Pretty much everyone in here that likes the game, myself included, have been pretty upfront about the game's faults. I definitely wouldn't argue it's a good game.
Some of y'all have no chill. lol
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Balan Wonderworld - Review Thread
- Thread starter Lant_War
- Start date
Some of y'all have no chill. lol
Again like what you like but don't go pushing ideas that somehow reviewers are scoring the game badly for no other reason than the game not meeting their standards.
Exactly. Enjoy whatever you want. Reviewers aren't saying "you aren't allowed to like this game."
Five pages in, and this thread is STILL all Jak'd up, lol!!
Balan ain't great, but it's also not for you and me. Same shit I said in the demo thread.
Balan is designed to appeal to young kids. Yes, I know Lucky's Tale is a thing, and that you like it better. Doesn't matter. The game was still designed to appeal to young kids.
If a lot of young kids end up liking Balan, then the game was a success, regardless of what you or me think.
What does that have to do with how good or bad a game is?
I've never play Balan, BUT i play sonic 06 and I am 100% sure this is better or i will enjoy it more.
I'm not sure it will sell more which is pretty much what SquareEnix is going to care about.
That's...not what Camjo was saying, and this was pretty concretely hashed out on the previous page. And it's not what anyone here who likes the game is saying either unless you've got receipts for that.
Yuji Naka is clearly a great programmer but he's mostly bad at the creative stuff and is pretty hit or miss when it comes to management.
It has become increasingly clear over the years that Naka is the kind of game maker that needs really strong directors/game designers like Hirokazu Yasuhara for his projects to truly shine.
As I'm playing through it myself, so far it's only the "Balan Bout" QTE sequences that have been repulsive/obnoxious from the very beginning (Camjo-Z describes them in detail here); aside from those, the random mini-games are consistently lame (not the Tims though, they're cute enough), though considerably less offensive.
No idea what the designers were thinking with that stuff, but since both the Balan Bouts and the random mini-games are triggered by specific collectables, I've just been avoiding those collectables entirely for now (hopefully they don't become necessary).
"...Unfortunately, there is a 10-ton anchor chained to that buoy that's dragging it down, down, down into the deepest fathoms of contempt. It's an anchor known as Balan's Bout [...] Let me be clear: I hate Balan's Bout just as much as Roger Ebert hated the movie North. I hate it. I hate, hate, hate that somebody thought this was an activity players should have to do multiple times. Even if I had perfect runs of every Balan's Bout I came across — never messing up, never failing — I would still hate the fucking thing. None of the mini-games sewn throughout Balan Wonderworld are any good and, if anything, pull players away from the real joy of the classic platform fun..."
"...Like I said at the top of this review, your enjoyment of Balan Wonderworld is going to depend on your tolerance for primitive 3D level design. Strip away the unnecessary costumes and their poorly implemented management system — and fire those Balan's Bouts into the sun — and you might have a nice throwback to a more experimental time of platform gaming, one that would be easier to recommend. But sadly, you can't just strip those elements away..."
"...If you're the patient sort, chances are you'll have a good time with Balan Wonderworld overall. Costume management is clunky, but you'll deal with it in order to find the secrets hidden within each world, and you won't be too perturbed by the eagerly respawning enemies and repetitive Balan Bout sequences. For most players though, everything combined will probably prove to be a little too much. Balan Wonderworld is a game that's capable of bringing out both delight and dismay in its players, though it serves up a little too much of the latter at times to be easily recommended..."
Yeah, in terms of level design, I'm sure Hirokazu Yasuhara would have been a big help on this game (Destructoid: "...your enjoyment of Balan Wonderworld is going to depend on your tolerance for primitive 3D level design...").
But with regard to other creative stuff, like the art and atmosphere of a game like Nights into Dreams (and again for Balan), probably worth noting the role of Naoto Ohshima (who was credited as the game director for NiGHTS, as well as character designer and artist).
Haven't followed the development of Balan at all, so I don't know what he specifically contributed (perhaps a few notes from Wikipedia wouldn't be out of place). Also don't know much of anything about the composers, but I do like the music quite a bit so far as well.
