Rating
Balan Wonderworld
Balan Wonderworld is a wondrous action-platformer game themed around a mysterious musical theatre. The stars of the show will use special abilities from a multitude of characterful costumes as they adventure in the bizarre and imaginary land of Wonderworld. Here memories and vistas from the real world mix with the things that people hold dear. Tw...
Similar Games
Balan Wonderworld Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Like I said at the top of this review, your enjoyment of Balan Wonderworld is going to depend on your tolerance for primitive 3D level design. Strip away the unnecessary costumes and their poorly implemented management system — and fire those Balan’s Bouts into the sun — and you might have a nice throwback to a more experimental time of platform gaming, one that would be easier to recommend. But sadly, you can’t just strip those elements away. They’re here, and they’re ruining what is otherwise an enjoyable rewind to the golden era of the mascot platformer.
Balan Wonderworld is definitely an odd one. After all, 3D Platformers are a niche genre, with many being dropped in favor of more trendy genres like Metroidvanias. Admittedly, I really like the look of Balan Wonderworld- Balan’s design is one of the best mascots in recent years, having that Sonic-esque level of charm to it. That being said, a sexy hat man does not a videogame make, and the overall product we got definitely left me wanting.
Balan Wonderworld Review - Balan Wonderworld had promise but is unfortunately ruined by a multitude of bizarre design decisions, including costumes that can't jump in a platformer.
Balan Wonderworld is an occasionally inspired, often unimaginative platformer lost to time.
Balan Wonderworld isn’t all bad. The cutscenes are absolutely gorgeous, the music is great, the psychological premise is intriguing, and I really like the designs for Balan and his nemesis. There were times when I had fun playing this game, like when I’d get a new costume with a cool power or spot a Balan Statue and realize what I needed to do to reach it. Yet it was always only a matter of time before the game would hit me with yet another tedious design decision that would leave me asking, “But why? Why design it like this?” That sums up my experience with Balan Wonderworld. It has some inte...
You’ll be left out with a “meh” after finishing the game. What game did we just play?
The theater can be a magical place, bringing wondrous characters and emotions to life for an audience that ranges from first time attendees to ever-present
“Balan Wonderworld is a hodge-podge of half-formed platforming ideas that squander a whole lot of charm.”
Gamers have been treated to a 3D platformer renaissance over the past few years. The likes of Yooka-Laylee and A Hat in Time have shown the world that 3D platformers aren’t just a genre of the past, but a formula that can still be iterated upon. Enter Square Enix and legendary game designer Yuji Naka, best known for his work on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Together they set out to create a brand new 3D platformer like the world has never seen before. To that extent, they have succeeded, as the mediocrity of Balan Wonderworld stands out as one of the worst and underdeveloped platformers in...
I understand that Balan Wonderworld wasn't made with me in mind – clearly it's meant for a far younger demographic. But even from an objective standpoint, I can't figure out why anyone would want to voluntarily sink hours of their life into such an annoying and incoherent game.
If only Naka, staying true to form, had given the whole thing a dose of high speed; his work holds together only when it hurtles past our eyes, growing vivid with velocity.
I genuinely love Balan Wonderworld because it caught me at just the right moment to indulge its whimsy. I don’t for a second think it’s a great game or platformer, but then I also just don’t care. It offers something much more viscerally engaging; raw creative energy, and I would rather a hundred games fall flat like this one has and at least give me something different than play yet another highly refined copy of something I’ve already played a hundred times. Sometimes, just sometimes, raw creativity is enough in itself.