Balloon Fight
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| Balloon Fight | |
| Developer | Nintendo R&D1 |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System Gameboy Advance, e-Reader, Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console |
| Release Date | Arcade JP 1984 US 1984 Nintendo Entertainment System JP January 22, 1985 US July 1986 EU March 12, 1987 e-Reader US September 16, 2002 Gameboy Advance JP March 21, 2004 Virtual Console EU June 8, 2007 AU June 8, 2007 US July 16, 2007 JP November 13, 2007 3DS Virtual Console August 31, 2011 (Ambassador) |
| Rating | ESRB: E |
Balloon Fight is an arcade game developed by Nintendo. It is inspired by the arcade game Joust.
Gameplay
In Balloon Fight, the player controls a man floating around tied to balloons. He must try to pop his enemies' balloons and knock them out before they pop his balloons.
In Mode A, the player is pitted against the computer while Mode B lets the player battle against a friend. Mode C, Balloon Trip, has no enemies. The player must simply dodge obstacles for as long as they can.
Legacy
A game based on Balloon Fight was made for the Game & Watch in 1986. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, both the Balloon Fighter and the bumper from Balloon Fight appear as trophies. The bumper is an item that can be used in battle. Also, the music from Balloon Fight is the hidden music for the Icicle Mountain level.
Several of 9-Volt's microgames in the WarioWare series are based on Balloon Fight. In Smooth Moves, a full Balloon Fight minigame is featured where the player plays from behind the Balloon Fighter and uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to control either hand, allowing for more maneuverability. Many of the classic enemies appear in these levels.
There is also a minigame in Yoshi Touch & Go called Balloon Trip. In fact, the game's tech demo was called Yoshi's Balloon Trip. In Tetris DS, Balloon Fightis a theme for Touch Mode.
Sequels
In 1990, Balloon Kid for the Gameboy was released. In Japan, this game wasn't released in favor of Hello Kitty World for the NES. However, they eventually released a colorized version of Balloon Kid named Balloon Fight GB for the Gameboy Color in Japan.
Ports and Remakes
- Balloon Fight was ported to the NES in 1985.
- An e-Reader version of Balloon Fight was released in 2002.
- In 2004, Balloon Fight was rereleased for the Gameboy Advance as part of the Famicom Mini series.
- In 2004, Balloon Fight was among of the playable NES games featured in Animal Crossing.
- In 2007, an exclusive remake was made available to Japan's Club Nintendo. Tingle's Balloon Fight DS was the same game, but featured Tingle instead.
- The NES version of Balloon Fight was also released for download over the Virtual Console in 2007.
- The NES version of Balloon Fight was among the games released for free download on the 3DS as part of the Ambassador Program in August 2011. It has yet to receive a normal eShop release.