Richard Walker
Xbox AchievementsBALAN WONDERWORLD REVIEW
Published 4/2/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
30
-18 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalCritic Atlas
Making subjectivity useful.
Series X|S / PS4 / PC / PS5 / XONE / Switch - 3/26/2021
Balan Wonderworld
Balan Wonderworld is a wondrous action-platformer game themed around a mysterious musical theatre. The stars of the show will use special abilities from a multitude of characterful costumes as they adventure in the bizarre and imaginary land of Wonderworld. Here memories and vistas from the real world mix with the things that people hold dear. Twelve different tales await our stars in Wonderworld, each with their own unique quirks. They will explore all corners of these labyrinthine stages, using all the tricks and gimmicks hidden along the way, to get to the heart of each touching story.
- Developer
- Arzest
- Publisher
- Square Enix
Personalization locked
Log in to see your personalized prediction.
Critic Atlas can compare your ratings and reviewer matches to estimate whether this game may land above or below consensus for you.
Critic average
48
Average of 36 scored external reviews.
User average
—
No saved user ratings yet.
Your rating
Log in to start calibrating.
Your ratings feed Matched Critics scoring alignment and Personalized Score. More rated games means more overlap with named critics.
Your review
Write a review
Share what stood out and who this game is for. Published reviews may be visible publicly; draft and private reviews stay yours.
Whimsical / playful / lightheartedDefining · Curated baseline
Side-content richDefining · Curated baseline
Atmosphere-driven / aesthetic identityDefining · Curated baseline
Reflex / execution-heavyStrongly · Curated baseline
Systems / mechanics-drivenStrongly · Curated baseline
Exploration-drivenStrongly · Curated baseline
Cozy / low-pressureStrongly · Curated baseline
Unconventional / experimentalStrongly · Curated baseline
Show 12 more descriptors
Highly replayableModerately · Curated baseline
Story / character-drivenModerately · Curated baseline
Combat / action-focusedModerately · Curated baseline
Puzzle / logic-focusedModerately · Curated baseline
Buildcraft / customization-heavyModerately · Curated baseline
Loot / progression-drivenModerately · Curated baseline
Strategic / planning-heavySlightly · Curated baseline
Punishing / high-pressureSlightly · Curated baseline
Short / focusedSlightly · Curated baseline
Serious / dark / groundedNot present · Curated baseline
Run-based / proceduralNot present · Curated baseline
Multiplayer / socialNot present · Curated baseline
Bars show a weighted description signal from player answers and curated baseline data.
Help describe this game
Sign in to answer descriptor questions
Sign in to answer a few quick questions about this game.
Review coverage
Critic signal strength
Numeric critic scoring uses full scored reviews once available. Review-in-progress scores act as temporary early signal only until full review scores exist. Unscored reviews still count as coverage, but they are not included in the critic average.
High confidencePolarized
Critic avg
48
36 scored reviews
Total coverage
36
All coverage currently scored
Score range
20–80
Lowest to highest scored review
Signal shape
Polarized
Score range is 31+ points
Critic landscape
The critic average is 48 across 36 scored reviews, with a 60-point spread. Critics are far apart on this one.
How to read this
Treat the average carefully. A polarized landscape is where reviewer match, review text, and score deltas matter more than the headline number.
Most scored reviews currently sit in the Below 70 band.
Score distribution
Shows how included scored reviews are clustered across the normalized 100-point scale.
36 included scored reviews
90–1000 reviews · 0%
80–891 review · 3%
70–794 reviews · 11%
Below 7031 reviews · 86%
Showing 11-20 of 36 matching critic reviews. 36 total critic reviews. Page 2 of 4.
Chris "Atom" DeAngelus
Worth PlayingPS5 Review - 'Balan Wonderworld'
Published 4/1/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
65
+17 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalUnknown reviewer
Metro GameCentralMetro GameCentral Balan Wonderworld Review
Published 4/1/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
40
-8 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalMartin Robinson
EurogamerBalan Wonderworld review: an archaic throwback as clumsy as it is enjoyable
Published 4/1/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
75
+27 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalJoe Apsey
PlayStation UniverseBalan Wonderworld Review (PS5) - A Platformer Rooted In The Past, Not Realising Why People Remember It So Fondly - PlayStation Universe
Published 4/1/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
50
+2 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalJohn Rairdin
Nintendo World ReportBalan Wonderworld (Switch) Review
Published 3/31/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
30
-18 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalDaniel Hollis
Pure XboxReview: Balan Wonderworld - The Balan-dest Platformer On Xbox Series X
Published 3/31/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
30
-18 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalTJ Denzer
ShacknewsBalan Wonderworld review: All show, no tell
Published 3/31/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
60
+12 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalJames Troughton
TheGamerBalan Wonderworld Review: Spyro The Dragon Meets Chibi JRPG
Published 3/31/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
50
+2 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalReuben Mount
TheSixthAxisBalan Wonderworld Review – TheSixthAxis
Published 3/31/2021
Log in and rate games to see Matched Critics alignment.
Scoring alignment
—
Score
60
+12 vs critic avg
Review
Read originalPlayer reviews
Player reviews
No player reviews yet. Published reviews from Critic Atlas users will appear here. These are separate from external critic reviews.