Balan's Wonderland |PS/XB/NSFW/PC | Yuji Naka goes to war!

rinks wrote:Compared to this, Yooka-Laylee feels like F-Zero.

ON ACID!

I just started Yooka Laylee - don't tell me I've already done the best bit

Photek wrote:Jeff Grubb despises this game.

https://venturebeat.com/2021/04/13/balan-wonderworld-review-a-prolonged-exercise-in-frustration/

After three levels in Balan Wonderworld, I was lost. I did not understand how to unlock the fourth stage, so I spent a half-hour wandering around the hub area trying to figure it out. I would’ve spent much longer if it weren’t for the chat in my livestream. It turns out that I needed to go back and get some more collectibles to unlock the next stage. And that’s when I knew how little respect Balan Wonderworld had for my time as the player.

I'm not saying it's obvious, but come on, surely going back to complete more of the levels is a better thing to do than wander around the hub world - especially in a 3D platformer!

He goes on to call the game boring and uninspired. From the substantial demo I don't know how you'd get to that opinion. Baffling, certainly. Bad, almost definitely. Boring - far from it. It's full of very deliberate and interesting design choices, just not necessarily ones that make a lot of sense!

Photek wrote:Jeff Grubb despises this game.

https://venturebeat.com/2021/04/13/balan-wonderworld-review-a-prolonged-exercise-in-frustration/

And do we care what they say?

jawaX wrote:
Photek wrote:I seen your post, just that Grubb has been meming on how bad the game is for months... plus he's a games journo as much as a youtuber...

S'all good, dude. Nearly all reviews do slate the game and with - in some aspects - very good justification. I was surprised by Play (formerly OPM) magazine's verdict, though; they awarded a [7] to the game.

My own opinion - based on three hours play of the demo, a further three hours play of the Switch version plus one hour on PS4 - would be a [5]. And by that I mean "average", not "bad"; it's clunky but, for 3D platform fans, also something quirky. At ten or fifteen quid it's - imho - a good deal.

It's gonna be interesting to hear the thoughts of folk who have picked it up at the reduced price!

I like lots of badly reviewed games from FF 13 to Biomutant. I think the only gripe I have with this and I watched a stream was it’s floaty controls from what reviews said.

Denial ain't just a river in Spain, baby.

When some of you guys started talking about buying multiple copies, I panicked at the thought that I may not have enough Balan. So I grabbed another Switch copy in the sale :datass:

.

I have it on the Xbox and its ok.... for a £10 game id call it good, but the poor buggers who paid full price oh dear.

jawaX wrote:

When some of you guys started talking about buying multiple copies, I panicked at the thought that I may not have enough Balan. So I grabbed another Switch copy in the sale .

You're a lunatic Jawa :lol:

...but why :lol:

My copy arrived today :toot:

Disappointed, was expecting Jawa to be into double figures for his generation spanning GOAT game :datass:

I won’t lie, the talk about it has me intrigued, even though I really don’t think it looks great :lol:

Victor Mildew wrote:...You're a lunatic Jawa

OrangeRKN wrote:...but why ...

Yeah, it is a bit silly, guys! I never buy games to keep sealed but, at that cheaper price, I decided to with the Switch version. In collecting terms it has that good mix of popular console, famous designer, big publisher, "overly harsh" reviews, low sales and a (dozensofus.gif) cult fan base. It's unlikely to get a re-print and I think it may become relatively sought after in years to come. Maybe!

OrangeRKN wrote:...My copy arrived today

I'm glad you have a copy and it'll be interesting to see what you think of the full game after trying the demo. Not a lot changed; it's still very odd :-)

.

Robbo-92 wrote:...generation spanning GOAT game ...

I love that description, Robbo! :lol:

.

Robbo-92 wrote:...I won’t lie, the talk about it has me intrigued, even though I really don’t think it looks great

Probably best to check out a few reviews/vids so that you know what you're getting into, man!

This arrived this morning.

*looks at back of box*

Victor Mildew wrote:This arrived this morning.

*looks at back of box*

Back of box wrote:True happiness is an adventure!

.

Oh god it just looks so bad!

Victor Mildew wrote:

Oh god it just looks so bad!

The graphic styling - especially on the Switch - does remind me of the Sega Saturn; colourful and vibrant but sharp edges. I'm guessing you have the PS5 version where the graphics are more detailed :datass:

.

Looking forward to hearing about you finding true happiness, Victor!

If this game manages to make me truly happy, then it's the game of the generation :lol:

I for one can't wait for Victor's reaction to the dance routines

OrangeRKN wrote:I for one can't wait for Victor's reaction to the dance routines

The best bit :datass:

.

Played the first two worlds of this. The first is mental as per the demo. The second is about... a diver getting hospitalised by a dolphin :lol:

Coming from Ratchet on the PS5 there is one thing I am legitimately appreciating in comparison... the geometry is all as-it-looks with no invisible walls! Jumping might feel varying degrees of awful depending on the suit, but at least if a ledge looks like I should be able to stand on it, I can!

So yeah, officially better than Ratchet and Clank :shifty:

Balan's Wonderland |PS/XB/NSFW/PC | Yuji Naka goes to war!

Who is online

Affiliates