...The world design was themed after musical theatre.[18] This theme was chosen to better fit the game within Square Enix's catalogue.[23] The style drew heavy inspiration from the Cirque du Soleil.[20] For Balan's design, Ohshima began with the concepts of theatrical troupe leader and a grin showing under a large hat. The use of a theater as the main location followed the game's musical theater theme.[24] A recurring visual and narrative element was the balance between positive and negative emotions in the mind.[9] The costumes were created by Ohshima and other artists at Arzest.[14] One of those artists was Yono Endo, who created stylized poster artwork used for promotion.[15] The art director was Masamichi Harada.[21] When creating his designs, Ohshima decided to deliberately evoke his earlier work with Naka, with their design intended to look pleasing both on the cast and when worn by the protagonists.[23] Each chapter's main character and story were designed first, followed by the character's cast, which represents their positive emotions.[25]
A problem for Naka was creating a narrative, which he had never considered important but held an important place in Square Enix's brand identity. To help create the scenario, he read up on the hero's journey and created a narrative told without dialogue.[11] The script was written by Soushi Kawasaki, a novelist known in Japan for his work on the Long Arm detective series. Brought in by Ohshima, he was asked to create between thirty and forty different scenarios, from which Ohshima picked the twelve, commenting that many of the rejected ones had darker tones.[15] While considering the setting and scenario, Naka decided on a similar design approach to Nights into Dreams, though otherwise Balan Wonderworld was an original work.[14] The world of Balan Wonderworld used a constructed language based on English; dialogue and song lyrics were first written in English, then the sounds and syllables were changed and pronunciation adjusted to make it sound odd.[20] The voice cast was Japanese; Balan was voiced by Kenichi Suzumura, Leo by Shimba Tsuchiya, Emma by Lynn, and Lance by Takahiro Sakurai.[6][21][22]
Balan Wonderworld - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
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So, I'm watching some of the reviews because I'm curious if this is a game that my 5 year old daughter would enjoy. I like that it has a female protagonist, and some of the criticisms actually sound like things that might make the game more approachable for her (she's not that good at games).
I'm really just wondering if the game should be reviewed as a game targeted toward children who prefer simpler games. Have any of you played this with your kids? What have their opinions been?
Edit: reading in this thread, the game being for kids isn't a fresh take, but I'd like to hear from some parents out there, especially if your kids are fairly new to gaming
- The 1-button action mechanic makes it easier to explain how the game is played
- The cutscenes with conflict and resolution happen near enough to each other for her to connect them
- The game is boring and doesn't challenge the player, which is not a bad thing for her
I'm really just wondering if the game should be reviewed as a game targeted toward children who prefer simpler games. Have any of you played this with your kids? What have their opinions been?
Edit: reading in this thread, the game being for kids isn't a fresh take, but I'd like to hear from some parents out there, especially if your kids are fairly new to gaming
Hyperbole surrounding the game has kinda leveled off now (thankfully), but for a while, negative response to the game was super-severe not because of how the game actually played, but because of how short it came of expectations.
At least some of the game's marketing was meant to appeal to older folks who know Naka and Ohshima's names, but the game itself almost certainly wasn't designed to appeal that "core" demographic. So when the game came out, immediate response was VERY negative, easily more so than if the game had been marketed properly.
The game itself is fine, certainly not garbage like some would swear. It just wasn't at all what we were expecting from the game's marketing (which, make no mistake, is still definitely a good reason to be pissed).
Yeah I about shat myself when I saw how dead-simple they were. Considering you gotta do 'em to get all the statues, it's the one thing so far that I'm definitely over, but even so, they're so silly that I can't even stay mad, LOL
also sorta off-topic but really digging Video Chums, and the philosophy behind it. Keep up the good work fam <3 If you got a Patreon or some shit, drop that link bb
Dude NEVER gave Sega, and especially the Saturn era a fair shake. People still love him? Ehh...
Enjoying the game between hunts. I don't know.
This is just not true, Jeff has talked of his love for Sega PLENTY over the years, just like earlier this week he was talking about how he doesn't mind getting rid of his Nintendo game carts, but he feel the need to keep his Sega stuff, he talks about PS and PSO (hell even PSO2) all the time etc etc. he can dislike nights and sonic adventure and some others without it being some anti Sega/saturn agenda...
Balan fan here. Also a Jeff Gerstmann fan and a Nights fan. I dunno, dude just really hates Yoshi and Nights. Ain't that big a deal.
On topic, I'm really digging this game a lot more now that I'm in the later levels. The level design is getting better, and having a full, running wardrobe of costumes really opens the entire game up.
