Video: Yuji Naka Actually Made This Hidden Gem During The Wii Generation

Nights into Dreams, Chu Chu Rocket, and Rodea the Sky Soldier are all great games. It's cool to see his best games being highlighted at this moment where he's received a lot of criticism due to Balan.

Oh, and Billy Hatcher! I love that game. Wish I'd never sold my copy of it.

Ah, that game whose 3DS delisting was reported here after said delisting. I'm definitely not still a bit salty about it.😏

At least Dolphin has proven to work well on my laptop (even Sin & Punishment 2 is smoother than any PS2 game I've emulated to date), so there's that, I guess.

How far the mighty have fallen

A game you reviewed with a 6/10 you consider now a "hidden gem", really? XD

Good info, this is on my pile of shame amongst a ton of switch and PS4 stuff. I've literally no chance of getting round to try it out

@the_beaver No one's immune to nostalgia goggles it seems. I mostly remember this for being a buggy unplayable mess on some systems.

Let's be realistic, folks - Yuji Naka and other folks on the original Sonic team have been coasting for decades. They had one big success with Sonic and everything they've done since has been mediocre. You can argue for the exact quality of their various games, but not a single one of them is held up as a masterpiece by anyone who isn't blinded by nostalgia.

It was alright, a hidden gem is a bit too strong as it wasn’t really remarkable.

Something similar happened with Gunpei Yokoi. He left Nintendo after the failure of the Virtual Boy. I don't know enough about Japanese business culture but maybe that kind of thing is expected. So, even if Naka left voluntarily, he may not actually have had any choice.

It's a good video. But I wouldn't say that any of the fault for Balan Wonderworld should be put on the team - which I take to mean the developers and artists who actually made the game. In software development, whether a project works out or not is usually determined by leadership. I've worked on projects that didn't work out and others that did - in all cases, the team has been highly skilled and talented. It's always been poor direction that lead to a failure. I wouldn't blame the team at all here (especially because ground level developers are often undervalued and overworked).

It could be a lack of time or resources, or poor planning or lack of vision on Naka's part. Or maybe the game turned out exactly how he wanted (there are people who do like the game so it may also be wrong to talk about it as an objective failure, creatively).

A hidden gem? This was the game that made me skeptical about Balan before we saw gameplay/the demo.

@the_beaver now that's interesti g because the review was for the Wii U game but the Wii version was actually the much better game, perhaps an 8/10.

I enjoyed Rodea. I don't think I would go as far to call it a gem, but it's certainly hidden. It can be a bit of a chore to play, but once you get used to it, it's alright.

The only hidden gem is Celeste

Not sure you called it a hidden gem when it was released Nintendolife!

‘ Unfortunately it also suffers from frustrating camera problems, a steep learning curve and some frequently aggravating combat. Players planning to taking to the skies with Rodea will likely enjoy most of their journey, but they are in for a bumpy ride’

@the_beaver Yuji Naka only made the Wii version, some other dev made the awful 3DS version and ported that one to the Wii U.

@the_beaver well, famitsu gave it a 30/40 score, chances are that this game is a solid 7/10!

@acNewUpdates "hidden"...everybody knows Celeste, how is it even hidden??

Disappointed. I thought this was going to be about "Let's Tap". Rodea was super hyped by comparison.

I’m with @locky-mavo. I actually commented on the original reveal article for Balan that I was cautious about it because I loved Billy Hatcher but really didn’t enjoy Rodea one bit

@Morph We don't know because it didn't have a review on Wii, so "hidden" it was... Maybe they didn't consider it important enough for that, until now XD. Now it's a "gem".

Why yes, the wii version of Rodea. I definitely enjoyed that one. There is a slight learning curve here but stick with it and you get the amazing feeling of flight when you chain targets together.

The only fault I can see is the lack of numchuk support. It becomes a slight annoyance when you have to walk and also the penultimate level where you get hounded by the spiky top enemies as destroying em becomes next to impossible.

It’s important to recognize the roles people play in productions. Yuji Naka’s responsibilities as producer of Rodea would be wildly different than his responsibilities as director on Balan. I see too many articles where roles are glossed over in favour of like “THIS PERSON MADE THIS GAME!”

The Wii version of Rodea is such a hidden gem that even this well-written article + video highlighting exactly why the Wii version of Rodea is a hidden gem is being dismissed by commenters who still don't understand that the Wii version of Rodea is a completely different game than the Wii U and 3DS version. Kadokawa really screwed the pooch with this one, didn't they?

In short, Rodea for the Wii is a must-play for fans of Nights or anybody who loves innovative gameplay mechanics wrapped in colorful anime aesthetics. Rodea for the Wii U, on the other hand, is an ugly broken mess.

