Balan Wonderworld

 PlayStation 5
User Score
5.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 253 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 121 out of 253
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 253
  3. Negative: 122 out of 253
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  1. SPARKisnumber1
    Mar 28, 2021
    0
    It’s bad. Really bad. The cutscenes and music are good, and I know a lot of thought was put into the game, but the gameplay is the worst I’ve ever seen in a triple a game, period. I really hope square learns their lesson because this game is an embarrassment and it didn’t have to be one.
  2. B-Bog
    Mar 27, 2021
    0
    DO NOT TRUST THESE POSITIVE USER REVIEWS. THIS GAME IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE.

    Seems like Squirt-Enix are resorting to the cheapest tactics possible and are trying to buy their way out of this mess by flooding this site with fake user reviews (look at the profiles of these people, none of them have reviewed anything else besides this POS). For which, shame on you, you f***ers! Don't you have    DO NOT TRUST THESE POSITIVE USER REVIEWS. THIS GAME IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE.

    Seems like Squirt-Enix are resorting to the cheapest tactics possible and are trying to buy their way out of this mess by flooding this site with fake user reviews (look at the profiles of these people, none of them have reviewed anything else besides this POS). For which, shame on you, you f***ers! Don't you have ANY dignity left?

    There was a reason as to why they didn't hand out any review copies: This game could not even be considered decent as a free-to-play mobile game. To release something this bad as a fully-priced console title borders on fraud and is absolutely shameless.

    If my review gets marked as "not helpful", you know who's to blame (hint: it's not the actual players).    … Expand
  3. Kakadu
    Mar 30, 2021
    0
    Garbage, absolute garbage. Worst game I have ever played.
    All of those positive reviews are bots, Metacritic should do something about this.
  4. Wildman87
    Mar 30, 2021
    0
    A flaming dumpster fire. Half of the perfect 10 reviews are developers of the game who are desperately trying to get people to plop down their money for this “game” before the IGN review comes out. The other half are trolls from anonymoose doing it for the lulz. Don’t spend 60(!!!) dollars on this, you’d be better served buying crack. At least that would be pleasurable for 10A flaming dumpster fire. Half of the perfect 10 reviews are developers of the game who are desperately trying to get people to plop down their money for this “game” before the IGN review comes out. The other half are trolls from anonymoose doing it for the lulz. Don’t spend 60(!!!) dollars on this, you’d be better served buying crack. At least that would be pleasurable for 10 minutes.

    Seriously, look at every user who left a 10 review. The only game that user has reviewed is Balan wonderworld. It’s a sad attempt to pad reviews by the company who released the game. I haven’t seen anything like this in decades.    … Expand
  5. Rav3
    Apr 2, 2021
    0
    It’s garbage. A disgrace to the industry, and an incredibly shameless waste of money.
  6. Ducky27
    Apr 7, 2021
    0
    i dont even own this game (or a ps5 for that matter) but the amount of 10/10 bots on here are fricking stupid so heres a 0/10 review take that bots

    also i found a bot review saying "if you like replaying sonic adventure play this" and i do find myself replaying sonic adventure but you would never find me playing this trash heap
  7. Rajaya234
    Apr 4, 2021
    1
    Balan Wonderworld is a one button game if you didnt have any costume you just can jump. Some of the costume is useless. The Character movement is so bad. The Music is really good
  8. balnog
    Apr 11, 2021
    0
    Stunningly bad game, not enjoyable to play at all, I'm kinda stunned that something like this could be released in 2021. Feel completely ripped off.
  9. DinoBeam
    Apr 11, 2021
    0
    WARNING! 10/10 scores are people payed off to review this game with a good score, often with broken English, look up video reviews before you buy!!!!!!!
  10. Loprete
    Apr 3, 2021
    1
    1 for still believing in Square-Enix, but Balan Disastrousworld is the worst game I’ve ever played in my entire life: ugly, unfinished. Confused, boring, repetitive and brain dead.