I've fed enough rainbow gems to the statue, now it's asking a Tim with a crown on its head. I'll have to consult the guide about all this that was posted earlier in the thread soon enough I'm sure. Lol
I don't think it's the worst first-game pick it the world... but there are so many better first-games, this feels like a bad purchase no matter the reason.
I know the reviews are poor, but I'm still wanting to see if my library will order this so I can check it out. 'Else I'll have to wait a little until it hits deep, deep discount.
I'm glad some of you playing are finding some enjoyment out of the game, though. That's cool.
I'm glad some of you playing are finding some enjoyment out of the game, though. That's cool.
New Super Lucky's Tale. If you're on xbox you can even "co-pilot" with her with a second controller. It's pretty basic but has *some* challenge but the main path is simple.
The way I usually do is discard the hyperbolic opinions and check out the other ones. I still think this could be a great Game Pass title. It's flawed but it has its audience.
lol this is so not true that the only explanation for why someone would believe this is if they were somehow still harboring a grudge against him for a score he gave to a game they like.
When also considering how Jeff has laid down how Sega fans were always the insane ones who sent death threats over review scores and who dug up his parents' phone number to harrass them in the middle of the night, I'm not too inclined to give much weight to any assertion against him for his thoughts on Yuji Naka's latest bad game, let's just say.
This game really needed Dave Halverson. He would've easily bestowed this with a perfect score and called it the next evolution of the platformer. Where are you, Dave. We need you.
His review of Sonic 06 is still amazing
wooooooooowHis review of Sonic 06 is still amazing
I understand opinions and all, but good lord, this review simply does not describe the reality of what Sonic 06 is at all.
IIRC while that review was hugely bloated (and then later on he bumped the game down a point anyway) he was told his review copy had bugs that would be patched out of the retail game. When doing a review of the PS3 version he gave Sonic 06 a much lower score.
He also graded every 2D/3D platformer on a curve. Dude would recommend the worst, least interesting Japanese Super Famicom/PlayStation games. He had me convinced I NEEDED to play Hermie Hopperhead. I tried it years later and...
Metascore update for the new week:
Opencritic - 49 "Weak", 44 reviews, 9% of critics recommend
Metacritic:
PS5 - 51 "Mixed and/or average", 20 reviews
PS4 - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 7 reviews
PC - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 6 reviews
Xbox Series X - 39 "Generally unfavorable", 5 reviews
Switch - 27 "Generally unfavorable", 4 reviews
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Xbox One (1 review)
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So just to set the record straight--were any codes for the game sent out to reviewers at all? From what I understand, game codes were sent out, but not to major publications/professional critics; moreover, they weren't distributed up until the game's release day.
Opencritic - 49 "Weak", 44 reviews, 9% of critics recommend
Metacritic:
PS5 - 51 "Mixed and/or average", 20 reviews
PS4 - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 7 reviews
PC - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 6 reviews
Xbox Series X - 39 "Generally unfavorable", 5 reviews
Switch - 27 "Generally unfavorable", 4 reviews
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Xbox One (1 review)
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So just to set the record straight--were any codes for the game sent out to reviewers at all? From what I understand, game codes were sent out, but not to major publications/professional critics; moreover, they weren't distributed up until the game's release day.
Ah that's too bad, guess I won't be aiming for 100% completion then.
I'll have to see how far I manage to progress with my current approach of skipping any/all statues that require either (1) Balan's Bouts or (2) mini-games.
Unfortunately, despite the one-button system, the devs managed to make it complicated enough (with the ill-advised costume system, which you manage with the shoulder buttons) that I'm not sure if younger kids would be able to play it very easily. Could be wrong, though.
Camjo-Z sums it up very well in the OT:
The two-minute segment beginning at 16m20s in the following video shows off some of the neat visuals and music in World 3, but also shows the need to constantly switch between costumes.
Shortly after that, at 19m26s, is one of the above-mentioned mini-games (the ones that I'm determined to skip), and then at 24m16s, one of the dreaded Balan's Bout QTE sequences.
The boss designs/stages are pretty neat visually, so far: one / two / three
Wow it is really pretty, but yeah that actually looks super complicated. I think she would enjoy watching the game more than playing it
Yeah I agree, the game can be really pretty. The first level was easily the least appealing of the ones I've played so far.
Hopefully the bosses aren't too scary, if your daughter ends up watching it! :) You could take a look at the bosses ahead of time and judge, of course, though probably not too big a deal. Incidentally, looks like the player linked above completed their walkthrough (playlist).
Metascore update, one week following release.
