New Yuji Naka Platformer - Balan Wonderworld (Multiplatform)

Never heard of this game or series before this week. Noticed the demo and deleted it within 3 minutes of playing. You know a game is crap when at least 4 of the buttons on the controller do the exact same thing.
 
Yeah the demo is so underwhelming, and if it’s an indication of what the full game is like I can’t see how they can justify full price to be honest. Also, the one button thing is complete lunacy- you can’t even JUMP if you’re wearing the dragon costume!!
 
Yeah, I have no idea what's supposed to be wrong with the game. It's clearly geared toward kids, the level design is standard fare but the soundtrack and character design stands out.

IIt's an ok platformer imho. Certainly not something you'd want to spend 50 or 60 bucks on but I can easily see myself getting it at some point down the line for 20 bucks or so.
 
Three things:

- Designs and overall theme is decent.
- I thought it was called Balan's Wonderland, which sounds ten times better than fucking "Wonderworld".
- The demo's pants.
 
Yeah I wouldn't pay full price for it. If ever goes on sale for $10 on Steam or PSN, i might check it out then...but the demo really didn't wow me to make me want to pay full price. I'd rather another Nights over this.

Maybe little kids might like it, but from what I played...I thought it was brain dead simple and there was nothing in the gameplay to entice me to come back for the full product at full price.
 
I really wanted to like this but despite beign SUPER colourful something about the character human models seems really stale. Also the silent protagonists do not help at all, all I found myself wanting is to play as the magician dude instead. I also found jsut odd things happeninglike there are NPC's in the levels who are dressed in the costumes you acquire, but as soon as you walk up to them they vanish.

The Hub world sections reminded me a lot of Sonic Adventure Chao Garden which could be okay. The other appealing factor is that it is co-op, so it could be a fun time with a friend.

But as much as Iwant to see more attention to Triple-A platformers on modern systems, I just didn't have fun playing the demo...
 
It just seems like a nice, chill platformer with an old-skool Sega feel (especially in regards to character/world design).

With all the challenging games out there these days this is actually a nice breath of fresh air.

I loved the little "Chao" type eggs you can collect in the levels and have them hatch back at the base, felt like a nod to classics like Sonic Adventure.

I enjoyed my time with the demo and I'll still be buying it at release as planned.
 
Sonoshee said:
It just seems like a nice, chill platformer with an old-skool Sega feel (especially in regards to character/world design).

With all the challenging games out there these days this is actually a nice breath of fresh air.

I loved the little "Chao" type eggs you can collect in the levels and have them hatch back at the base, felt like a nod to classics like Sonic Adventure.

I enjoyed my time with the demo and I'll still be buying it at release as planned.
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I actually enjoyed it as well. Simple gameplay, something to get lost in a bit. Likely won't be my game of the year, but I would like to see more.
 
It’s really bad, like a student project. Maybe if it retailed at $20 or below I’d feel more forgiving. It seems to me like Naka needs this more than Ohshima, who’s at least developed some games for Nintendo.
 
mjqjazzbar said:
It’s really bad, like a student project. Maybe if it retailed at $20 or below I’d feel more forgiving. It seems to me like Naka needs this more than Ohshima, who’s at least developed some games for Nintendo.
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Let's be careful around brandishing around quality of a student project towards this. I remember us all going mental when Shenmue III was given such a comparison. It's disrespectful.

That's not to diminish peoples thoughts, if you think it's bad then that's fine I've played it and thought it was bang average & I hear the Switch version is worse. But let's be respectful to the guys that made it, whether or not we like it.
 
Sorry. To be honest, the only other descriptions and words I can think of are even more offensive. I am a big Yuji Naka fan, but... this is a shame. I'm just not seeing any up-side, beyond some glimmers of nostalgia for Ohshima's character designs and kind enjoying the music. I would've dropped $60 for this easily. Maybe my kid'll enjoy the demo.
 
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There’s been a wide range of opinions and responses to the demo, and unfortunately at the current stage of development, it simply isn't feasible to reflect every piece of feedback into the game. However, to offer you all a more balanced gameplay experience, we will be implementing a day one patch for the full game.

Specifically, this patch will adjust movement controls, camera movement, and rebalancing of the difficulty. There's just over a week left until launch now, so I hope you all enjoy the world of Wonderworld to your heart's content!
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square-enix-games.com

The many layers of BALAN WONDERWORLD | SQUARE ENIX

The Producer of BALAN WONDERWORLD, Noriyoshi Fujimoto explains the themes and meaning behind the worlds of the action platform game.
square-enix-games.com square-enix-games.com
 
I don't think they can make it better. I played the demo with my kid, who enjoyed it to be fair (it's easy), and found it really, really, really middling, in every sense. It just isn't up to the standards of a modern video game and isn't particularly fun with nostalgia goggles on either.
 
Dietsoap said:
Well the game is out and I fucking LOOOVE it. I really think something's wrong with me. More than the usual, I mean...
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I was one of the few who actually enjoyed the demo and knew that the full game would offer more than it did :eek:
I've had it pre-installed since last week but my dog hasn't been very well, is currently on a drip and needs watching pretty much all the time. Once I get chance I'll be all over it though, can't wait!
 
Sonoshee said:
I was one of the few who actually enjoyed the demo and knew that the full game would offer more than it did :eek:
I've had it pre-installed since last week but my dog hasn't been very well, is currently on a drip and needs watching pretty much all the time. Once I get chance I'll be all over it though, can't wait!
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Oh no, I hope your lil friend gets better soon. I'm glad you're taking proper care of him/her, though.
 
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