Balan Wonderworld - PlayStation 5

Great game. I enjoyed it. The game uses only a couple buttons (action and for changing costumes) to play. It's a mix of Nights, Super Mario 3D World and Sackboy in terms of finding/collecting items in order to proceed. The cut scenes and animations are awesome. Most people who are saying this game is bad, never played it. Trust me, it's better than anything Star Wars, Fortnite... and country music! :)

Balan Wonderworld got a bad rap because I think expectations were very high. For veteran fans of Yuji Naka, the vibe from trailers was that this was going to feel like a spiritual successor to Nights Into Dreams, a game from the Saturn era that was filled with speed, mayhem, crazy visuals, and really pushed the limits of the system's graphics. I think the two most jarring things about Balan Wonderworld that turned Sega fans off was average graphics, and the very simplistic gameplay. No innovation in control or platforming gaming here whatsoever. This means Balan Wonderworld has the greatest shot at being a real hit with young children, but older gamers will likely find the game to be a bit bland. Still, I got a lot of enjoyment out of the Yuji Naka style whimsy that is littered throughout. The music is absolutely gorgeous, there is a surreal and dazzling dream-like charm to the game worlds, very similar to what Nights Into Dreams brought to the table, the boss fights do look very gorgeous and while a bit simple, still have a very charming silliness to them, complete with the characters performing a broadway like musical number after each boss is defeated. You can't help but have a smile from it. Pick this one up if it's cheap.

This game isn’t as bad as people make it out to be, but it does have issues. The big issue is that the first world does not make a very good impression because of how bland it is. But if you get past the first world you’ll find a very charming, heartwarming, and comfortable 3D platformer that while basic, can be a ton of fun.

Not great. Coming from a truly talented game director and team it’s a bummer this falls flat.

Bought this to keep a 6 year old busy... Plus it helps her learn hand and eye coordination and allows parent to play with her...