Tips and Tricks for BALAN WONDERWORLD
About to step onto the stage with BALAN WONDERWORLD? Here are 11 handy hints to help you uncover the game's many secrets!Esteemed guests, please take your seats. The all singing, all dancing spectacular that is BALAN WONDERWORLD is about to begin.
The full game is out now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch and PC. You’ll play as heroes Leo and Emma and travel through wondrous worlds, donning incredible outfits to overcome puzzling problems - both external and internal.
This is a game that is designed to be played by anyone, regardless of age, skill level or language - and you’re encouraged to experiment and find your own solutions. Even so, it’s still useful to have a bit of guidance to help you get started.
With that in mind, here are 11 top tips for BALAN WONDERWORLD:
1. Explore carefully to find statues
Stages have up to eight Balan Statues to find. Some of these are sitting out in the open - on top of a box for example - but others are much more cleverly hidden.
Take it slow and thoroughly explore each stage. If you see an area that looks like you should be able to get to it, you probably can with the right costume. Speaking of which…
2. Sometimes the answer to a problem lies in another level
Is a Balan Statue sitting just out of reach? Can’t work out how to get it?
Continue your journey and try and find the right costume for the job - it may even be hidden in a different world!
3. Collected costumes are stored in the Dressing Room
Don’t forget you can use the Changing Room to (drumroll please…) change your costume - you can do this whenever you reach a checkpoint hub.
To access the Changing Room, stand on the hub platform for a few seconds until the doors appear (you can also hold the action button down to make them appear faster). The Changing Room is the entrance on the far left - marked by bunny ears.
You can carry up to three costumes at a time, and each time you pick up a new one, the one it replaces is sent over here. So remember - if you accidentally lose a costume you want to use, you can always get it back.
4. You can use a checkpoint platform to fast travel to other levels or the Isle of Tims
So what do the other doors that appear on checkpoint hub do? You can use these to switch to a different level within the same world - either the other Act or the Boss!
You can also use the checkpoint hub to instantly return to the Isle of Tims - that’s the door helpfully marked by… well, a Tim.
They’re a helpful way of getting around places you’ve visited before quickly.
5. Get a Gold rating on Balan’s Bout to earn a Statue
Not all the Balan Statues are hidden around the level. Some can only be obtained from minigames. So if you find a golden hat, collect it to start Balan’s Bout.
In this challenge, the maestro will fly around destroying obstacles… or at least they will with your help. When Balan and shadow line up perfectly, press the button - if your timing is perfect you’ll get an Excellent rating (and an awesome animation).
Get all Excellents and your reward will be a shiny new statue! Also, a well-earned feeling of self-satisfaction.
6. You don’t have to fully re-complete levels to save Collectibles
When you replay a level, any new collectibles you find will be automatically saved when you get them.
Say, for example, you missed a Statue in and go back into the level to get it. No problem - once you locate that elusive bit of Balan bling, you can immediately return to the Isle of Tims (either via the menu or a checkpoint) - no need to recomplete the whole level again.
Unless you want to, of course.
7. Keys and costume crystals respawn
So you get an exciting new costume and immediately plummet off a cliff or get hit by a Negati. Hey, it happens.
Don’t worry about losing the costume - the keys and costume crystals come back after a small amount of time. You can always backtrack and get back what you lost.
It may even be worth collecting a few copies so you can store some in the Dressing Room. That way, you always have access to your favorite threads.
8. The difficulty changes based on your skill level
Did you know that BALAN WONDERWORLD automatically adjusts the difficulty of the game based on your skill level?
The types of Negati that appear - as well as their number - changes to make the game easier or more challenging as required.
When you complete a stage, you’ll receive a stamp, which indicates the difficulty level you just experienced. For example, a red stamp indicates the most challenging difficulty - good job if you see that!
Even if you revisit a stage you’ve already completed with a high rank, you may find that the makeup of the Negati has changed. You may even encounter some very special ones…
9. Teamwork makes the dream work in co-op
Yes, BALAN WONDERWORLD has co-op - and it’s a really fun way to play. Connect a second controller and press any button to try out the 2-player mode.
Playing this way is all about teamwork. You’ll have to stay close and help each other overcome obstacles rather than stray too far apart.
Experiment how the different costume abilities can work together - some even let you do special combo moves. You may find that they open up entirely new routes through the levels.
10. Tims have special abilities depending on their color
You’ll be accompanied on your adventure by some Tims - these squeaking scamps are as useful as they are adorable.
Different color Tims have different abilities. For example, red Tims are useful for attacking, while pink Tims can sniff out hidden items.
The more Tims you have, the better, so it’s important to breed lots of different types. Keep your eyes open for eggs as you explore the Worlds.
11. Look after your Tims and magical things can happen
What do you do with all the colored drops you pick up in BALAN WONDERWORLD? Feeding them to Tims will help them grow, give them new attributes and even change their color.
On the Isle of Tims are colored flower patches - drop the corresponding color drops in these areas and watch your happy pals chow down! Trust us - only good things will happen.
Also, what is that strange machine in the middle of the island? And what would happen if you were to place a Tim in the wheel…?
We hope you all enjoy BALAN WONDERWORLD. It’s a game that has something for everyone - from young kids and first time gamers to grizzled platforming fans. There’s a lot to discover - so make sure to share your own tips with us on social media!
BALAN WONDERWORLD is out now for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch and Steam.