⚠️I'm using a translator, so I apologize if any parts are difficult to read.
In this article, I will write about why I award Balan Wonderworld as a masterpiece, with answers to criticisms.
When I played the demo version, I thought this game was SO BAD. But I believed Yuji Naka and bought the full version. (Before I knew it, I had bought four of them...) I'm not raving blindly about it.
At first, I was hopelessly disappointed because nothing had changed from the demo version. However, in chapters 2 and 3, I was impressed by the three-dimensionality and beauty of the stages, and in chapter 4, I realized the comfort of gaining freedom through the acquisition of costumes.
By the time I was completely finished, I was convinced that this game was a great piece of work.
This is an article that I wrote after spending nearly 100 hours on this game.
I hope you will read it.
Main part
First of all, this game is not a game with flashy action as its primary objective. (Flashy battle action is possible in some scenes.)
【Puzzle】 【RPG】 【Exploration】
It is structured around these three main components.
The game also features a "Balance AI" that senses the player's movements and makes changes to the difficulty and world. There is also a presentation of my own work, so please take a look!
Please read with the above in mind.
■ One button action is stressful.
▶︎ As mentioned earlier, this game is not intended for flashy action. At its root, it is an RPG and does not require multiple buttons. The reason it's a simple operation is because it doesn't need to be.
There is only one button, but instead the player is given the freedom to select up to three actions of their choice. The way to play Balan is to find your own strategy within these constraints.
Some people point out that you can't jump, but only a few outfits limit jumping. Most of them are attack-oriented outfits. It's up to you to decide whether you want more attack power or more movement power.
If you're still not convinced, this game just isn't to your liking.(If that's you, I recommend the Wii version of Rodea.)
NiGHTS and Sonic are also action games with simple controls, but the concept is different from Baran, as explained below.
From the very beginning, NiGHTS and Sonic are one-button games that allow for exhilarating action. The action feels good and allows for improvement through trial and error.
However, Balan begins in a state of helplessness. One of his goals is to use his wits and eventually gain the power to run freely around the three-dimensional stage.
Freedom from discomfort. This catharsis is the best part of Balan.
It is also linked to the story's theme of opening closed minds.
■ The structure of the puzzle is sketchy.
▶︎ There is an intention behind this. By making the puzzle structure more flexible, the player is given more choices.
Therefore, each player will have a completely different solution to obtaining a single statue.
Also, each time you play the game, you will find new strategies, making it a game that can be played repeatedly.
This is the reason why Yuji Naka was so confident about this game.
Personally, I think that this action with a puzzle concept has a similar point of view to card games and rock-paper-scissors.
The Mega Man series is a typical example of a game that requires you to observe the situation and your opponent's movements to find the right technique and move. In fact, there is a famous episode where it was derived from rock-paper-scissors. This is also a game where you can enjoy improving through trial and error, but I think the structure of the rules is similar to that of Balan.
■ It's a pain to stock up on costumes.
▶︎ There is no need to overstock costumes. The minimum number of costumes needed to clear the course will naturally be available. Dependence on certain costumes can make the game monotonous. Also, the BalanceAI can sense your movements and take countermeasures.
As the difficulty level increases, you will have a hard time because the costumes will not come back.
The game is made more interesting by the style of play that allows you to use all the costumes to their fullest extent and bring out the true value of each one.
If you run out, explore the stage while collecting costumes. It may lead to new discoveries.
Even if you don't have a specific costume, there are many situations you can get through by applying other costumes.
This degree of freedom is what makes Balan so interesting. The strategy is left to your imagination.
■ The stage is curved. Isn't this a useless design?
▶︎ The curvature of the map allows you to see every corner of the stage. You may be confused because there is no other game that tries to do something like this. However, this is an ideal map for exploration games.
The basics of this gimmick are used as of chapter 1. Chapter 7, which has particularly large differences in elevation, makes good use of this gimmick.
■ The difficulty level is too low.
▶︎ Basics → Application → Review (Boss battle)
This game is designed to follow the above flow thoroughly. As a result, the difficulty level in the early stages is kept low, but the endgame is quite difficult. I almost lost my mind in chapter 12.
The bosses are easy to defeat. However, it is difficult to conquer all three strategy patterns.
Also, if you keep defeating enemies quickly without taking damage, the difficulty level will increase.Stronger and faster enemies will appear in large numbers.I found the difficulty level increased at chapter 3.
In other words, the difficulty of the game depends on how good you are.
■ I want to have a HP separate from my costume.
▶︎ This system prompts the player to use a different costume in case of failure.
Depending on the situation, you can either sacrifice valuable costumes, or use inconvenient but well-stocked costumes... The game throws a variety of choices at the player. This gameplay becomes more apparent as the difficulty level increases.
If you separate the HP from the costume, this tense gameplay will be lost.
The system of choosing outfits based on what will happen next fosters the ability to think and survive on one's own. It will also help the child's ego independence.
■ I need more explanations and hints. It's designed in an unfriendly way.
▶︎ It's not a game that requires you to do anything difficult, so if you think about it, you should be able to understand it to some extent. All you have to do is immerse yourself in collecting statues by any route you can think of.
Some people criticize Balan for being old-fashioned, but they are missing the point.
