REVIEW: Balan Wonderworld

Two months ago, Square Enix's newest game, Balan Wonderworld, was demoed to me. Despite all the criticisms it received, it was enjoyable for me, even though I had some issues with the controls. The general backlash continued after the game was released. However, I admit that I ignored these reactions and went into full-screen mode.

Balan Wonderworld a platformer in which the player plays the role of Leo Craig and Emma Cole. They travel through worlds made of people's insecurities. To fix these worlds and save the person, the player must collect Balan statues and costumes to defeat the evil that has strengthened their insecurities.

Although the story is simple, the gameplay is what makes it so compelling.Balan WonderworldShine. This game's enjoyment is dependent on how much players like this type of gameplay and whether or not they care about graphics and visual quality. Yuji Naka was the game's lead programmer.Sonic the HedgehogThis game feels like a platformer from the 1980s. The game opens with a bright, colourful opening scene that shows the characters exploring Balan Wonderworld theatre. After this, they are thrown into a world full of colour and light. It doesn't make any sense but it's okay. The game exists to be a visual pleasure and succeeds in this. Each boss fight ends with an emotional number between Leo/Emma, the person that was saved, and each of these numbers is sung. This aspect, while it may seem odd at first, quickly became a delight, especially for someone like myself, who was raised in musical theatre. It made me feel good.wantTo move on, to see the next musical number.

The soundtrack is also a great asset. Square Enix has a lot of experience in cinematic soundtracks and have incorporated their musical talents into this game. It's not as dramatic or as their other franchises Final Fantasy but still elevates the amazing environments that are explored. It is an innocent and joyful direction, much like the young avatars of the game. The musical numbers are joyful and would look great in an anime of "day in the lives" style. The soundtrack is crucial to Balan Wonderworld's success.

Balan Wonderworld is also dependent on controls and collectibles. To reach specific areas within a level, the player must gather various costumes. The first two costumes, for example, are the Wolf and Rabbit. The Wolf costume gives you a tornado spin, just like Crash Bandicoot's. While the Rabbit costume allows for a high jump and ends in a slight hover, the Rabbit one has a low jump. It was also nice to see that all the costumes can be swapped around during the game. It was something I tried to cover the demo with, but it didn't work. So, I'm happy to see this feature work. It is extremely helpful when you reach a particular area and complete each level. The controls are responsive and easy to use.

Balan Wonderworld offers the "Theatre" where you can replay past cutscenes. This was a feature that was popular in Playstation 1 games, but it seems to have disappeared in recent years. It was therefore nostalgic to see it in a modern videogame.

The gameplay is enjoyable and the environments are beautiful, but the visual quality and resolution of the game is quite different. It felt almost like playing a Playstation 2 video game, to put it mildly. There were white lines around many of the edges of the environment, making it appear pixelated. There was also occasional lag when there was too much onscreen. This also happened when I made a sharp turn, or when my enemy was defeated. After praising the demo's visuals, it is a shame to see the result. Although I am used to seeing certain visual qualities (because I still play Playstation 1 and 2 games), this isn't the standard for Square Enix's type of game, so it's disappointing to see this.

Balan Wonderworld, while not perfect, is still a colourful and fun platformer that evokes a bygone era. Each costume has its own ability and each environment is fascinating. Players have the option to play in Theatre or multiplayer modes, which adds a few additional features to the game. Square Enix is expected to meet a certain standard, which can both be a good thing and a bad thing. It may not be up to everyone's standards but for someone like me who plays these games regularly, it is acceptable and I am grateful for the game's existence.