The creators of Balan Wonderworld request that users make sure to install the Day One patch. It’s to fix an issue with the platformer where it would play flashing lights at certain points in the game that reportedly cause seizures. The developers posted on the official Twitter account, “The Day 1 Patch prevents this issue as well as enhances the overall play experience.”
The news that the game causes seizures in those with photosensitive epilepsy or another disorder with such triggers comes from Liana Ruppert of Game Informer. In her PSA, Ruppert writes, “The scene above is not just using flashing effects, it rapid-fires a series of white on background flashes. The quick succession is instantly dangerous.” She also adds, “I immediately had to shut it off. Instantly, my right side dropped, and I could feel the onset of an episode. I stepped away.”
The sequence apparently has some effects on those who don’t have neurological triggers. Ruppert says she even got messages from people who aren’t epileptic or photosensitive who say they felt strange after viewing the sequence. Ruppert’s husband reported feeling dizzy and threw up. Ruppert says, “What I saw – I hope- is simply a pre-launch glitch because if this scene was intended, my concern is that there were safety checks cut. I can’t imagine how this possibly passed the necessary safety certification process if this were intended.”
Ruppert had previously reported on strobing effects that caused seizures in Cyberpunk 2077. Unlike that game, Balan Wonderworld doesn’t appear to have included the seizure-inducing effects deliberately, but at least both have been fixed swiftly. That said, Ruppert added in an update to her original PSA: “It says that it was a bug, but does not address the numerous instances in which this occurred and does not explain what exactly the patch tackles.”
Source: Game Informer
