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Some things should just stay out of style

Balan Wonderworld is a new platform game from veteran developers, Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima. For those that don’t know, the duo is known as being part of the original creators for the Sonic the hedgehog games. Naka being the programmer and Ohshima being the character artist. Publisher Square Enix have picked up on their latest project but does it deliver?  

Upon starting the game, you select between two different characters, Leo Craig or Emma Cole. After selecting your character and a flashy CG cutscene, you’re placed in the game’s hub world known as the Isle of Tims. It’s pretty bare bones at the start but the world starts to open up as you progress more in the game. The hub world is inhabited with these dragon quest slime/sonic chao hybrid creatures called Tims. You can evolve the creatures by feeding them specific coloured crystals you collect in the stages.

Graphically, the game has quite a quirky visual art style. There is a lot of bright colours going on in this world and the game is running at a smooth 60 frames-per-second. While it does look pleasing for a few seconds, you will come to notice the simple textures and low detailed character models. It’s not something you could compare to other PS5 platformers on offer such as Astro Bot or Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

The story for Balan Wonderworld is just confusing. From the pre-rendered cutscene, we can tell that two depressed children follow these chickens like creatures though dark alleyways which lead them to some strange theatre where a pantomime figure gives them a chicken each and throws them into a place called Wonderworld to go find their hearts. Of course that’s just my interpretation of the cutscene but you can watch it for yourself here.

The main gameplay for Balan Wonderworld is exceedingly simple. The gimmick for the game is the special costumes you unlock. Each stage will have a costume with a unique ability that will help defeat enemies or reach new areas. In the first world, you will come across the Tornado Wolf costume which lets you spin attack (like a certain bandicoot). The wolf costume can also break certain blocks which let you access hidden areas and collectables. On the later part of the level, you will unlock a second costume. This is the Jumping Jack costume which lets you flutter jump (like a certain green dinosaur). Allowing the player to access out of reach areas you could not otherwise with the wolf costume. Switching back and forth between costumes will allow the player to collect hidden items and clear paths.

As far as controls go, it’s just three buttons. Move, jump and attack. The PS5 adaptive triggers are used as the attack buttons and there is DualSense feedback when you use your abilities. It is clear that the game is targeting a younger audience so controls are very simple.

Unfortunately, from the stages the demo had to offer, the game felt very linear with little room for exploration. There is a fair amount of collectables but the worlds seem a bit too constraint. Maybe the later stages will have bigger worlds to explore but we have to wait and see when the final game releases. 

The frustration I have with this game is that nothing is really explained. You have no idea from the start on what the Tims can build in the hub world. The story is still a complete mystery to me. We don’t really know who the Balen is or what he can really do.

Overall, the whole game feels pretty underwhelming. When the full game is released, we may understand what the devs are trying to convey to us but at the moment it’s just a confusing mess.  

Balan Wonderworld will release on March 26, 2021. You can download the demo right now from the PS5 store.