    It would be ok for a 9.99 or even 19.99, there are really better games for the same price or lower than BalN. Don't buy it, check for demo & game play before.
  11. jamesdwa
    Apr 11, 2021
    0
    Absolute garbage, very disappointing, expected more from square enix. Wish I seen reviews and gameplay before buying. Game needs a lot of work doing to it to make it a workable and fun game. Very disappointed as well that a game company as big as square enix is using dirty tactics on this site to make out that the game is good, they should be a shamed of themselves. Its shocking thatAbsolute garbage, very disappointing, expected more from square enix. Wish I seen reviews and gameplay before buying. Game needs a lot of work doing to it to make it a workable and fun game. Very disappointed as well that a game company as big as square enix is using dirty tactics on this site to make out that the game is good, they should be a shamed of themselves. Its shocking that cyberpunk has got so much bad press for being a bad game when it still without the many bugs is a well crafted game. Balan wonderworld is nicely designed but has no flow, its more like its been made by some school kids as a unfinished demo project. I don't know how a game like this manages to be released, I could understand 20/40 years ago but now with some much work put into games and the amount of quality assurance available it just makes no sense. Avoid this game if not already bought until it is improved.… Expand
  12. momsspegetitt
    Apr 11, 2021
    0
    **** the bots and **** this game, something about this post needing to be 75 characters long
  13. Masterchaos
    Apr 22, 2021
    4
    I was planning to review games for a long time. But it's sad that my first review has to be negative.
    This game is just not very good. There are some ideas that may would have worked, if they would have delayed the game to polish it.
    The character design is cute and some worlds also look nice. But the main game play is just not very fun. There are costumes that disable your jump in a    I was planning to review games for a long time. But it's sad that my first review has to be negative.
    This game is just not very good. There are some ideas that may would have worked, if they would have delayed the game to polish it.
    The character design is cute and some worlds also look nice. But the main game play is just not very fun.
    There are costumes that disable your jump in a jump and run game. And changing costumes cost way too much time. Some are even an insult. Like costumes that activate randomly and may throw you down into a bottomless pit. Just who thought this is a fun ability?
    The Level design is weak and difficulty is non existed. (Okay for a kids game)
    But again: Why do you add a QTE mini games that you have to perfect (first try) to 100% complete the game? If you fail, you have to restart the stage. And this stupid mini game appears in every stage. And takes way too long. And in some stages even 2 to 3 times. Who thought this would be a nice idea? Kids get bored or frustrated by this.
    Cut scenes are nice and some of the mini stories would be cute. But again there is repetition. And you not learn much else about the characters before the boss fight. I don't know how often i have to ask why? Why do you only show cutscenes before and after the boss? Why not tell the story starting in level 1 (introduction), level 2 (the conflict), Boss (Resolve)

    Whoever made the gameplay decisions in the game, has never played a game before. There is no other explanation. The game sabotages itself at every corner. Every good idea is crushed by bad design choices.

    But the worst: The developers are buying reviews. I would have give the game a 6 but for this alone i have to subtract 2 more points!    … Expand
  14. CyberRobotnix
    Apr 25, 2021
    0
    What you expected when the game was first announced: Nights into Dreams
    What you got: Rubbish Psychonauts, 'nuff said
  15. Kyech_
    Jun 6, 2021
    0
    I'm doing my job.

    Down to the bots.

    F*** y** stupid coorporate s***, acept the crap game for what it is!
  16. HankisLaw
    Apr 11, 2021
    1
    Really nothing good at here at all. I think the only reason to play this is if you lost a bet or have somehow played every other game in existence
  17. Triantafyllos
    Apr 11, 2021
    0
    Such a garbage uninspiring game with clunky controls,terrible characters and the list goes on. Don’t waste your money on this one, buy something better.
  18. UltrANeX
    Apr 16, 2021
    0
    Dear god, Square Enix is rolling down the hill, eventually they're gonna hit the cliff edge, and fall right off, but that's a subject left for another disaster. What the hell were they thinking here? Did they think this piece of absolute sh1t was going to rival Mario Odyssey? Do not believe the fake reviews, they did that for Left Alive, and they're doing it here. How about you actuallyDear god, Square Enix is rolling down the hill, eventually they're gonna hit the cliff edge, and fall right off, but that's a subject left for another disaster. What the hell were they thinking here? Did they think this piece of absolute sh1t was going to rival Mario Odyssey? Do not believe the fake reviews, they did that for Left Alive, and they're doing it here. How about you actually make a good game like FF7 Remake, instead of treading out cheap, and effortless garbage like this, and pay for positive reviews to net yourself the minuscule sales made by manipulating kids who don't know any better. Unfortunately, it's failing, and I'm so happy you're failing with this. Do better next time please.… Expand
  19. HubertLayle
    Apr 11, 2021
    0
    Terrible game, please dont buy. This is a scam... dont believe those fake "10" reviews.
  20. celestialmyth
    Apr 12, 2021
    0
    This game is the worst the 10 scores are fake and bots this game does not cost 60 dollars at best it costs 10 dollars this game is soo bad
  21. croquetaboi95
    Jun 29, 2021
    0
    fun fact, all 10 scores are from users that only have a review on this game. nice
  22. GamingMoments53
    Apr 12, 2021
    0
    The game is unfinished and repetitive. The costumes are bland and not fun to play. The developers probably ran out of ideas so they copied some costumes to later levels while hoping you would forget about the older one. If a costume has an ability that isn't a jump such as launching a projectile, you have to switch to a costume that does have a jump to get through the level. Ignore all ofThe game is unfinished and repetitive. The costumes are bland and not fun to play. The developers probably ran out of ideas so they copied some costumes to later levels while hoping you would forget about the older one. If a costume has an ability that isn't a jump such as launching a projectile, you have to switch to a costume that does have a jump to get through the level. Ignore all of the fake reviews that say the game is better than other platformers. Save your money and buy a different game.… Expand
  23. CodeTJ
    Apr 13, 2021
    0
    This game is terrible. There are only three good things about this game, the music, cutscenes and Balan’s character design. Those are the only good things. Simply moving around in the game makes me angry. The power ups are annoying and lead to multiple possible soft locks. The story makes no sense sometimes.

