![]() When speaking to Tech Radar, producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto said, “From the very beginning, one of our goals for development was to create a game with every kind of action - to put in over eighty different kinds of action. Surprisingly, there is a reason as to why “Balan Wonderworld” employs such an infantile control scheme, but it’s a rather baffling one that sort of defines everything wrong with the game. Nearly half of them do the exact same thing - jump or use a costume’s ability! And yes, we said OR because both jump and costume abilities are tethered as one action! Some costumes activate their abilities through jumping while others just remove jumping entirely. ![]() For your reference, the Xbox and DualSense controllers have fourteen buttons, not including the touch pad nor the options, home, and share buttons. The most glaring design choice is the control scheme, and it’s the primary reason why “Balan Wonderworld” has received scathing reviews. Could this be a sign of rushed development, or was this simply accidental? We’re more inclined to believe the former due to one damning flaw that dismantles any ounce of potential this game has. While one track sounds eerily similar to a track from “Super Mario Odyssey” (as pointed out by videogamedunkey), one track in a later world sounds exactly like one piece from “Ghostbusters”. What’s worse is that the game has been accused of plagiarism. Many of the songs you’ll hear are repetitive, bland, and lacking any real impact. To make matters worse, “Balan Wonderworld” features some of the most annoying music in recent years. Why go for a method of animation that stiffens your characters when they’re so expressive in the cinematics? This just doesn’t bring the same level of excitement and energy, and it makes your game look like “Foodfight”. (Isn’t musical theater supposed to NOT be those things?) To make things even more lazy, just about every NPC is given the same exact dances and motions regardless of the beat of the music. First off, characters are mocapped rather than animated, making everything feel stiff and lacking any real expression. Unfortunately, one can see the issues with this game upon entering the first level. Sounds like a story that could resonate with people going through their own problems, and admittedly, the animation in the cutscenes is fantastic. You discover a magical theater run by a mysterious dude named Balan, and the two of you set out to help others feel good about themselves and overcome their negative feelings. You’re a kid who’s facing some inner demons, whether it’s because of a bad fallout with a friend or because you fear what other kids are saying about you. The story of “Balan Wonderworld” centers on one of two kids (it all depends on who you choose to play). So, where exactly did it go wrong? What about it makes it so painful to play? It had the potential to capture our imaginations. When it was revealed in 2020, “Balan Wonderworld” presented a colorful and creative world themed around musical theater with a wacky-looking, top-hatted mascot. In case you didn’t know, “Balan Wonderworld” was supposed to be the biggest 3D platformer of the year, a new IP made by the creator of “Sonic the Hedgehog”, Yuji Naka, and published by Square Enix. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re here to answer one of the year’s biggest mysteries - Why is “Balan Wonderworld” SO BAD?
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