Balan Wonderworld

 Switch
User Score
4.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 311 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 127 out of 311
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 311
  3. Negative: 176 out of 311
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  1. GameCorp_Meyk
    Sep 13, 2021
    5
    Balan Wonderworld isn't a good game, at least on Switch. The extremely poor performance and graphics as well as some questionable gameplay decisions bury the hope of a good game. Only the art style, the immense creativity and the really good soundtrack should give most players any kind of pleasure. Friends of the sixth generation of consoles should have a little fun despite these seriousBalan Wonderworld isn't a good game, at least on Switch. The extremely poor performance and graphics as well as some questionable gameplay decisions bury the hope of a good game. Only the art style, the immense creativity and the really good soundtrack should give most players any kind of pleasure. Friends of the sixth generation of consoles should have a little fun despite these serious flaws. But stay away from 100% completion!… Expand
  2. MudokonMajesty
    Mar 31, 2021
    7
    I liked my experience with Balan Wonderworld but I’m also aware with the flaws of the game, I have bought this game on Nintendo Switch and still not too sure which console it looks better on. I am aware that all buttons are jump and how the game doesn’t look polished but I found it somewhat fun, it might be because I am biased since this is Yuji Naka’s work (worked on Sonic and Nights) butI liked my experience with Balan Wonderworld but I’m also aware with the flaws of the game, I have bought this game on Nintendo Switch and still not too sure which console it looks better on. I am aware that all buttons are jump and how the game doesn’t look polished but I found it somewhat fun, it might be because I am biased since this is Yuji Naka’s work (worked on Sonic and Nights) but with a few more original costumes (getting rid of some that do the same thing), more button functions and a polished look then I believe it could of been more successful upon release.… Expand
  3. Cywor
    Apr 20, 2021
    5
    This is the worst Videogame ever running on my Switch. Graphics are horrible... Balan runs constantly under 10 Frames. It hurts, because we all love the games Sonic or Nights and it's hard to believe, this was directed by the same Director...

    Balan Wonderworld feels like frozen in Time for the last 20 years. It should have been higher budget, so it's just a tragic downpoint for Platformers.
  4. Eratyx
    Mar 30, 2021
    7
    I got extremely stoned and in the mood for a zero-difficulty baby game before downloading the demo. I do not regret my decision. Romping around in a weird dream stage where the happy dancing animals outnumber monsters 3 to 1 and you gain abilities by wearing kiddy animal costumes was absolutely magical. Gameplay-wise, this is definitely not for adults or anyone looking for a challenge.I got extremely stoned and in the mood for a zero-difficulty baby game before downloading the demo. I do not regret my decision. Romping around in a weird dream stage where the happy dancing animals outnumber monsters 3 to 1 and you gain abilities by wearing kiddy animal costumes was absolutely magical. Gameplay-wise, this is definitely not for adults or anyone looking for a challenge. This is Yuji Naka unchained, every childish dream implemented as is, with no regard for video game gameplay principles.

    If you suspend all expectations and lose yourself in the childish wonder, you'll feel like a kid until you get bored and have to grow up again. If you approach it like any other video game, you'll be sorely disappointed.

    A+ baby game, D- platformer game.

    (Not a bot btw, I got the name Eratyx from a random name generator in Neverwinter Nights a long time ago. I know it looks fishy but this one is a real person!)    … Expand
  5. ElSmasher
    Oct 9, 2021
    5
    If in fact, the game draws its pin from the game on its festive and cinematographic artistic. It has a pretty wacky direction that can be felt at times in somewhat disappointing gameplay.
  6. BukiTanuki
    Apr 28, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is my first time leaving a review on a game so I'll try my best and give the best opinion I can.

    Graphics 5/10 The graphics of Balan are lackluster for today's day and age, textures are low quality, some board elements are fuzzy and the render distance for some objects are poor. They definitely aren't what they could be for the systems that Balan is on, however they aren't the worst I have seen in a present day game. I definitely feel the graphics should have been improved but again, they aren't the worst I've seen.