    Overall, the game has a few things that are good, but everything else    This game is terrible. There are only three good things about this game, the music, cutscenes and Balan’s character design. Those are the only good things. Simply moving around in the game makes me angry. The power ups are annoying and lead to multiple possible soft locks. The story makes no sense sometimes.

    Overall, the game has a few things that are good, but everything else (especially the gameplay) is terrible. The 10/10 reviews are definitely fake.    … Expand
  24. M0TTO
    Apr 13, 2021
    0
    Awful platforming with an awful power-up system of suits that literally only give you one button to use. There’s also no clear story or explanation of what you’re setting out to accomplish in each world, there’s no explanation for characters vanishing every time you approach them, the trophies give you the same exact Balan quick time event each time, on top of consistent fps issues. ThisAwful platforming with an awful power-up system of suits that literally only give you one button to use. There’s also no clear story or explanation of what you’re setting out to accomplish in each world, there’s no explanation for characters vanishing every time you approach them, the trophies give you the same exact Balan quick time event each time, on top of consistent fps issues. This game could’ve released 30 years ago and it would still be considered awful and lazy. If you want to experience anything about this game without wasting $60, go on Youtube and watch the cutscenes, because that is the only remotely decent part of this game.

    P.S. It’s also disgusting that Square paid for positive user reviews on this nightmare of a game. Some of these positive reviews literally have nothing to do with the game and it’s embarrassing that a triple A studio would stoop so low.    … Expand
  25. TheQueenOfMedia
    Apr 14, 2021
    0
    All these 10/10 ratings have gotta be made by AI. This game is a crap sandwich. If you're truly interested in this game, make sure to read actual reviews first otherwise AVOID AVOID AVOID.
  26. Strenqth
    Apr 15, 2021
    0
    TLDR: An absolute scam. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. It seems to be designed with the intent of stealing your parents/ grandparents money because they wont know the difference when they gift the game to you/ your little brother.

    There are 20 year old platformers that hold up better today than this game ever will. Balan Wonderworld feels like it was developed by someone studying their first    TLDR: An absolute scam. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. It seems to be designed with the intent of stealing your parents/ grandparents money because they wont know the difference when they gift the game to you/ your little brother.

    There are 20 year old platformers that hold up better today than this game ever will. Balan Wonderworld feels like it was developed by someone studying their first year of game development, and will likely end up dropping-out of the program. Every aspect from the visuals to the story and gameplay are comparably worse than Ape Escape 2 (Playstation 2, 2002).

    This game got some traction in the gaming media for having 80 costumes available to change into. As I now know after playing, the 80+ costumes in this game are mostly just ripped off from recent Mario titles and given horrible new names using poor world play.

    Box Fox, Speedy Cheetah, Slow Tortoise, Hardy Hammer, or "Ladderman" are some of the more lamely names on top of the list. Then you'll find these one-time-use character costumes have 5-6 cases of ability overlap with the other costumes, which begs the question as to why Square Enix thought 80 was a good idea instead of just 8-10 truly unique costumes.

