Balan Wonderworld Reviews
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.
Balan Wonderworld is definitely better than people say, but that doesn't mean it's good. If you are looking for a game for your children or you really want a new title, which 100% completion is very insidious, you can try it. In any case, take into account that most of the game is simply boring and does not offer anything downright interesting.
Review in Czech | Read full review
In the magical, musical realm of Balan Wonderworld, you’ll discover endless possibilities waiting for you! But if that sounds too good to be true… then you just might be onto something. If you’ve done any searching into Balan Wonderworld, you’ve probably already run into its less-than-stellar reception. An unpopular demo, dismal sales, and a (since-patched) bug that could trigger epilepsy… the list goes on.
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.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Not so charming all-action show, however still acceptable for young players.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
You’ll have fun if you like puzzle platformers, but you’ll lament what Balan Wonderworld could have been, and deserved to be. I do want to close out saying that I did enjoy Balan Wonderworld, but I can appreciate the fact that it’s an unpolished game oozing with wasted potential. I just have a soft spot for 3D platformers.
The kindest thing I can say about the game is that it does make for an entertaining livestream. I broadcasted my play on Twitch, and my audience seemed to really enjoy watching me suffer. So I guess this is a great one for all those fans of masochism out there.
It pains me to say this, but all the color and character in the world—and even the legendary pedigree of developers Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima—cannot save this outdated, uninspired, and just plain boring platformer.
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!
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Although it may not be for everyone, I personally found Balan Wonderworld to be a delightful 3D platformer that is oozing with charm and fantastic visuals – especially the cutscenes. Some people may see the backtracking to collect costumes so you can progress in other stages as a negative, yet I enjoyed this as it reminded me of the LEGO games and it felt like I was always progressing. Some boss battles were a little tricky, and the unlocked third stages are harder than the previous two, but it’s a fair challenge that can be overcome with time and practice. My only issue is that the game is clearly one aimed at children, yet the consumable costumes and frustrating bosses may actually be a little too annoying and/or difficult for them to enjoy.
Unlike what it preaches, Balan Wonderworld made me sad after finishing it. Sad not because I had a bad experience, but because of the opportunity missed by Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima and their team. It is clear that the developers had passion for the project. After all, nobody would make such a creative story, with very well produced cutscenes and great soundtrack, if they didn't care about their work.However, the way in which this project was carried out leaves much to be desired. Lack of explanation of the narrative and in-game mechanics, slow and confusing controls and gameplay, repetitive combat, poor stage design and performance problems make this visit to Balan Theatre one of those difficult to endure.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Balan Wonderworld comes to market as a title designed to make the little ones enjoy. However, the title fails in most of its proposals, with the artistic section and the use of costumes being the only thing that allows the title to maintain composure at some point.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Balan Wonderworld is not comfortable or fun to play. It isn’t memorable. If you want to understand everything happening, you have to buy the ebook and go to that outside source for an explanation. It is bland, repetitious, and has design choices that are the opposite of ensuring a good quality of life.
Balan Wonderworld feels like it's shrouded in mystery because there's a woeful lack of explanation for the majority of its mechanics. Nobody should be left looking for external guides to gather even the most basic information for a game aimed at children. When added to the frustrating management of the game's costumes (including those that can't jump in a platformer), its underdeveloped story, the overly simplistic platforming, and the tortuous Balan Bouts, this is a game that had promise but is ruined by a multitude of bizarre design decisions.
Balan Wonderworld is a game that I tried hard to love. It is not the pariah that the internet makes it out to be though. I think the game is charming and flawed. It has tons of issues, but I still finished it. I had some good times sprinkled in with the frustrations. It took me to a simpler time in platform games and there is truly nothing else out there with the same kind of presentation and whimsical ideas it delivers. That said $60 is a hard ask for a game that seems to want to frustrate players at every turn. I wanted to love Balan Wonderworld, but it did everything in its power to test my love every chance it got.
Balan Wonderworld is a game of missed opportunities. It's simplified control scheme robs it of any of the subtle complexity that the genre is best at, its various ideas are half-baked at best, and its core gameplay is a taxing uphill climb through even the most basic of platforming principles. Amusing visual design aside, the only thing that Balan Wonderworld is good at is being consistently boring.
All in all, Balan Wonderworld just wasn’t the game for me. The gameplay was tedious, the story was all over the place and the mechanics belonged to either a prehistoric or an unfinished game. To be quite honest, I’d say that the price to get into Balan Wonderworld is too high for an experience with the quality too low.
Balan Wonderworld is a visually beautiful adventure that even tries to have a captivating story. However, its flaws stand out and make it a very uninteresting game. Not even Yuji Naka's name can bring anything striking to this title, which is a shame.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Outside of its design, I struggle to find anything praiseworthy about Wonderworld. It is an unfortunate example of inspiration exceeding innovation, and is borderline unplayable on Switch.