Action-Platformer Balan Wonderworld unveiled for current and next-gen

From the creators of Sonic

Square Enix has unveiled the colorful and promising action-platformer Balan Wonderworld. The 3D platformer is slated to release in Spring 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Watch the announcement trailer below!

The recent Xbox Showcase event was home to plenty of awesome game reveals but one particular company we didn’t expect to see much from was Square Enix. The Japanese gaming behemoth hit viewers with a one-two punch of two highly-promising games.

Besides the debut of the Dragon Quest series on the Xbox, Balan Wonderworld was the real eye-catcher. Not only does it look plain fun and jolly with an explosion of colors and style but it’s the brainchild of legendary game designers Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima. The names really should ring a bell since they are the original creators of Sonic the Hedgehog.

BALAN WONDERWORLD is a wondrous action platformer game themed around the Balan Theatre. Led by the enigmatic maestro named Balan, the stars of the show Emma and Leo will use special abilities from a multitude of characterful costumes as they adventure in the bizarre and imaginary land of Wonderworld. Here memories and vistas from the real world mix with the things that people hold dear.
Twelve different tales await our stars in the Wonderworld, each with their own unique quirks. They will explore all corners of these labyrinthine stages, filled with a myriad of tricks and traps, to get to the heart of each story.

So it’s no mystery why the news that both returning to create a brand new platformer is a huge deal. Balan Wonderworld offers a journey into a fantastical world with its gameplay going the action-platformer route.

But there’s a twist! Players can unlock costumes that once out on give them special skills that can be used for solving puzzles, dealing with enemies, and clearing levels. With over 80 costumes we are getting serious Mario Odyssey vibes in the breadth of gameplay opportunities.

Balan Wonderworld is targeting Spring 2021 for launch across every platform.