3D platformers are a favorite among many gamers, myself included. This genre in gaming was revolutionized in the 90s and continues to climb up. Recent releases such as Super Mario Odyssey or Astro’s Playroom proved that the demand for platforming games is still there. It’s no secret that Sega has dabbled in the genre. Sega’s titular mascot Sonic The Hedgehog has starred in quite a few titles himself. That same team has also experimented with one-off franchises, such as Billy Hatcher and The Giant Egg. Naoto Ohshima, best known for character designing the blue blur, deviated from Sega in 2010, to form his private studio Arzest. In collaboration with Square Enix, Arzest announced their latest 3D platforming adventure Balan Wonderland in the summer of 2020. While the full-game won’t be available until March, Square Enix has officially announced a demo, set to come later this month.
The news of a Balan Wonderland demo broke via an official Square Enix press release. In said release, the demo will be available starting at Midnight on January 28th, 2021. The demo will feature a single-player mode, as well as a local co-op mode to play with family and friends.
“Two players can explore the game as the stars of the show Leo and Emma in local co-op mode, combining abilities from different costumes to access new paths that are unavailable in solo play! Simply connect a second controller and push any button on it to activate co-op mode. Using a range of costume abilities, players will be able to collect Balan Statues in each stage as well as access the hidden Balan’s Bout mini-games.”
The demo is set to feature three of Balan Wonderland’s worlds, equating to a quarter of the twelve available in the final release.
World 1 – The Man Who Rages Against the Storm
“World One is set in a beautiful farm, made up of rolling hills and giant crops. This mysterious world is woven from the memories inside Jose Gallard’s heart, a farmer whose beautiful cornfield is struck by a storm. The boss lurking in the depths of Jose’s world is Barktholomew, the embodiment of Jose’s despair after seeing his cornfield being destroyed.
Make use of a range of costumes to successfully complete this level, including the Jumping Jack costume that allows players to jump to places they just can’t quite reach and the Dainty Dragon costume that uses its fiery breath to clear obstacles in its path!”
World 4 – The Boy Who Would be One with the Wind
“World Four takes place in a fantastical setting born from the heart of Chang Haoyu and his love of the open sky, where bicycle parts and floating islands of all sizes are scattered through the sky.
Costumes in this world that could come in handy include the Soaring Sheep costume that can float away by puffing up its fluffy fleece, and the Aero Acrobat costume that can soar through the sky and aim kicks at balloons and enemies!”
World 6 – The Girl and the Kitten
“World Six follows the story of Cass Milligan, depicting the town where she meets a cute kitten. In this magical world built from Cass Milligan’s fond memories, candy pieces and books float in the air and there are mysterious buildings full of moving gears.
Costumes that will help players solve mysteries and perform powerful attacks include the Gear Prince costume that can spin switches with the gear on its stomach to operate machinery and the Pumpkin Puncher costume that can shoot a rocket punch!”
“Players will also be granted access to the Isle of Tims – a base area and gateway to the three mysterious worlds. Here, players will meet the magical creatures called Tims; whose powerful abilities can help Leo and Emma as they explore each world and battle Negati! On the Isle of Tims, players can also harvest magical droplets from the colourful flower patches found around the island. These droplets can be fed to Tims in order to evolve their abilities.”
Balan Wonderland officially releases March 26th, 2021. While supplies last, physical copies of the game will also include a collectible Balan Theatre ticket. To preorder the game, head over to the official Square Enix Store. The demo officially launches on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Steam on January 28th.
Are you excited about this upcoming 3D Platformer? If so, let us know in the comments section!
