Balan Wonderworld Seizure-Inducing Glitch Fixed In Day One Patch
Square Enix has warned players to download the day one patch for Balan Wonderworld before playing due to a potential epileptic seizure risk.
After rightful panic and backlash, Square Enix has asked players to download a day one patch for Balan Wonderworld before playing it in order to avoid a possible seizure-inducing epilepsy risk. The platformer officially launches today and has impressed fans with its colorful and vivid visual style. Balan Wonderworld's intro animations were particularly praised when they were first shown late last year.
Producer Noriyoshi Fujimotohas already promised to release an update in time for the launch of Balan Wonderworld after players complained about the state of gameplay in the platformer. Many felt that the general mechanics were unpolished and needed some extra work before being ready for a full release. According to the official site, this update should offer players "a more balanced gameplay experience."
The official Balan Wonderworld Twitter account has posted a warning after receiving a number of reports about a potential epilepsy risk. Several players and journalists have pointed out that a certain scene, which comes near the end of the game during the final boss fight, has rapidly flashing lights that could trigger an epileptic seizure. Square Enix has updated the game with a day one patch that should remove the potentially seizure-inducing effect, although it is not exactly clear whether this was included purposely or was the result of a bug. The publisher has warned players that they should download the patch, which also includes other improvements, and ensure it is applied before playing the game to avoid the epilepsy risk.
Baland Wonderworld is not the only high-profile release that has launched recently with a potential epileptic seizure risk. When Cyberpunk 2077 launched last year, it came with a warning that it could potentially trigger seizures. This was largely a result of a red flashing light that could show on screen due to a visual glitch, leading to CD Projekt Red patching Cyberpunk 2077 to fix the bug and ensure more players did not suffer from seizures while playing.
The possibility of Balan Wonderworld having any sort of epilepsy risk is worrying, especially when it comes from a publisher like Square Enix that should have a certification process in place to ensure that problems like this don't happen. After all, the possibility of the game triggering seizures means it could be a major health risk to some users. While the day one patch seemingly eliminates the problem, those who are unable to download the update may still be at risk.
Balan Wonderworld is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Source: Balan Wonderworld