It’s a real charm to watch, even if the length means that you’d be forgiven for skipping a few of the later ones.īefore continuing with the rest of the review, I’d like to take a brief sidestep over to the tie-in book for the game, entitled Balan Wonderworld ~Maestro of Mystery, Theatre of Wonders. Acting as a novelization, the book actually works as a set-up for the main events of the game before going into further detail about what occurs and the aftermath. My particular favourite was the tune that plays after taking down the boss, which is so good that even the in-game characters start hilariously dancing to it as they perform one big musical extravaganza to wrap the chapter up. The battle theme that plays when enemies appear is probably the weakest of the bunch, which is unfortunate since it overrides the level’s music until all the enemies are defeated, but it’s still not necessarily a bad track. Despite the game’s twelve acts all having vastly distinct themings, the music all gels together rather well and feels cohesive whilst still matching their individual environments perfectly. Fans of games from the 32/64 bit era like myself should have no issues, but this is definitely something that will put off some modern gamers.īefore wrapping up with the presentation, its also worth noting that the game’s soundtrack is surprisingly decent. Compared to many games I’ve played on the Switch (especially this year), I wouldn’t say its unplayable – especially for retro gamers – but it is still noticeable and will likely be problematic for people sensitive to framerate issues. Unfortunately, these more complicated levels also suffer from framerate drops as the game struggles to keep up with everything going on. Further worlds start to get a bit more ambitious and some will even leave you impressed at how nice they look despite a resolution that would make a 90s gamer cringe. Things do improve as the aesthetic design starts to get a bit more interesting, and even the aquatic second world leaves a far greater impression. The first chapter, set in the grassy confines of a farm, suffers the worst as the simplicity of its design only adds to how underwhelming it looks. The gorgeous cutscenes are unfortunately somewhat undermined by the in-game presentation, with the game jarringly switching from high resolution cinematics to low resolution visuals as soon as you take control. Whilst some may lament this approach, I found that leaving more to the imagination actually added more to the narrative than it took away. No words are spoken, but it also doesn’t need to either. The beautiful cutscenes really help make the stories heartwarming, and I found most of them to be quite compelling. Another is a young inventor who, after one too many falls from his failed flying machines, decides to just give up his dream. One girl stricken with grief after a car hits her cat hides herself away in a world full of clockwork, with her wishing for time to stop still as not to deal with what the reality of what happens next. Each one focuses on a particular individual dealing with some kind of trauma, and you are there to help defeat that darkness within them. It’s difficult to care about either of the two personality-devoid protagonists, especially given their laughable backstories however, the real charm of the narrative lies within the mini tales told within each of the game’s twelve acts. The host is a mysterious white hatted fellow called Balan, who tasks the children with entering the various stages and clearing them of the negative emotions corrupting them. While they’re feeling down in the dumps, the Balan Theatre appears and they’re whisked inside to a world of wonder. Our story starts with one of two selectable children: there’s Leo, a street dancer that’s averse to making friends, and Emma, a rich kid who thinks people are talking about her behind her back.
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