Balan Wonderworld advises players to install Day One patch to fix potential epilepsy-triggering bug

Balan Wonderworld advises players to install Day One patch to fix potential epilepsy-triggering bug
Ben Borthwick Updated on by

Posted in News

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Square Enix has released a day one patch for today's release of platformer Balan Wonderworld following the emergence of a flashing bug in a late game scene that could potentially trigger adverse effects in people who suffer photo-sensitive conditions such as epilepsy.

The bug was first brought to light by Game Informer journalist Liana Ruppert who alerted her followers to the bug which appears to occur in the game's final boss fight with a rapid series of white on background flashes during a transition as part of the fight. Video footage of the issue also surfaced online as the game became more widely available (which we won't be linking here for obvious safety reasons) with several users even without photosensitive conditions claiming it made them feel odd. 

In a statement from the game's official Twitter account today, Square Enix said "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."

Just a few months ago, Cyberpunk 2077 came under fire in similar circumstances, when it emerged that game's Braindance segments contained triggering visual effects. These were very quickly patched out, which also led to Xbox saying (in a statement to GamesRadar) they would "improve their certification process" to try and ensure something like this wouldn't happen again. At the time of writing, there's no word on how this latest instance managed to slip through their or indeed any of the other platform holder's nets.