    Happy Blaster (Just picture a happy clown), Inky Blaster (a squid) Water Blaster (a fire hydrant) Flame Blaster (flames around you) and Vacuum Blaster. (yep, just a vacuum)

    All of these "Blasters" follow some function throughout the game which is often overshadowed and deemed irrelevant by the next costume to follow them up. Ie. Water blaster helps you solidify lava pools into rock to stand on when surrounded by lava during a level but - the flame blaster can walk on lava.

    Nobody should have to pay a cent for this trash. Please do yourself a favor and avoid purchasing this game at any cost, paying more than a cent for a game of this quality is a huge slap in the face to the consumer. Director Yuji Naka should be ashamed, and so should the developers who made this atrocity, and also whoever decided it should be worth 60$.    … Expand
  27. quebbbin
    Apr 15, 2021
    0
    wtf people giving this high score? .
  28. Di110n
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    I made an account JUST so I could make sure nobody buys this trash. This game is a scam. It's worth less than $5. It has the design depth as a freemium phone game. Please, for the love of god, go play anything else. Literally anything. I can't believe this dumpster fire is allowed to exist.
  29. Crimson2
    Apr 24, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is just bad man. Bad story, frame drops, bad 3d platformer mechanics (can't jump with actions, vice versa), camera work is a little rough, lame qtes, etc. Do not buy.… Expand
  30. Silver333
    May 5, 2021
    1
    A shallow, buggy, and basic experience. This game treats the player as if they are a brain-dead saint with the IQ of a cucumber and the patience of a monk. The only reason I did not give it 0 is because it has 2 good songs and a few good CGI animations. Save yourself the time and $60 and watch them on YouTube.
  31. M19Xisrupt
    Jan 30, 2022
    0
    The User Review for this game is filled with bots! Don’t believe any 10/10 ratings, this game is nowhere close to a 10/10. It’s a 2/10 at best, but they get a 0 for trying to manipulate their ratings. These devs are so miserable that they go to other, way better games and leave a review saying "Balan Wonderworld is way better than this game" or "I'd much rather play Balan Woderworld" LOLThe User Review for this game is filled with bots! Don’t believe any 10/10 ratings, this game is nowhere close to a 10/10. It’s a 2/10 at best, but they get a 0 for trying to manipulate their ratings. These devs are so miserable that they go to other, way better games and leave a review saying "Balan Wonderworld is way better than this game" or "I'd much rather play Balan Woderworld" LOL no, no one wants to play your boring and uninspiring game, you can keep your game and your manipulative review tactics.… Expand
  32. TripleDSmash
    Mar 31, 2021
    0
    Notice how all the 10/10 reviews are from new accounts that have only reviewed this game?

    I made an account to make this review to try and combat the insane amount of fake reviews. The number is increasing literally every time you refresh the page. Balan Wonderlands is a very uninspired platformer, and most of the costumes are not worth using. I am assuming they knew this, hence the    Notice how all the 10/10 reviews are from new accounts that have only reviewed this game?

    I made an account to make this review to try and combat the insane amount of fake reviews. The number is increasing literally every time you refresh the page. Balan Wonderlands is a very uninspired platformer, and most of the costumes are not worth using. I am assuming they knew this, hence the onslaught of obviously fake reviews.    … Expand
  33. ws456
    Apr 1, 2021
    0
    Look at the profile of all of the perfect 10 reviews. Notice that the only game they've reviewed is this one. Either Square Enix is paying people to leave positive reviews or the developers are doing it themselves. Either way that is just plain fraudulent. It's embarrassing as well because anyone with an ounce of sense can see that the perfect 10 reviews are faked (nevermind thatLook at the profile of all of the perfect 10 reviews. Notice that the only game they've reviewed is this one. Either Square Enix is paying people to leave positive reviews or the developers are doing it themselves. Either way that is just plain fraudulent. It's embarrassing as well because anyone with an ounce of sense can see that the perfect 10 reviews are faked (nevermind that they are written using grammar that is so bad that I can barely understand them). If Square Enix is responsible for the review bombing it's sad that a company I loved has resorted to criminal and fraudulent practices. I hope that's not the case. Watch critic reviews before you buy.

    This game is not worth $60, maybe not even $5. The controls make it unplayable. When was the last time you only had ONE button to perform actions in a game? You have a choice between jumping or doing something else depending on the costume you wear. If this was 1982 and I was playing this on the Atari 2600 I might understand but, c'mon developers was it that hard to add the ability to use TWO buttons? Why do I have 8 buttons on my controller? Did you think they were there for decoration?

