Two of the original creators of Sonic the Hedgehog Yuji Naka, director and lead programmer, and Naoto Oshima, character designer, are coming together to make a new action platformer game titled Balan Wonderworld. As these two are at the forefront of production, this game will also be developed by Square Enix. With this game coming to light, this is the first time the duo has worked together on a project since their creation of Sonic a little more than two years ago.
Balan Wonderworld is supposed to be set in a place called the “Wonderworld”. This theater inspired environment is the setting for the protagonists Leo and Emma as they have to work their way through twelve different tales restoring happiness and the balance of all hearts and minds. With the guidance of mysterious clown Balan, players can look forward to collecting over seventy different ability unlocking costumes. As developer Ohshima explains ” Everyone has their worries and their struggles maintaining a balance of positive and negative emotions in their lives. However, when that balance is broke, you might find yourself in the Balan Theatre.”
The announcement for Balan Wonderworld also included gameplay footage, along with some commentary from the creators. Yuji Naka also goes to describe the game as “the action game of action games.” Yuji is most likely referring to the 3d platforming and the everchanging environment that the players have to navigate. While it looks like players can run, fight, and play like any other action game, it seems the draw to Balan Wonderworld is the variety of costumes and the abilities they hold for each scenario.
Balan Wonderworld is set to release sometime in Spring 2021. Also, as said in the Xbox Game Presentation pre-show, Balan Wonderworld will be avalible for Nintendo Switch, PC, Ps4, and PS5 after its initial release on Xbox Series X.