The more I see of Balan Wonderworld, the more intrigued and excited I get. Yuji Naka’s next big follow-up to the Sonic and Nights franchises looks to be a wacky and delightful platforming romp, especially if you’re a fan of the increasingly rare 3D platformer. Thankfully, we'll have chance to see what the game is everything we dream of thanks to a free demo arriving January 28. 

Balan Wonderworld tells the story of two kids, Emma and Cole, who are transported to the dreamlike Wonderworld by a mysterious maestro. The usually positive realm has been infected by the Negati, a foul entity born of negative emotions, and its up to the young heroes to rid Wonderworld of its bad influence. Doing so involves donning over 80 costumes, each of which bestows a unique ability. The lengthy demo gives players a sample of three of the game's 12 worlds and can be played alone or in local co-op. Rather than send players through the first three worlds in order, the demo takes a more scattershot approach by offering a broader taste of Balan Wonderworld's offerings. 

World 1 takes place on a scenic farmstead born from the memories of a farmer’s despair. Players have access to Act 1 and 2 as well as a boss battle. Players can also don the Jumping Jack and Dainty Dragon costumes. 

World 4 represents a boy's love for the open sky, so the realm consists of floating islands and, for whatever reason, bicycle parts. Act 1 is available to play and features the Soaring Sheep and Aero Acrobat costumes. 

Lastly, World 6 follows a young girl’s memories of meeting a kitten, with giant candy pieces and gear-driven buildings. Players have access to Act 1 as well as the Gear Prince and Pumpkin Puncher costumes. 

Additionally, the demo features the Isle of Tims. This hub area is where players encounter Tims, cute critters with helpful abilities that can evolve by feeding them droplets harvested on the island. 

Balan Wonderworld launches March 26 and the full game, along with the demo, will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. For more on the game, check out its opening cinematic and gameplay trailer. 

Team Ninja is working on a ton of new games for the future, but before the speculation gets too high, the studio did confirmed that a new Ninja Gaiden and Nioh 3 aren't among them. The bright side? The former title's continuation wasn't technically a hard "no." 

The folks over at The Gamer recently sat down to speak with Nioh producer Fumihiko Yasuda to talk about what the future of Team Ninja looks like and what it won't include. 

When talking about any new games in the works at Team Ninja, the topic of Ninja Gaidan and Nioh 3 will always come up. When asked about a possible new Nioh title, Yasuda said that it's just not a goal right now. "In terms of a sequel right now, Team Ninja would like to focus on working on new titles, so there really isn't a plan for Nioh 3 at this point," he says. "But after creating some new projects and gaining some new experience and skills from those new potential projects, I would like to go back to the series at some point, utilize all the experience and new skills that we gain from some new projects, and then potentially, go back into the series at that point, and create an even greater game to surpass Nioh and Nioh 2 and to create something even better."

For Ninja Gaidan hopefuls, Yasuda confirmed that there is nothing to announce "at this time." The good news? This wasn't as clear-cut as the Nioh 3 statement. While the producer did say that the team doesn't have anything to announce at this moment, he added that the Nioh franchise wouldn't exist without Ninja Gaiden, and the series is "really important" to the studio. He fanned the hope a little more by adding, "While we don't have anything specific to announce at this time, I would like to say just look forward to some potential news for some kind of announcement in the near future." 

That "some kind of announcement" will be among several on the way, as the Team Ninja dev confirms that the team is working on several big games currently. We don't know when the reveals will begin rolling out, but Yasuda did make it sound like the first announcement could be arriving soon. 

From talking about the long road to Nioh 2's release to talking about the historical influences that inspired the games this studio has created, the latest sitdown with the company is a wonderful read that you can check out for yourself right here. 

Reddit drama and courtroom drama can now collide thanks to a clever bot that takes Reddit exchanges and stages them as scenes from the Ace Attorney series.  

As reported by Mashable, the bot comes from the mind of software engineer Micah Price, who is a fan of Capcom's lawyer-themed games. The bot takes comments in Reddit threads and transmutes them into hilarious back-and-forth dialogue, with lines being delivered by iconic characters like Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth. You can watch one example below:

You can use the bot on certain supported subreddits. All you need to do is add "!objectionbot" (or "!objection-bot") to a thread, and the bot automatically generates and links the video for your enjoyment. You can enjoy several examples collected under Objection-Bot's user profile. They aren't all pure gold, but you're bound to find some gems that capture the straight-faced absurdity of the series.

Ace Attorney may have dubious quality as a legal reference, but the games (especially the original trilogy) are full of clever characters, sharp writing, and intriguing mysteries. The internet isn’t necessarily as well-crafted or satisfying as Capcom’s narrative-heavy adventures, but we’ve all stumbled across ridiculous arguments in comment threads that seem to defy all logic and sense. Those are the threads especially well-suited to the Objection-Bot’s capabilities; dismantling questionable assertions is the core of Ace Attorney, and watching it happen in a fake courtroom setting is both entertaining and delightful.

One important and amusing detail about how this all works is that it isn't just about transferring comments from a thread into text boxes; the bot also captures the sense of changing fortunes with musical variations and other flourishes. For example, if a comment has a negative score, it could trigger the series' signature "Objection!" graphic, along with a soundtrack shift to heighten the excitement.  

Did you find a particularly wonderful example of Objection-Bot's power? Share it in the comments below!

[Via Mashable]

Some of you may recognize Cris Tales as one of the more eye-catching indie titles of 2021. For those unfamiliar, the game blends a striking, hand-drawn art direction with time-bending JRPG gameplay. It looks extremely promising, and those planning to pick it up should perhaps consider upping the ante with the game’s newly announced collector’s edition.

This physical bundle comes courtesy of Maximum Games Store and comes chock full of goodies. It runs for $99.99, and you’ll have to pre-order it fast as only “very limited” quantities are available. Cris Tales doesn’t have a firm release date yet, but the bundle is scheduled to release sometime this spring. Per the product page, the package includes the following: 

• Collector’s box
• An adorable Matias plush
• Lithographic art prints
• 3 character stickers
• Set of 4 enamel character pins
• A 60-page artbook
• 4 desktop wallpaper downloads
• 8 phone wallpaper downloads
• 10 character avatars

Cris Tales tells the story of Crisbell, who has the unique ability to peer into the past and future and manipulate events to her liking. The game is an unabashed love letter to classic JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Super Mario RPG. The classic turn-based gameplay is freshened up, though, thanks to the ability to battle across multiple time periods simultaneously and how players must strategically use different eras to their advantage. For example, Crisbell can send enemies into the past, which makes them younger and physically weaker, but also faster. This can also backfire, such as transporting a baby dragon into the future where it turns into an older, more powerful adult. Cris Tales looks great, which is why we consider it one of the year’s hidden gems worth watching. 

Look out for Cris Tales when it comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC sometime this year. Watch us take the game for a spin in this episode of New Gameplay Today.