    Again, I really hope Square enix isn't responsible for the review bombing. That's the shadiest thing I've ever seen.    … Expand
  34. JRLezcano
    Apr 1, 2021
    1
    If for some reason you believed this game was going to be anything than what it is after the demo, and didn't canceled your pre-order, don't play it or download it so you can get your refund without problems. If you still want to try it, wait a few weeks and go get it for some $5.00 at a local retailer and make sure they will take it back. Even $5.00 will be a waste if it contributes toIf for some reason you believed this game was going to be anything than what it is after the demo, and didn't canceled your pre-order, don't play it or download it so you can get your refund without problems. If you still want to try it, wait a few weeks and go get it for some $5.00 at a local retailer and make sure they will take it back. Even $5.00 will be a waste if it contributes to boost sales for this game.
    Is there anything good in this game? Yes, it has a nice visual design and creative concepts. But, that's all I can concede to this game.
    I'm waiting for a post today from Square Enix announcing this was and April's Fool joke and they'll update the game with the real file tomorrow. But, that's not going to happen, what you see is what you get. The gameplay is non-existent, at least enjoyable gameplay, you can technically say there is gameplay since you are using a controller to play a game. But that is the only way anyone can objectively call what they delivered and designed for this game Gameplay.
    Every aspect of this game puzzles me in the fact that someone at some point approved this for release. Who is the target audience for this game, where they making a game for toddlers? Is there some Guinness Record they are going for, are they trying to surpass Atari's ET legendary status?

    Anyways, please don't buy this game. If you somehow enjoyed it, that's ok. But don't lie saying this is a 7-10 game.

    Also, Metacritic, please fix the user scores, people might get tricked into thinking this game is secretly ok.    … Expand
  35. Matuscara
    Apr 6, 2021
    0
    terrible game... full of fake reviews here. pathetic to say the least. Absolute garbage game..
  36. 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.
  37. Demsville
    Mar 28, 2021
    0
    Ignore all the fake reviews on here that have been paid for by Square Enix. This is a mediocre, if not bad action platformer
  38. ScottyDO
    Mar 31, 2021
    4
    One button masterpiece more like one button disasterpiece although astetically this game looks pretty and the idea behind the game was intuitive and somewhat creative it just doesn't tick the correct boxes for this generation of consoles merely a switch game at least. Although like everything it's to the players disiiar to play the game and make up there own mind.
  39. rampantrabbit
    Apr 22, 2021
    1
    If there is any game I wish I could un-buy then Balan would be it. The controls are shocking, animation is poor. Have now put it on eBay and various forums for sale.

    SE has lost the plot with this release.
  40. ieatpoo69420
    Mar 31, 2021
    3
    Its good for a game i found in a dumpster. if I paid full price I would rob somebody after buying it to make up for my waste of money. find copies in the dumpster the bots will pay high price for them
  41. H_Hydrogen
    Mar 29, 2021
    0
    **** game.

    This game is a huge steaming pile of **** Go play Crash 4 instead if you want to play this kind of game.
  42. MYSnoopy
    Mar 29, 2021
    0
    $60 poorly spent... One of the most incoherent stories told with the most poorly thought out mechanics. Gave me a good laugh the first time, but wore me down eventually.
  43. vahove2331
    Mar 31, 2021
    0
    there are too many bots!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there are too many bots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!there are too many bots!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there are too many bots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  44. throokerz
    Mar 31, 2021
    0
    Haven't played the game but they're paying for fake 10/10 reviews. **** this game and the company behind it, disgusting behaviour. Don't be tricked.
  45. Thirteen1355
    Mar 28, 2021
    0
    Complete trashfest.
    Unfinished, buggy, and pointless mechanics. Add to that the absurdity of posting fake reviews to up this score, and this is the most scummy, atrocious game of 2021. Be ashamed, Square Enix. Complete garbage.
  46. Megagal1978
    Mar 30, 2021
    0
    It’s so hilarious how all of these perfect “10s” you see are all fake reviews. You can tell just by the way they are written. This is obviously not a 10 type of game. Guys, you need to make it more realistic to be believable. Try an 8 or a 7.5. Nobody believes you. Try a new tactic because this one isn’t working. I actually almost bought this game UNTIL I read the reviews and saw howIt’s so hilarious how all of these perfect “10s” you see are all fake reviews. You can tell just by the way they are written. This is obviously not a 10 type of game. Guys, you need to make it more realistic to be believable. Try an 8 or a 7.5. Nobody believes you. Try a new tactic because this one isn’t working. I actually almost bought this game UNTIL I read the reviews and saw how desperate Square Enix is getting trying to pad them. I played the demo and it was absolute crap and I LOVE a good platformer. This was not it. So go ahead, Square Enix, say my review was “not helpful”. No one believes you at this point anyway. It’s pathetic....just like the game.… Expand
  47. dislexicpotato
    Mar 28, 2021
    3
    Actual bots giving this rubbish 10/10 review scores, this game is already one of the worst games of the generation. Avoid it at all costs.
  48. Rawni
    Mar 28, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. DISCLAIMER: I've finished this game completely and collected all the Golden Balan Trophies. My opinions are based on my own view. This is my first time writing a review on this website.