@commentlife depends on the developer, producer tends to be a lot more hands on in the games industry. Hironobu Sakaguchi and Suda51 are often labelled as producer when they're basically directing.

Rodea for Wii is really an hidden gem.
There isn't a more hidden gem than a very fun game that never got officially released and instead got a very limited distibution as a bonus to a port that removed all the good and fun parts the original team designed.

I honestly wished to see an article focused on this version back when the game released (it was kinda tiring to comment on every article about Rodea being just bad to mention the Wii version XD ), but I guess it's better late than never.

He also released Soul Bubbles on the DS which was a great game.

@Lord That's the WiiU version, which was ported from the 3DS version. The original Wii version shown in the video, that Yuji Naka had direct involvement in unlike the others, has been long considered the 'real' game with the better control scheme, cameras, and progression.

I'm glad someone is giving Rodea a look, have the Wii U/Wii combo pack. Enjoyed playing the Wii version more.

Yes, I've played Balan Wonderworld. Sorry, but I'm one of those people who likes the game. Got it for my birthday earlier in the year. Took it like a puzzle platformer, using costumes to reach certain places and explore. Some of the story scenarios made me a bit emotional at times too.

My only real complaint with Balan Wonderworld, the lack of a dedicated jump button forces me to keep a costume that can jump at all times, and the lack of pressing B to go back in the menu. Otherwise, I like it.

Sorry, I formed my opinion after playing the game.

@georgesdandre Let's Tap is amazing! We enjoyed that game a lot with my brothers and cousins during the days of the Wii.

Rodea sounds more like "hidden for the best" game, I heard it's pretty bad. It also had a Wii U "enhanced" version. And it wasn't any better than the Wii one.

@the_beaver It's the curse of third party games on Nintendo systems. They generally get a lower score than what they deserve.

The final boss, Geardo, will make you question if the game was ever good to begin with. It’s a long, arduous battle made worse by the mechanic that you become incapable of attacking at low health. That’s gravely frustrating.

I started the game in 2017 and beat Geardo this April. Easily one of the hardest and worst final bosses I’ve ever fought.

@Yeaitslenn

This is stupid, no one actually thinks Billy Hatcher is better than Sonic Adventure 2.

For that matter, Paper Mario Sticker Star has better reviews than Kirby Air Ride, so no one should take Metacritic that seriously, ever.

To be honest, I think Balan Wonderworld is a way better game than Billy Hatcher was and also Rodea. I still have Rodea in my Wii U collection. The Wii U Version is a mess and this would have been a 4/10.
The Wii version is "ok". It looks good for a Wii game, but still, the controls are not so good and the gameplay is mediocre.

I'm proud in the meantime, that I pre-ordered Balan Wonderworld and have been at least one of a few, who supported Naka.
I hope, more people will recognize in the future, that Balan is a pretty great game.

This game is absolutely no hidden gem, it's terrible, unfinished even.

Dear Nintendolife people.
Play Rodea the Sky Soldier and than play Balan Wonderworld again and tell me, that Balan is 4/10.
This is so ridiculous.

No game from Yuji Naka after the Sonic games reached the quality of the Sonic games.
But Balan Wonderworld is the best after the Sonic games and Nights after all those years.

Hi I just had to log in and comment and back Naka up, I actually got his game called fishing resort for the wii and I have to say I put over 200 hours into that game it’s so fun it’s almost addictive to play and I don’t even fish that much, the one on 3ds was great also I think his games just don’t get the recognition they deserve sometimes. I just hope that he goes back to Prope and releases this game with updated graphics on the switch, last time I checked he still had one guy working there lol oh yeah good luck trying to buy this game just look at the price it goes for online. I don’t know about the rodeo sky game but I think fishing resort is a true hidden gem by far.

I played the Wii version of Rodea several years ago. It was fine. I liked the simplicity of the concept and it was a great idea for motion controls. But it was quickly repetitive.

@Skizzer thanks for the info. I checked it, but seems this didn't came out in Europe

Looks like Balan wasn't his first miss then

@the_beaver 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Hey Sonic I just don’t get it because it’s so weird, his company Prope released games in very limited #’s fishing resort released in N America through xseed and it was 30 bucks brand new and from what I’ve read anyone that plays this game loves it. I played this game so much that my disc got scratched up and when I try to buy another copy it’s going for like $100 and up, I don’t understand why this game never got released in Europe?

I own the limited edition wii version and its great. Feel bad for what's happened to Naka recently.

@jcboyer515 they tried to sell it that way though, that's why I put "enhanced" like that. I also heard the Wii version is the best, but I really don't want to find out hahahaha.