Games are essentially content that teaches you to think and act for yourself. This is a posting of what games should be, and a refreshing return to the basics.
However, I don't mean to criticize modern games. The immersive feeling of being in a movie, and the friendly design of the UI that shows you where you are going so you don't get lost. I think it's a beautiful evolution for today's hectic world where it's hard to find time to be alone.
However, to be honest, it is abnormal to say that only works that follow the latest trends are evaluated, and it is difficult to say that there is creativity in such works. Evolving technology and the presence or absence of originality have completely different meanings.
I would like to say that games like Baran, which have their own rules and think for themselves, are what we need today.
■ I don't understand the story. I want subtitles.
▶︎ With both video and dubbing, the amount of information is extremely high. By not using real words, all the people in the world have the exact same experience. Very romantic, don't you think?
It's not to dismiss the unspoken parts as non-existent, but to let your imagination run wild and have fun with it.
Since ancient times, there has been an aesthetic in Asia that finds meaning in blank spaces.
If you want a more substantial story, I recommend the novel version, which probably has what you want. It is available for Kindle.
At the end
Balan Wonderworld is a game designed to grow with the player the more time they spend playing.
Despite its gorgeous visuals, the reality of the story is deep and Yuji Naka's philosophy shines through, making it a masterpiece that can be called a compilation of his work.
At first, you may find some scenes difficult or the system annoying. However, they all have a meaning and will make sense as you continue to play.
Balan is built on a very complete system.
EVERY MOMENT IS AN ADVENTURE... This tagline is true.
But the fact is that Balan is a very peaky game. But that's also true for Sonic and NiGHTS.
If you have enjoyed Yuji Naka's past works, you will surely understand the quality of Balan. I recommend that you take the time to face this game first without any preconceived notions.
Now that I've spoken highly of Balan, I'd like to offer some criticism of the official advertising.
I think the main reason for this failure was the poor choice of stages included in the demo version, which made it difficult to convey the fun of expanding the degree of freedom by acquiring costumes, the sense of freedom, and the fun of being able to create a number of unique strategies.
As for the official SNS, rather than introducing the costumes and the storyline by themselves, the official should have done a better job of showing how they are all connected to make this game interesting.
That's how it looked from my personal point of view, but I believe that the current situation is the result of continuous failures in the area of advertising.
I'm so disappointed that this masterpiece is being buried, and I hope that the officials will have the guts to turn its reputation upside down even now.
Hopefully, this game will get the recognition it deserves. I love Balan Wonderworld.
““BalanWonderworld” is an attractive game with unique world view and high freedom to solve mysteries which stimulate imagination！🎩👀✨(Continu
This reminds me of this guy who used to live on my dad’s street.
Every time it snowed, the snow plow would take out his mailbox - and only his mail box. And just to be clear - it was done intentionally. No one knows why, but the driver of the snow plow would target his box and mow it down. He’d call the DOT to complain, and would get an earful of excuses that amounted to “not our fault you have a wimpy mailbox.”
Fast forward to the next winter. First decent snow starts falling, and every kid is hoping for a snow day. It was right around 4:30 am that the whole neighborhood was woken up to this loud CLANG and the screech of tearing metal. My dad made it to the window first and started laughing his ass off.
Sitting out side was one very totaled, and almost ripped in half, snow plow. And these weren’t little pick-up trucks with a blade on the front, we have these up in NY:
Well, turns out over the summer, my dad’s neighbor got himself a backhoe and sank a steel I beam into the ground in his front yard. Then he covered it with a decorative wood sleeve and topped it with a brand new mailbox. When the snowplow driver tried to mow it down it was a bad case of immovable object meets unstoppable force - and the mailbox won. With the plow firmly impaled on the I beam, it was very clear that the driver had gone out of his way to hit it.
Naturally, the DOT wasn’t happy, and the neighbor’s reply was simple: “Not my faulty you have a wimpy snowplow.” They did try to sue him for the damages, but as he had gone to the town, gotten approval for the post and its installation, and made sure everything was up to code, it was thrown out pretty quick.
And for anyone wondering about the driver… He was fine. His job and tighty-whiteys … not so much.
I’ve heard a similar story before, except it was jerk rural teens with a car and a baseball bat. The guy reinforced the thing, much like this, and the kid apparently broke one or both of his arms.
The parents sued.
The judge laughed them out of court.
Also, I found almost that exact story Aerylon told on Reddit. Either it’s fake, or multiple people had the same idea, or it’s the same guy.
I’m sure multiple people have put up I-beam mailbox posts for similar reasons. I can’t speak to the veracity of anyone else’s tales, but I can assure you my telling is the real deal tho. It was 1985, I was in 6th grade, and I had blue freakie-freezies gloves with snowflakes on them (LOVED those gloves!!). We lived just outside Albany, NY in a development where the houses were fire-code apart and not an inch more. Houses on the long part of the street were all raised ranches, and the short cross-streets were all single level ranches.
#while i appreciate all of these must be mortifying at the time #they are mostly the sign of someone trying to respond politely/kindly to other people #embarrassment is fleeting #being kind to strangers for no reason is forever (via @deputychairman)
Designed her, Idk what to do with her so let’s make a game of it!
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