    INTRO: When I saw them announce this game and heard that Yuji Naka was part of it, I had high expectations of the game, since Yuji Naka helped create one of the most iconic characters and some of the best platform games in Video game history. I refrained from playing the demo since I didn't want it to mask and effect my experience when playing the final product. So what did I think of the game?

    REVIEW:
    This is my first time in my history of playing games, that I regretted paying 60$ for a game. To put it simply, the game is just very bland and boring.

    LEVELS: The levels are awful and have no real challenge to them. You're walking around these empty areas with characters that disappear when approached too closely, and all you're really doing is trying to reach the end before dying of boredom. Some nice ideas have been implemented with the costumes in these levels (such as the Balan trophy puzzles that actually made me think of what costume I should use), and the levels themselves look beautiful on the PS5, but they're not enough to completely carry the game. There's also these "Balan Bout" levels that basically serve as quicktime events. They're nice but a lot of them are similar in most levels. (Levels: 5/10).

    COSTUMES: The costumes are a nice idea that basically mimic the power-ups from the Mario series. Some power-ups are very unique but I understand how it's hard to create ideas without making it look like they've copied them from different games. However, a lot of the costumes work in the same way. There's a rabbit costume that lets you flutter jump like Yoshi (without any gain in vertical height), and another Cat costume that's lets you walk on air for a short time (No vertical gain in height either). Why make these costumes so similar? If I unlock the cat costume, the rabbit costume simply becomes obsolete and there would be no point in using it. I'd rather have 10 costumes that have more of a sophisticated move-set, than 50 costumes, where 15 of them are basically a worse derivative of the other. Also, the costumes usually have 1 action assigned to them (like shooting your tongue with a lizard), and therefore some of these costumes don't even allow you to jump. THEY DONT ALLOW YOU TO JUMP IN A PLATFORMING VIDEO-GAME. Such a big flaw. (Costumes 5/10).

    STORY: Now to the story. I've never been more confused about a story than this game. The game doesn't have much dialogue, in the beginning sequence Balan is the only one that actually talks, but the main character stays silent for the majority of the game. There's no real context behind what you're doing, and no real goal of what you're trying to achieve. Why do the costumes exist? Why do WE have to help these characters find their "heart"? Why did we just go to this random theatre and decide to help this man who's eyes are on a hat? We need more context to support the reason we're even doing this (Story: 5/10)

    ANIMATION/CUTSCENES: Now to SOMETHING THAT'S ACTUALLY GOOD ABOUT THE GAME. The cutscenes and animation. The cutscenes (like the opening, and the level related cutscenes) are really insane. They feel like Pixar level animations to me and I think they've done a really good job of masking the main flaws of the game by making it look so good. The quick time events (Bala's Bouts) are actually very amazing too. While I don't understand the context behind those quick time events, I think the animation in them are good enough to not make me question it. Character animations, however, are pretty mediocre (such as the running animation), but it's not enough to bother me (Animation/Cutscenes: 8/10)

    GAMEPLAY: Now to the chunky part. The bland, boring, gameplay. All you can do with your main character is jump. Almost every button on the controller is assigned to jump. Why is this a bad thing? It's because when you take a costume, who's main gimmick is to shoot or punch, YOU LOSE THE ABILITY TO JUMP WITH THEM. And obviously this is bad since this is a PLATFORMING GAME. I don't understand why they did it like this. But its a flaw that they need to fix soon. Make X the jump button, while every other button on the controller the "action button". i shouldn't be punished for using a power-up. Another thing is is your arsenal of moves as well, Why not add some time of run button (or any sort of other movement option) to add another layer of complexity to the game? Why limit myself to a simple jump? It really makes no sense to me. (Gameplay: 3/10)

