costume system.
    The one button system makes costumes feel restrictive and sometimes annoying and detrimental.
    Ultimately better to just read the ebook.

    Details:
    Balan Wonderworld is by no means, a good game. It offers a level of simplicity beyond even Kirby. But by the same token, I find myself unable to call it bad with the charming designs and fun moments I had with clever costume use. I can completely understand why many wouldn't be interested in the game, but I highly recommend giving the game a fair shot should you find it on sale, if given the chance you might find yourself enjoying some of the games more heartfelt moments(the random choreographed dances after every boss might prove irksome however). Its also fun to watch the Tims roll around like marbles in the hub area if you feel the need to take a break.

    Verdict:
    Art: A+
    Gameplay: D
    Intuitiveness: D-
    Creativity: C+
    Cute bird thingies: B-
    Dance numbers: Z

    Recommended to novice players and those that like Disney-esque spectacles. Just be sure to nab it on sale. If you absolutely refuse to buy the game. At least consider buying the ebook on Amazon or another site.    … Expand
  25. Moomaw57
    Apr 26, 2021
    0
    This game looks terrible and controls worse. Unimpressive is not a suitable descriptor, this game is straight up BAD. Do not trust the paid reviews.
  26. JmanTheHitman
    Apr 21, 2021
    0
    It truly is mad that a full priced 60 dollar game can be like this when there are better platformers for less money. Stay away at all cost or at least until their is a sale that makes this game dirt cheap.
  27. Ducky27
    Apr 17, 2021
    0
    i dont even own this game (or a ps4 for that matter) but the amount of 10/10 bots on here are fricking stupid so heres a 0/10 review take that bots
  28. Barlysan
    Apr 16, 2021
    0
    looks like people have been making accounts to try and make balan positive.
  29. TheQueenOfMedia
    Apr 14, 2021
    0
    All these 10/10 ratings have gotta be made by AI. This game is a crap sandwich - HORRIBLE. If you're truly interested in this game, make sure to read actual reviews first.
  30. hampact9
    Apr 12, 2021
    0
    Legitimately one of the worst games I have ever played. The controls are oversimplified and unsatisfactory. The way the level builds folds around your character makes me nauseous. It is a game with lots of squandered potential. What makes me even more upset, is all the paid 10/10 reviews on here. This game is barely a game. It is barely an alpha build for a game. It is a pretty piece ofLegitimately one of the worst games I have ever played. The controls are oversimplified and unsatisfactory. The way the level builds folds around your character makes me nauseous. It is a game with lots of squandered potential. What makes me even more upset, is all the paid 10/10 reviews on here. This game is barely a game. It is barely an alpha build for a game. It is a pretty piece of eye candy that is basically scamming people into buying it. This should not be bought or sold by anyone.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
44

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 10
  3. Negative: 6 out of 10
  1. BaziCenter
    Apr 22, 2021
    35
    Balan 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.
    Read full review
  2. GameOver.gr
    Apr 16, 2021
    30
    An 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.
    Read full review
  3. GameMAG
    Apr 5, 2021
    50
    All 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.
    Read full review
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