Credit: Unsplash
A sneak peak of the cast in rehearsal.
Something I’ve really been missing from games in the last decade and change is a sense of whimsy. There’s plenty of pretty, colorful games on the market these days, but I can’t help but miss that certain spark of childlike joviality and imagination you saw in games like NiGHTS into Dreams or Billy Hatcher. This is why I’ve been looking forward to the release of Square Enix’s upcoming platformer, Balan Wonderworld; not only does it look aggressively whimsical from the word go, it’s being headed by Sonic Team alumnus Yuji Naka, who was the lead dev on both of those games I just mentioned. If you’re not sold on the idea of fantastical, dream-like whimsy, well, first of all, that’s a little depressing, but secondly, you’ll get a chance to try before you buy.
Yesterday, the official Balan Wonderworld Twitter announced that they would be releasing a demo version of the game next Thursday, January 28. The demo will feature a handful of levels picked to give you a good idea of the game’s mechanics while also allowing you to tinker with a few of its superpowered costumes. You’ll also be able to visit the game’s hub world, the Isle of Tims, where you can get a glimpse of the creature-raising side game. There’s even local co-op functionality!
We've got some Balan-tastic news! 🎩✨
A demo will be available to download on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam on January 28, 2021!
Play alone or local co-op with a friend and get ready to enjoy the magic that is #BalanWonderworld. pic.twitter.com/c5aAGbBhoi
— Balan Wonderworld (@balanwworld) January 19, 2021
If you’re worried about not having a platform that can play the demo, then good news: it’s on everything! And I mean everything: Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. Personally, I’ll be playing both the Steam and Switch versions to compare framerates. Oh, and since some people were asking on the Twitter post, yes, the demo is 100% free to download and play.
Balan Wonderworld will be releasing on all of the aforementioned platforms on March 26, 2021. Pre-orders are already open.
