When a game stands up and says that it is from the creators of a franchise such as Sonic The Hedgehog it tends to make folks take notice. The newly revealed Balan Wonderworld is a circus-motif-slathered platformer coming to PS4, PS5, Switch, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X in spring 2021. It was first shown during the pre-show for today’s Microsoft Xbox Series X Showcase live stream. The Square Enix published platformer is set in a land hidden behind a strange yet whimsical theater where players will control Leo and Emma through a journey into the unknown. The maestro Balan is their guide through this new world as the duo attempts to restore balance and happiness to the land. Check out the trailer below for all the spectacular colors.
Balan Wonderworld is the creation of Director Yuji Naka (Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise Creator, Team Sonic Co-Founder) and Character Designer Naoto Ohshima (Sonic the Hedgehog, Doctor Eggman, Team Sonic Co-Founder). According to Square Enix, “the game marks Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima’s first collaboration in 20 years and is the first game from the newly established BALAN COMPANY gaming brand. BALAN COMPANY brings together talented video game developers, visual artists, and composers to tell the greatest stories and provide the ultimate platformer experiences.”
Twenty years feels like forever in gaming, but the look and aesthetic of Balan Wonderworld is something to behold in motion; like someone smushed Banjo-Kazooie, NiGHTS into Dreams, and Sonic the Hedgehog together into one singular game concept. A wide variety of locales are shown off in the trailer, and each one looks varied and different in motion. Especially striking is the area set to a space-swept skyscape as the player rail grinds into the distance.
Balan Wonderworld is set for release in spring 2021, coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
