Balloon Fight
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| Balloon Fight | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of Balloon Fight |
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Release date(s) | 1984 (Arcade) |
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Platform(s) | Arcade Game, MSX, NES, PC-88, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, Wii Virtual Console |
| Input | 8-way Joystick, 2 Buttons |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system(s) | Nintendo PlayChoice-10 hardware |
| Arcade CPU(s) | Z80, N2A03 |
| Arcade sound system(s) | Nintendo, DAC |
| Arcade display | Raster, 256 x 480 pixels, 320 colors |
Balloon Fight (Japanese: バルーンファイト) is a 1984 arcade game developed by Nintendo. The game is similar to Joust.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
In Balloon Fight, the player controls a Balloon Fighter who flies around with two balloons on his back. The object of the game is to defeat all of the enemies in each level by popping the balloon on their backs. When the balloon is popped, the enemy will float down on a parachute, and either land on the ground and survive, or fall in the water and drown, although sometimes a big fish will come out and eat the enemy before it can touch the water, but it can also eat the player if he is too close to the water. If the enemy lands, the player must harm it before it can blow up another balloon or it will change to a different color. It can also be harmed by hitting its parachute. All of these ways of harming the enemy will cause it to fall into the water which will cause a bubble to float up that can be popped for 500 bonus points. If an enemy pops one of the player's balloons, the player rises more slowly; if both are popped, the player loses a life. It is also possible to lose a life by falling in the water, getting hit by lightning, or getting eaten by a fish. After every three phases there is a bonus stage where balloons rise up out of pipes. Each one popped will give the player a certain amount of points, and if all are popped, a bonus for a perfect game is awarded.
The levels get progressively harder, with each one featuring new and faster enemies. After completing enough levels the game starts reusing older levels with more enemies and an item, the flipper, that knocks characters away.
The game also has a two player mode. Two players (one with blue balloons, one with red) play together in a similar fashion to the single player mode. However, it is possible for the players to pop each other's balloons.
There is also a minigame called Balloon Trip (Game C on the Balloon Fight main menu), a side-scrolling level in which the player must avoid electric sparks while trying to pop balloons. Bubbles occur on this level, which stop the level from scrolling for a while when popped and award 500 bonus points. Popping 20 balloons in succession results in beating the preset high score. The big fish also appears.
[edit] Ports, sequels, and references
The game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Japan-only NEC PC-8801, the Game Boy Advance as Balloon Fight-e for the e-Reader and part of the Famicom Mini Series in Japan. It could also be played in Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube.
Nintendo also released a Game & Watch version of the same name, it is based on the NES version's Balloon Trip Mode. The protagonist of it is a Balloon Fighter, which is either called "a Balloon Man", "the Balloon Man", or just "Balloon Man" (according to the manual). Unlike Balloon Fighters, Balloon Man uses a rocket suit instead of flapping his hands to elevate while holding balloons.
A sequel to Balloon Fight called Balloon Kid was released in 1990 for the Game Boy[2], which expands from the game's roots and revamped it into a full platforming adventure. This title wasn't released in Japan on the Game Boy, but colorized versions titled as Hello Kitty World for Famicom and Balloon Fight GB for Game Boy Color were only released in Japan.
A Balloon Fighter and Flipper trophy are obtainable in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and the Flipper is also a usable item, replacing the Bumper from the previous game. The original background music for Balloon Fight can also be heard in Super Smash Bros. Melee's Infinite Glacier stage as alternate music.[3] In the WarioWare, Inc. series, some of 9-Volt's games are based on Balloon Fight. A secret minigame in Yoshi Touch & Go is entitled Balloon Trip, and the original tech demo was called Yoshi's Balloon Trip. Balloon Fight most recently shows up as the theme for Touch Mode in Tetris DS, although the mode itself has almost nothing to do with the game other than the music and decorational graphics.[4]
[edit] List of Balloon Fight games, ports and sequels
| Name | Released in Japan | Released in USA | Released in Europe | Genre | Released to |
| Balloon Fight | 1984 | 1984 | Platformer | Arcade | |
| Vs. Balloon Fight | 1984 | 1984 | Action | Arcade | |
| Balloon Fight | January 22, 1985 | June 1986 | Action | Famicom NES |
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| Balloon Fight | 1985 | Action | PC-88 | ||
| Balloon Fight | 1986 | 1986 | Action | G&W | |
| Balloon Kid | October 1990 | January 31, 1991 | Action/Platformer | GB | |
| Balloon Fight GB | July 31, 2000 | Action Platformer | GB/NP | ||
| Famicom Mini Balloon Fight | May 21, 2004 | Action | GB |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Arcade History Database Balloon Fight Entry. arcade-history.com. Retrieved on 2006-03-04.
- ^ Balloon Kid. nindb.classicgaming.gamespy.com. Retrieved on 2006-05-28.
- ^ Balloon Fight Cameo Lists. nindb.classicgaming.gamespy.com. Retrieved on 2006-03-04.
- ^ GameSpy Tetris DS Preview. gamespy.com. Retrieved on 2006-03-04.
[edit] External links
- Coverage
- Vs. Balloon Fight at GameFAQs
- IGN's coverage of Balloon Fight (Famicom Mini Series)
- Balloon Fight at MobyGames
- Balloon Fight at the Internet Movie Database
- Balloon Fight page located at NES HQ
- Reviews
- Remakes