    MUSIC: The music is nice (Sorry, I have no characters left) (Music: 7/10)

    CONCLUSION: BalanWonderworld is a very frustrating game. It's few positives are not enough to mask the flaws of its many negatives. Other than the animation, this game does not deserve the 60$ tag that it's been given. BAD    … Expand
  49. Sonic12403
    Mar 29, 2021
    4
    Balan Wonderworld has a very unique premise to it, but the game itself feels almost unfinished to the point where it's not worth fully recomending.
  50. Xerowattbulb
    Mar 30, 2021
    0
    This game is awful in every way...so much so that it had to have been created specifically to hurt us. You can not fall backwards into this many mistakes.
  51. FieryGarfield
    Mar 28, 2021
    0
    Balan Wonderworld is one of the worst video games I’ve ever played in my entire life, this is such a dull, boring, repetitive & brain dead game that it physically hurts me. I feel like they got way too ambitious with this game, trying to squeeze in as much useless junk as possible in a short amount of time. Plus it doesn’t help that the development team Arzest is inexperienced since theyBalan Wonderworld is one of the worst video games I’ve ever played in my entire life, this is such a dull, boring, repetitive & brain dead game that it physically hurts me. I feel like they got way too ambitious with this game, trying to squeeze in as much useless junk as possible in a short amount of time. Plus it doesn’t help that the development team Arzest is inexperienced since they have only worked on Yoshi’s New Island, Wii Motion & Hey Pikmin!, they don’t know how to make big budget console games. 1.5 / 10 avoid this game at all costs… Expand
  52. DetectiveDonut
    Mar 30, 2021
    0
    I have not played this game, but I am giving it a 0 in order to combat what appears to be either bots or some really angry Yuji Naka crusaders giving a 10 to all versions of this game. Please do not listen to the user score here as it is not genuine.
  53. Marnandez
    Mar 30, 2021
    0
    Really bad game. Just watching footage of the demo out of sheer curiosity shows how bad it is, and do not I mean DO NOT get it on Switch it is even worse given weaker hardware, and I am one of the opinion that games on Switch run fine for the most part (even Age of Calamity). Usually can't see frame rate drops but easy to see here. Do not trust the 10/10 likely bot or troll reviews, justReally bad game. Just watching footage of the demo out of sheer curiosity shows how bad it is, and do not I mean DO NOT get it on Switch it is even worse given weaker hardware, and I am one of the opinion that games on Switch run fine for the most part (even Age of Calamity). Usually can't see frame rate drops but easy to see here. Do not trust the 10/10 likely bot or troll reviews, just look at the critic reviews and see.… Expand
  54. Blackbelt2018
    Mar 30, 2021
    0
    Worst platform game I’ve ever played. This one-button game fails in every single way and it basically looks like something from the Nintendo 64 era. Do not spend $60 on this pile of garbage. Wait till it falls below $10....and even then, I’d question your sanity. All the 10’s that you see are obviously fake. Look at the usernames from these accounts and you’ll notice they only haveWorst platform game I’ve ever played. This one-button game fails in every single way and it basically looks like something from the Nintendo 64 era. Do not spend $60 on this pile of garbage. Wait till it falls below $10....and even then, I’d question your sanity. All the 10’s that you see are obviously fake. Look at the usernames from these accounts and you’ll notice they only have reviewed ONE game. THIS one. And they also use the same grammar or “lack of”. Most disappointing game of 2021. What a shame. It had a lot of potential.... And it was wasted. Don’t fall for the developers “anonymous” 10s. It’s an enormous and quite obvious scam.… Expand
  55. Eyeflaps
    Mar 28, 2021
    0
    Seizure risk!!!! Do not play this game! You will get sick and dizzy playing this game!
  56. bf_jeje
    Mar 11, 2023
    0
    OMG, where do I start.
    I think i should start saying that the game looks awful. The framerate don´t reach the 60fps. Terrible port. Not even a good platformer game.
  57. HTGamer
    Jul 30, 2022
    3
    Balan Wonderworld is a trainwreck of a game. It's a cute 3D platformer but other than moving around, your abilities depend entirely on which costume you happen to wear. There is a costume for a spin jump, another for a long jump, a third one for spitting fireballs, a fourth one for jumping and slamming down, and so on. Abilities that are taken for granted in 3D platformers or areBalan Wonderworld is a trainwreck of a game. It's a cute 3D platformer but other than moving around, your abilities depend entirely on which costume you happen to wear. There is a costume for a spin jump, another for a long jump, a third one for spitting fireballs, a fourth one for jumping and slamming down, and so on. Abilities that are taken for granted in 3D platformers or are unlockable, here are just randomised, that's some odd decision-making. You can hold 3 costumes at any time or find different ones in the levels. Even then, controls are far from being tight and precise.

