For that to happen, the costume needs to get knocked off your list of up to three costumes that can be in your inventory at once by finding a new costume, sending it into your stockpile. In order to switch to a costume you need to have extras of it in your stockpile. But here’s the thing even if you know exactly which costume you need and you have that costume unlocked, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to use it. At this point you’d better hope you’ve stumbled into the costume swap on checkpoints, otherwise some of these are borderline impossible to reach. When you hit the point in the stage to get a statue, you need to already be fully equipped. These aren’t open levels in the vein of 3D Mario either, but rather a linear point A to point B with statues hidden along the way. You’ll be able to get to a few on your first run through, but most require revisiting the stage with costumes from other stages. Just moving through the level can cause debilitating performance drops that have caused me to completely lose control of my character on multiple occasions.Įach level contains eight Balan statues. Every time you switch costumes the frame rate stutters, and every time enemies spawn it freezes up entirely for a second or two. The presentation might normally allow me to gloss over some otherwise rough edges, but unfortunately the Switch manages to run precisely none of it. Most of the level design itself is perfectly passable. The music-outside of the fever dream musical numbers when you rescue a character-is quite good, and probably a highlight of the entire experience. Levels are varied thanks to the different costumes native to each and can visually be quite endearing. With a pedigree rich in Sega and Sonic the Hedgehog lineage, Balan Wonderworld does at least carry with it some of that 90’s Sega-style charm. You’re never told you can do this however, and are most likely to find it as you take a moment standing on a checkpoint to weep softly as you question your life choices. If you’re lucky you’ll be within range of a checkpoint where if you stand very still for a long time you’ll be given the option to switch to any of your other extra costumes. Occasionally you’ll find yourself in a position where you need to jump to move forward or back but have managed to be in possession of no costumes that can jump.

For some of them it may involve jumping for others it will be something that super isn’t jumping. Outside of pausing and switching costumes, every button on the controller does the same thing, whatever action is associated with your current costume. Each costume has an ability and only one ability.

Across each stage you’ll encounter costumes sealed in boxes that require a key to open. The primary hook (or harpoon, or whatever is the most threatening sharp device you don’t want to be hit by) of Balan Wonderworld is the costume system. I dare anyone to tell me this isn’t the plot of Balan Wonderworld. When you complete her levels you see her swimming under the ocean with the dolphin again but now she no longer needs a breathing apparatus, because she’s already dead. When her dolphin murders her, it knocks off her scuba diving gear, thus the death. The girl who was murdered by her possessed dolphin is the most obvious evidence of this being the plot. Your actions were then obviously intended to help these people move on. As the game went on my wife and I began to suspect that the people you were rescuing were in fact dead, and Balan was some sort of guardian of Limbo. Across two levels and a boss fight you’ll save this person. Balan gives you access to what I assume are the subconsciouses of people who have either been possessed by evil, murdered by a dolphin, or are just generally bummed. Together they set off on a quest that is occasionally theater themed and might be a musical. They meet the titular Balan who is a strange, often-floating, top-hat-wearing, person. The opening cutscene reveals a child who is sad. Balan Wonderworld is a 3D platformer that has a plot of some sort.

Balan wonderworld switch review