It is very clear that Arzest and Balan Company found a lot of inspiration in Nintendo’s flagship platformer, where every ability gives the character a new costume and a power that goes along with it. To its credit, the abilities and power-ups feel quirky and unique. In the game, players go through the usual platformer loops: collect resources (gems), gather collectables, and acquire power-ups and new abilities. Unfortunately, it embraces some very dated design decisions that harken back to the 90s. It has the makings of taking on the likes of Sackboy, and even Crash. The total lack of narrative is unusual, and makes very little sense.Īt first glance, Balan Wonderworld looks like any modern platformer. There are also no cutscenes beyond this point. Beyond this opening cutscene, there is no story to write about.
It is up to the children to save the day and, on the way, find themselves. Once there, they figure out that Balan’s evil counterpart is feeding on people’s fears. They are two kids who suffer from personal insecurities and anxieties, and who come across a mysterious theatre wherein a jester-like figure called Balan whisks them away to Wonderworld. Sadly, none of this is enough to save it from being a truly mediocre experience.Īs the opening cutscenes play out, the player becomes privy to the fact that they are controlling Leo or Emma (or both in the co-op mode). To its credit, there are a lot of Japanese-Roleplaying game charms mixed into its aesthetic, which also makes use of some super weird set-piece designs. In reality it is far from wondrous, with countless potential hours wasted on trying to do simple tasks and getting used to the unusually stiff controls. This is exactly what Balan Wonderworld does.īalan Wonderworld is a self-described “wondrous action-platformer game themed around mysterious musical theatre”. Every once in a while, however, a title comes along and tries its damnedest to harness nostalgia for a modern audience only to fail miserably. Flying through hoops and bounding off crystals as you headbutt things in Spyro swiping boxes and freeing Gobos in Croc or even just going through some of the most simplistic of gameplay loops in Nights Into Dreams – these are all examples of gameplay suited to their time and which cannot be replicated in modern titles without improvement. There are countless older titles that developers will simply not be able to replicate again.
0 kommentar(er)
