For fans of Sonic the Hedgehog, the co-creator, Yuji Naka, as well as the original artist, Naoto Ohshima, have been working on a musical-themed platform game dubbed Balan Wonderworld. This will be the first game to come out of Square Enix’s new studio, Balan Company, and will mark the first time in over 20 years that Naka and Ohshima have worked together. Next week, players will be able to sample the first two hours of the platformer game when the demo is released for no cost on multiple platforms.
In Balan Wonderworld, players will choose to be one of two characters, Leo Craig or Emma Cole, as they follow the Maestro, Balan, through the psychedelic Wonderworld. Throughout their journey, players can collect over eighty different costumes that come with unique powers for the players to utilize. In the demo, players will have access to three out of the total twelve worlds as well as the hub area. The three words are World One which takes place of a beautiful farm, World Four where whimsical bicycle parts float throughout the sky, and World Six which is filled with candy and books. The latter world is the one featured in the trailer seen below. There is also an option to play either solo or in local co-op mode with friends or family.
Balan Wonderworld will be available for a demo playthrough on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on January 28. It is expected to fully release only a couple of months later, on March 26.