Photo: Arzest and Square Enix
The spiritual successor to Nights Into Dreams and the late 90s Sega-esque Balan Wonderland shipped to consumers today with a dreadfully serious asterisk. Do not play the game before downloading the day-one patch. Some scenes in the game may trigger epileptic episodes in viewers. According to one expert, the scenes are so strong, people without a history of episodes should be exceedingly cautious.
Liana Ruppert, a games journalist who has become a meaningful voice for educating gamers and consumers alike about epilepsy, warned that a certain boss fight in Balan Wonderland “is not just using flashing effects, it rapid-fires a series of white on background flashes. The quick succession is instantly dangerous, and because of that, I made a PSA on social media to give a warning,” Ruppert said in their initial coverage. “It’s not just dangerous to photo-sensitive epileptics; it’s dangerous to everyone,” she added.
A new Twitter announcement from the official Balan Wonderland account said that the epilepsy-inducing scenes have been changed in the day-one patch for the game.
Please ensure that you install the Day 1 Patch before playing.
We have received reports of a photo-sensitive epilepsy risk from a potential flashing bug if playing the game un-patched.
The Day 1 Patch prevents this issue as well as enhances the overall play experience.
— Balan Wonderworld (@balanwworld) March 26, 2021
The message, however, does not specifically mention what scenes have been altered in the patch. The vague message has left several people more concerned than satisfied.
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