Balan Wonderworld: Potential Seizure-Inducing Effect Patched

The unpatched version of Balan Wonderworld’s includes a visual bug that could potentially trigger seizures in those with photo-sensitive epilepsy – Square Enix has now made clear that the game’s Day 1 patch removes the effect.Players with early access to the game reported seeing the effect during the game’s final boss fight, and posted videos of the bug in action (which we won’t be linking to for safety reasons). I’ve watched the videos, in which the bug causes the screen to intermittently flash white during a specific attack. Many immediately pointed out that the effect could cause seizures in those with photo-sensitive forms of epilepsy, while others without the condition reported negative effects regardless. As someone without a visually-sensitive condition, I can say that it’s absolutely an uncomfortable effect to see in any context.

In a statement to IGN, Square Enix has confirmed that the effect was unintentional, and is removed by a Day 1 patch to the game: “Please ensure that you install the Day1 Patch before playing Balan Wonderworld. 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 is released today, and anyone downloading a digital version should have the Day 1 patch installed automatically, meaning there should be no risk of seeing the effect. However, those buying a physical version should make sure the game downloads the patch before playing. It’s unclear how the effect made it into the finished version of the game.

Upon its release, Cyberpunk 2077 was also cited as including effects that caused seizures in those with photo-sensitive epilepsy. Those effects were subsequently removed in an update, with a warning added to the game.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.