@60frames-please NiGHTS remains one of my favorite video game experiences ever. And while it's not as tight as modern games gameplay wise, it still plays very well. I know they've already remastered it on the 360 and we also had the sequel. I would love for another sequel not bogged down by some of the wackiness the Wii sequel did

Didn't Naka's tweet that he'd tell the story of why he left Sqeenix someday? That hints that he feels he wasn't supported enough to succeed with Balan.

The operative phrase here being he feels.

I mean, speaking as someone who grew up being a Sega boy back in the 90's I'm grateful for his part in creating Sonic, but I'm sure Kojima also has similar stories to tell about his time at Konami, yet Metal Gear under him never plumbed the depths Balan has.

Maybe both Naka and us need to learn to let go of the past.

a hidden gem that got a 6 from you guys 😁

NintendoLife in 2025 - Yuji Naka made a hidden gem called Balan Wonderworld.

Wasn't he part of the "Gang" starting a War against Sega of America because they wanted to use the Engine of Night into Dreams for the Sonic Saturn Game?

Killing not only Sonic Saturn, but damaging Sega in a whole.

It was an interesting game and I had a decent enough time with it. However, there were some poor design choices, silly difficulty spikes and poor camera angles here and there. I got through them ok because I am a "historical gamer", lol - but it was an inessential game for me overall IMO. The Wii version (which I played) was reviewed generally superior to the Wii U version I believe. I remember really looking forward to it at one time.

One of my favorite Wii games. It deserved better than a simple "discovery/reaction" video though.

@the_beaver Probably "hidden gem" by comparison to Balan.

@UmbreonsPapa It would be so great to have a remaster, with the original included. I'd love to play it with lots of quality of life improvements.

@60frames-please I agree and I hope that Yuji Naka gets some of this fan love.

When we people stop pretending that Nights is a good game?

@Edu23XWiiU The Wii U version was a port of the 3DS version, not an enhancement of the Wii version. Even everyone who worked on it said to play the Wii version, not the Wii U.

@BlackenedHalo That was actually the Wii U version. This article is talking about the Wii version, which has no review

Love this game so much,bought all versions /wii and wii u versions weren't sold separatedly anyway).Wii version is the best one,but others are good too.

@link3710 and, like I said before, they tried to sell it as the "enhanced version", I never said it was any better than the others.

Love Rodea! Thanks for the video. Once you get used to the controls it really is good. Highly recommend the Wii Version.

I somehow felt sick after playing the Wii U version. I could not get into it.

@Zebetite I actually disagree. And I think a lot of the upvotes are from people who don’t know what Sonic Team have made in the past.

Barring Sonic, Sonic Team have made…

Nights into Dreams (masterpiece of its time that brought with it the analog stick)

Phantasy Star Online (another amazing game that brought a real online multiplier RPG experience to consoles for the first time)

Burning Rangers (A true hidden gem that has a meta critic score of 90 and deserves a remake or even a retro version of the original)

Chu Chu Rocket (Again an amazing puzzle game with wildly fun multiplayer)

Puyo Puyo (Still going strong as the second most popular puzzler next to Tetris)

That’s on top of all the Sonic games, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg and other games like that. Yeah, they aren’t as great a developer as some others out there but to discredit all their work when they brought us unique titles that helped shape former generations is too harsh on the studio.

@Miyamotosan Nights is a great game, especially for its time.

I replayed it recently on PlayStation Now and it took a while to get back into the control scheme, but once I got the hang of it again I had a blast.

Just because it isn’t your cup of tea doesn’t mean it is bad.

@Edu23XWiiU I really don't recall it being called the enhanced Version. Even when it came out, they were saying play the Wii version.

@Kienda You're entitled to your opinion, but just to name a few, Nights is barely a game, PSO was janky even by the standards of online gaming at the time, and your argument falls apart with Puyo Puyo because that was made by employees at Compile, Sonic Team didn't get involved until a full decade later and LONG after the puzzle series had established itself.

I'm not saying any of these games are bad, hell I like most of them, but none of them were GREAT even in their day.

I must one of the weirdos that liked Rodea on 3DS. It was seriously flawed but there is fun to be had if you can overlook it's flaws.

@NerdyBoutKirby Ironically that reminds me of the Time Eater from Sonic Generations. The rest of the game was pretty fantastic outside of some lacklustre character interactions and extra challenges. Then the final boss hits and it’s just so vague, annoying, and uninteresting I still haven’t beaten it since 2015 despite replaying the game up to that point roughly 3-4 times.

Rodea is less a "hidden gem" and more just a "competent game"