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Square Enix has encouraged players to download a patch that can fix Balan Wonderworld epilepsy trigger issues.
In a tweet posted this morning, just hours after the game's release, Square Enix told players to "please ensure that you install the Day 1 Patch before playing Balan Wonderworld. We have received reports of a photosensitive 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."
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.March 26, 2021
The reports appear to steam from Twitter user Kheyehm1, who said that "Balan Wonderworld's final boss has a potentially seizure inducing effect that's broken and appears multiple times throughout the boss fight." Beneath that tweet, Kheyehm links to a playthrough of the unpatched fight (accompanied by a significant seizure warning), in which a flickering white light fills the screen over the course of a couple of seconds.
Given that Balan Wonderworld only released last night and the potentially dangerous bug only seems to occur in the final boss fight, it's likely that most players won't be at risk, but it's still good to see Square Enix taking swift action.
Last year, Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red found itself in a similar situation when players noticed that the game's 'Braindance' sequences featured lighting effects that could also trigger epileptic players. In response, the developer said it would make warnings around the scenes more clear, while also working on a "permanent solution."
For more titles fresh off the presses, here's our list of new games 2021.