    And I haven't even touched the technical issues of this game with low frame rate and ridiculous grass pop-in like 2-3 meters away from the avatar. On PS5 the game kinda runs at 60 fps, but moving objects and even parts of the environment that lie 10-15 meters away run at 30 fps or lower. On last-gen consoles and the Switch it's said the game runs horribly. At least I didn't experience any Cyberpunk 2077-style freezes, slowdowns and glitches.

    I know there were issues behind the scenes during this game's development, where creator Yuji Naka had a diss with Square Enix and was fired, but even if that's to blame for the technical shortcomings and lack of polish, the core game idea is nothing special. And that's a shame. I expected more from the lead programmer of the classic Sonic games.

    I played this game for 1 hour or so, up until the first boss fight, and was disappointed enough to delete the game. At least I didn't pay for this game because it's currently free for PS Plus Extra/Premium subscribers.    … Expand
  58. Harroc
    Jul 9, 2021
    0
    Honestly, this game alone probably doesn't deserve a 0, but the sheer amount of fake reviews by what I assume to be the devs has to be balanced out somehow.
  59. datoneguy246
    May 14, 2021
    1
    A painfully average and dull experience inter-cut with a story that makes no attempt to be interesting or even at times coherent. A true disappointment.
  60. JasonButtholz
    Aug 23, 2023
    3
    Balan Wonderworld definitely has good and interesting visuals, and on the outside seems like a game that has a lot of promise, but overall wasn't a good experience as a good. The story didn't make any sense and made me believe that there was a plot that I was missing, but then I found the game didn't really express why the characters felt or acted the way they did properly. The gameplayBalan Wonderworld definitely has good and interesting visuals, and on the outside seems like a game that has a lot of promise, but overall wasn't a good experience as a good. The story didn't make any sense and made me believe that there was a plot that I was missing, but then I found the game didn't really express why the characters felt or acted the way they did properly. The gameplay was confusing as well. I didn't understand the point of the Tims within the game, and the costumes were pretty weird as well. Some costumes repeated themselves and others were absolutely useless. The puzzle-solving and platforming were easy and uninteresting. Combat wasn't good as well, especially because there were certain points where if you didn't have certain costumes you were screwed (some costumes could jump and attack while others couldn't). I got the impression that the creators wanted to make this game easy for kids to play, especially because the controls were mapped to every single button aside from one or two. There were many glitchy moments within this game as well, and for 2021 I'm shocked by how untested this game appears to be. The first world has this wavy texture that happens with the ground and every time I see it I feel like I'm going to be ill. It's sad that this game came out for full price originally because I bought this game expecting it not to be that bad. I completed the game, but there was no way I felt like going back and getting the collectibles for how inconsistently and unnecessarily annoying the gameplay was.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 29
  3. Negative: 9 out of 29
  1. Cubed3
    Jul 20, 2021
    60
    Balan Wonderworld deserved to be far more than average, as the final game is a marked improvement over the demo. It's beautiful a lot of the time, character designs are mostly wonderful, the unique ideas that appear in each level are great fun… however the overall execution is simply lacking something important. The repetitive bouts, rough edges, and the sometimes awful physics make this a much harder title to recommend. It is full of bubbly unique charm, and is mostly heart-warmingly fun, but many will be put off by the slow, restrictive design, despite this being designed around it. Hopefully, the game will get some traction.
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  2. PLAY
    May 4, 2021
    70
    While not reaching its full potential, Balan Wonderworld is a grand and well designed adventure, which runs superbly on PS5. It’s perfect for family co-op play. [Issue#1, p.76]
  3. PlaySense
    Apr 26, 2021
    55
    Balan Wonderworld offers a great story, accompanied by an absolutely wonderful soundtrack. That's about all it offers, though. In the end, mediocre graphics and rough gameplay make for a rather disappointing package.
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