Emma and Leo find themselves drawn to the rundown theatre hideout of Balan, the titular entertainer who is as impressive in his performance as he is enigmatic in nature. Of course, if the game’s problems were limited to just unremarkable leads, this might be a different conversation.Īlas, the game’s opening sequence makes clear how committed it is to this creative direction. In fact, outside of the game’s opening and closing cutscenes hinting at their motivations, neither display any personality or work toward any meaningful character development.
Players can choose whether to play as the girl Emma or the boy Leo, neither of whom are defined in-game beyond their basic role as protagonists. Wonderworld’s missteps begin right out of the gate with the introduction of its selectable heroes. The sheer pileup of poor decisions is staggering, raising vital questions about how things went so wrong. Its pleasant fantasy atmosphere can’t disguise a shallowness of narrative content, nor can it make up for infuriating choices made with regards to regular gameplay. Made by a team of veteran developers and backed by a major publisher, Balan Wonderworld had what it needed to succeed, yet at every turn it fell short of its aims. This hard truth is once again proven correct with the release of Balan Wonderworld. Great filmmakers have churned out wretched movies, compelling authors have released dreary novels, and beloved game designers have produced awful video games. One of the hardest things to grasp as a critic, or even as a general fan of creative media, is that sometimes talented people with the best of intentions will drop the ball in spectacular fashion. Gaming Instincts is an Amazon affiliate and does get financial benefits if you choose to purchase this product on this page.
NOTE - A digital copy of this product was provided by Square Enix for review purposes.
You can get to it either with Balan, Jumping Jack or any other flying or jumping character.PLATFORMS: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC Statue 4 – Press the blue button on one of the hanging platforms nearby. Statue 3 – After getting the Web Wrangler, atop the taller pile of books. Statue 2 – Drop down the stairs near the mushrooms to enter a mirror.
Statue 1 – Near the level start, above a blue mushroom.