As players explore the fantastical land of Wonderworld, they’ll be guided by an enigmatic maestro named Balan, who will help players restore balance to the world by clearing Wonderworld of Negati, physical manifestations of worry and other negative emotions.

To accomplish this, players will jump, climb, fly, smash, and more, as they explore a multitude of unique environments within Wonderworld, collecting over 80 unique costumes to assist on the journey. The costumes change Leo’s and Emma’s appearances, granting them a wide array of fantastical powers to overcome obstacles, from the Pumpkin Puncher outfit that lets players smash through enemies or obstacles blocking pathways to the Air Cat costume that allows players to walk in mid-air for a certain amount of time.

The possibilities are endless as you bash your enemies, walk in the air, freeze time and manipulate all kinds of objects with the costumes you collect!

Square Enix announced that a free demo will be released on January 28, 2021 for Balan Wonderworld on PS5/PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, X|S/Xbox One and PC (Steam @ 5pm), allowing players to experience two hours ofgameplay ahead of its release.

The demo can be enjoyed with friends and family in local co-op mode or in single player mode.

Two players can explore the game as the stars of the show Leo and Emma in local co-op mode, combining abilities from different costumes to access new paths that are unavailable in solo play! Simply connect a second controller and push any button on it to activate co-op mode. Using a range of costume abilities, players will be able to collect Balan Statues in each stage as well as access the hidden Balan’s Bout mini-games. The demo will feature three of Balan Wonderworld’s twelve magical worlds:

World 1 – The Man Who Rages Against the Storm
Playable Areas: Act 1, Act 2, Boss Battle

World One is set in a beautiful farm, made up of rolling hills and giant crops. This mysterious world is woven from the memories inside Jose Gallard’s heart, a farmer whose beautiful cornfield is struck by a storm. The boss lurking in the depths of Jose’s world is Barktholomew, the embodiment of Jose’s despair after seeing his cornfield being destroyed.

Make use of a range of costumes to successfully complete this level, including the Jumping Jack costume that allows players to jump to places they just can’t quite reach and the Dainty Dragon costume that uses its fiery breath to clear obstacles in its path!

World 4 – The Boy Who Would be One with the Wind
Playable Areas: Act 1

World Four takes place in a fantastical setting born from the heart of Chang Haoyu and his love of the open sky, where bicycle parts and floating islands of all sizes are scattered through the sky.

Costumes in this world that could come in handy include the Soaring Sheep costume that can float away by puffing up its fluffy fleece, and the Aero Acrobat costume that can soar through the sky and aim kicks at balloons and enemies!

World 6 – The Girl and the Kitten
Playable Areas: Act 1

World Six follows the story of Cass Milligan, depicting the town where she meets a cute kitten. In this magical world built from Cass Milligan’s fond memories, candy pieces and books float in the air and there are mysterious buildings full of moving gears.

Costumes that will help players solve mysteries and perform powerful attacks include the Gear Prince costume that can spin switches with the gear on its stomach to operate machinery, and the Pumpkin Puncher costume that can shoot a rocket punch!

Players will also be granted access to the Isle of Tims – a base area and gateway to the three mysterious worlds. Here, players will meet the magical creatures called Tims; whose powerful abilities can help Leo and Emma as they explore each world and battle Negati! On the Isle of Tims, players can also harvest magical droplets from the colourful flower patches found around the island. These droplets can be fed to Tims in order to evolve their abilities.

Balan Wonderworld is an all-new experience from renowned gaming industry talent including Director, Yuji Naka (Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise Creator, Team Sonic Co-Founder) and Character Designer, Naoto Ohshima (Sonic the Hedgehog, Doctor Eggman, Team Sonic Co-Founder). The game marks Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima’s first collaboration in 20 years and is the first game from the newly established Balan Company gaming brand. Balan Company brings together talented video game developers, visual artists, and composers to tell the greatest stories and provide the ultimate platformer experiences.  

Balan Wonderworld will be available for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X with support for Smart Delivery and PC (Steam) on March 26, 2021.