    Controls 3/10 The controls are one of the biggest issues of the game. They feel uncomfortable, irritating and limit the enjoyment of the game. The one button mechanic was interesting in theory, but in practice it flopped. I think this should have used 2 buttons minimum, 1 for jumping, and 1 for using a costumes ability/interacting. Some costumes were irritating to use because they either could not jump, or you had to sit still to use their ability/ability was used at random.

    Concept 8/10
    I love the concept of the game personally, but I understand it's not for everyone. The idea of collecting costumes to solve puzzles is very cute and having to solve different characters issues is something I personally enjoy doing in games, however, as soon as game mechanics started to get involved, stuff fell apart. Some costumes were irrelevant or a copy paste of a different costume.

    Mechanics 5/10
    Some things I disliked about the mechanics is the waiting time between switching costumes, how getting hit immediately removes a costume, the collecting of statues had a cool concept in theory for when you collected them all, but what you get for collecting them all is very disappointing. I did however enjoy the concept of the costumes and the mechanics of some of the costumes and their uses. I also enjoyed collecting drops and feeding the Tims for the tower of Tims, however I feel it takes way too long to compleat the tower and it also feels disappointing to complete and get no reward.

    Characters 9/10
    I absolutely love the characters and character designs. I adore that every character looks different and they don't all have the same body shape, facial features or skin tone. There are characters of different ethnicities and characters that aren't conventionally attractive, they have different nose shapes and each has a different personally/way they react to their issues in life. The characters are a big part of what made the game for me because they are all different.

    Story 7/10 The story itself is something that is used frequently in media, character experiences distresses, goes into turmoil and becomes evil/a boss only to have their issues magically resolved and be ok. However I'm not against this plot because it does have a positive message to it and feels good. I also enjoy the idea of the big bad also being a victim rather than being evil for the sake of being evil. But for the most part of find the message to really impress me.

    Message 10/10 Not to be confused for the story. This message is something I longed for in media because it delivers something important to it's audience; no matter how big or small your problem may be, you're aloud to be upset. I loved that each characters story wasn't something like "my family died" like Iben's or "our environment is being destroyed" like sana's. Some issues are what most people would consider "irrelevant" or "dumb" like Cal and Lucy, but it shows that it's ok to have those low points and it doesn't matter if it's any worse or better than anyone else's.

    Art/designs 8/10
    As I stated before, I love that each character is different, but I also love the designs for the world's and elements. I find it all very charming and done in a nice cartoonish way that brings the world and it's inhabitants together. I also enjoy 85% of the costume designs with a few that are not very creative or that just don't look appealing. If the games graphics were better than they are, I feel it would have really brought into light the beauty of the art in this game. Price 2/10
    Given the outcome of this game, I don't feel that it is worth full price at all. As much as I enjoy a lot of aspects of the game, there are just too many flaws that I can't ignore. I would probably pay $40 (cad) for the game in its current state, but if it were to come out after having as much development time it needs to be better, I would more that happily pay full price.

    Overall I think that the concept of this game is good, it has heart and charm, but unfortunately, what makes this game a game is lackluster and desperately needs improvement. Would I suggest anyone but the game? Probably not, but I would suggest watching a let's play or a different way to enjoy the game for its art.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
36

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 6 out of 9
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 17, 2021
    50
    This game is far too undercooked. [Issue #52 – May/June 2021, p. 73]
  2. XGN
    Apr 16, 2021
    55
    Balan Wonderworld looks great but feels incomplete. The game lets you journey through six different stories while collecting golden statues and morphing from one outfit to another. There are 80 different outfits in the game, but some of them feel double or not useful at all. Where the game is great to play alone, the multiplayer feels rushed, where player two doesn't get to do all the things player one can. That being said, the game feels like a great way for kids to spend time.
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  3. Gamer.nl
    Apr 12, 2021
    30
    Balan Wonderworld is a videogame from Yuji Naka. However, even if the team had more time we wonder if the game would be worth your time.
    Read full review
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