Opencritic - 49 "Weak", 55 reviews, 9% of critics recommend
Metacritic:
PS5 - 50 "Mixed and/or average", 23 reviews
PS4 - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 8 reviews
Xbox Series X - 42 "Generally unfavorable", 8 reviews
PC - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 7 reviews
Switch - 33 "Generally unfavorable", 5 reviews
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Xbox One (1 review)
Metacritic metascore mean/average: 43(.3)
Opencritic - 49 "Weak", 55 reviews, 9% of critics recommend
Metacritic:
PS5 - 50 "Mixed and/or average", 23 reviews
PS4 - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 8 reviews
Xbox Series X - 42 "Generally unfavorable", 8 reviews
PC - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 7 reviews
Switch - 33 "Generally unfavorable", 5 reviews
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Xbox One (1 review)
Metacritic metascore mean/average: 43(.3)
There's such a lack of posts about this game on a forum that's full of huge Sega fan-boys and girls. That says something. I was sorta hoping I could read some more impressions, but $60 is a big ask for a game like this. That's mainly what's keeping me from throwing Yuji Naka some bucks (the reviews aren't really helping either). I get they needed to recoup their costs, but I think they're gonna live to regret that price tag since they're clearly not recouping anything anyway.
the reception to the demo was pretty dang bad that it might have soured potential at any price. maybe when it hits $15 on a sale, people will pick it up, but even at $40, I'm not certain.
The demo's what totally killed my interest, but I might've checked it out anyway at $30 based on forum impressions and simply out of allegiance to an old Sega legend. Some folks, whose opinions I do respect, seem to kind of like it. I really disliked the demo, tho. Can't deny that. $60 for an iffy game with a horrible demo is just impossible for me to justify. It's nuts they were able to generate so much merchandise for the series, too. What a total waste...
I wouldn't let the demo put you off entirely. World 1 is pretty objectively the least exciting one in the game, things immediately pick up starting with World 2. Personally, I really don't understand how anyone who likes old-school 3D platformers could be that put off by the full game. It's fun! None of my issues with the game relate at all to the level design or the platforming, which is ironically not something I can say for some of the better-received games it's calling back to. It's why I feel like the game is one good patch away from a recommendation, fix the weird quirks and you still have a really solid collectathon underneath.
Opencritic - 48 "Weak", 61 reviews, 10% of critics recommend
Metacritic:
PS5 - 50 "Mixed and/or average", 26 reviews
Xbox Series X - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 10 reviews
PS4 - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 8 reviews
PC - 39 "Generally unfavorable", 9 reviews
Switch - 32 "Generally unfavorable", 7 reviews
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Xbox One (1 review)
Metacritic metascore mean/average: 42(.6)
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Balan Wonderworld ranks #133 out of 137 games counted on Opencritic's "2021 Hall of Fame" list.
All versions of the game, outside of the Xbox One version, now have enough reviews to be counted in Metacritic's list of 2021 releases, ranked by scores for each platform.
As of this moment...
PS4 - 71 out of a list of 73 games.
Nintendo Switch - 77 out of a list of 77 games.
PC - 63 out of a list of 63 games.
PS5 - 22 out of a list of 22 games.
Xbox Series X - 11 out of a list of 11 games.
The Switch version on Metacritic also ranks #1,257 out of an All-Time list of #1,260 Nintendo Switch games ranked by score.
Metacritic:
PS5 - 50 "Mixed and/or average", 26 reviews
Xbox Series X - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 10 reviews
PS4 - 46 "Generally unfavorable", 8 reviews
PC - 39 "Generally unfavorable", 9 reviews
Switch - 32 "Generally unfavorable", 7 reviews
-
Xbox One (1 review)
Metacritic metascore mean/average: 42(.6)
-
Balan Wonderworld ranks #133 out of 137 games counted on Opencritic's "2021 Hall of Fame" list.
All versions of the game, outside of the Xbox One version, now have enough reviews to be counted in Metacritic's list of 2021 releases, ranked by scores for each platform.
As of this moment...
PS4 - 71 out of a list of 73 games.
Nintendo Switch - 77 out of a list of 77 games.
PC - 63 out of a list of 63 games.
PS5 - 22 out of a list of 22 games.
Xbox Series X - 11 out of a list of 11 games.
The Switch version on Metacritic also ranks #1,257 out of an All-Time list of #1,260 Nintendo Switch games ranked by score.
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