Balan Wonderworld is the latest project from former SEGA employee and now Square Enix employee, Yuji Naka, which is about overcoming odds with the help of costumes that let the protagonist don costumes and transform into a unique being.
Featuring as many as 80 unique costumes, the game meets an ambitious goal, which coincides with the idea of giving players access to as many unique skills. Abilities that will serve a common or special purpose, whether to traverse the game’s world or continue through the game’s storyline.
Essentially a platformer title, the game bears semblance to the cutesy images known in the genre. It was possibly catering to the young audiences, in addition to the diehard fans of the platformer variety.
From an experienced game developer
Naka’s directorial role in Balan Wonderworld draws expertise to his strong portfolio of platformer titles, including Nights into Dreams and Sonic the Hedgehog. The game is technically the veteran game developer’s first project with Square Enix after making a jump to the company in 2018.
In a previous interview with IGN Japan, Naka spoke about how he went overboard pitching about the project, citing how the ability to shift into up to 80 unique transformations was a little too ambitious. But something the team has managed to achieve eventually.
Visual presentation
The trailer for the developing title did showcase a fair much, in terms of the selections of transformations. It gave a brief example of how the player would metamorphose considering a peculiar costume.
One of the costumes, in particular, is the sheep outfit, aptly named Soaring Sheep, which gives the player the ability to soar heights when exposed to wind. A skill that would see players floating from one place to the next.
Another featured costume transformation involves a suit that gives the player fighting capability as a “Pumpkin Puncher.” True to its name, this particular getup provides the player the ability of rock-breaking punches, reaching a fair distance.
There were other costumes highlighted as part of the trailer, but are far briefer to get full details about. Nonetheless, the short presentation gives the impression that many wearable outfits are in store within the game.
For further engagement, the game contains a multiplayer mode where players can enjoy cooperatively.
Balan Wonderworld is set to release on March 26, 2021, for current-gen platforms, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One; next-gen platforms, Xbox Series X/S, PS5; and PC.
Image used courtesy of Nintendo/YouTube Screenshot