It’s been a while since Sega announced a brand-new Sonic the Hedgehog game for next-gen consoles, however, the man behind the legendary platforming franchise, Yuji Naka, has a new game coming to both current and next-generation consoles with the help of Square Enix. During Geoff Keighley’s pre-show for the Xbox Games Presentation on July 23, Balan Wonderworld was introduced with a trailer.
Balan Wonderworld is developed internally in Square Enix by a team led by Yuji Naka. He is best known for creating the Sonic the Hedgehog series for Sega, but he moved to Square Enix in January 2018 to work on Balan Wonderworld and start the larger Balan Company series brand for Square Enix. Naoto Ohshima, who worked with Yuji Naka on both Sonic and Nights into Dreams, is collaborating with him once again on the character design.
The announcement at the Xbox Games Presentation on July 23, showcased gameplay footage and some brief commentary from the developers on the artsy, theatrical-looking action game. If you’re still trying to figure out what Balan Wonderworld is like after that wacky reveal trailer, here’s everything you need to know about Balan Wonderworld:
Release Date
Accoring to the press conference and initial trailer revealed that the game will be released in “Spring 2021,” so expect it sometime between March and June of 2021 as long as there aren’t any delays.
Trailer
The reveal trailer for Balan Wonderworld was revealed towards the end of Geoff Keighley’s Xbox Games Showcase pre-show. Titled “A Spectacular Preview,” this trailer gives us a sneak peek at cinematics and gameplay for the new game.
The official press release for the game from Square Enix confirms that it will be released for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Platforms
The official press release for the game from Square Enix confirms that it will be released for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. So, anyone who’s interested in Balan Wonderworld should be able to play it easily, no matter what platform they are on.
Gameplay
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Balan Wonderworld is described to be an action-platformer, with Yuji Naka going as far as to call it “the action game of action games”. What that actually means is that Balan Wonderworld is a 3D platformer where players will travel through shapeshifting environments. While you can run, jump, and fight like in any other 3D platformer, Balan Wonderworld‘s stands out as players will have over 80 costumes to choose from at any time, and each of them seems to have unique powers.
The costumes will grant the player different abilities like letting the player “walk in the air, freeze time, and manipulate all kinds of objects.” Players can switch between costumes at any time, so part of Balan Wonderworld‘s challenge will be determining which powers are best for certain scenarios.
Story
While Balan Wonderworld may look like just a cute platformer on the surface level, the game actually deals with some really heavy themes.”Everyone has their worries and their struggles maintaining a balance of positive and negative emotions in their lives,” developer Naoto Ohshima explained during the reveal livestream. “However, when that balance is broken, you might find yourself in the Balan Theatre.”
Players will control two kids named Leo and Emma as they “restore happiness and balance the hearts and minds of all they encounter” in the Balan Theatre with the help of a maestro named Balan. While the story is different compared to anything it’s developers have done before, it still retains the whimsy and charm you’d expect from a Yuji Naka game with Naoto Ohshima’s artstyle.
This wonderful artsy platformer should hit the shelves early in March or June of 2021!