Overview
Balloon Kid is a sequel to Balloon Fight (NES) for the original Game Boy. The game unlike it’s predecessor has a plot and 3 characters. Each one of them has it’s own personality. You fly on your balloons through different locations like an ocean, mountains, industrial building or a town called Pencilvania which is filled with skyscrapers shaped like pencils.
Balloon Kid was developed by Pax Softonica and published by Nintendo in 1990 on Game Boy.
Characters
Alice – The main character of the game. You control her as player 1 in all of the modes and you have to save your brother Jim from trouble.
Samm – Your eternal rival. Player 2 controls him.
Jim – Your brother. He accidentally flies away on some balloons when trying to make a balloon rainbow in the sky. Jim leaves a trail of balloons for Alice to follow and collect.
Gameplay
Balloon Kid's gameplay can best be compared to a blend of the underwater stages of Super Mario and modern day helicopter flash games. The player was allowed to move back and forth throughout the level but the screen would automatically move from right to left, forcing the player to keep moving constantly. The player starts each stage with 2 balloons and can starting floating by repeatedly pressing A or B. If the balloons are popped by enemies or hazards, players will fall to their death unless they find a safe platform. Players are also allowed to purposely let go of balloons to accomplish different tasks. If the players find themselves on a platform with no balloons to float with, they can always tap down repeatedly to pump more air into their balloons. In some cases, the player is only given enough time to completely fill one balloon before having to advance.
Most enemies and hazards come directly from Balloon Fight (NES). Birds, fire, spikes, fish (as depicted on box art), and lightning are just some of the things that block your path. There are also 4 boss fights in the game. Defeating enemies and bosses is done by head jumping. This can be accomplished by releasing your balloons and dropping onto an enemy or simply jumping while on a platform.
Part of Samm's plan to keep Alice following the right path to save him is to leave a trail of balloons. These balloons serve as the game's collectibles. Once 100 balloons are collected, an extra life is given. In addition to the balloons, there are a few hearts that give extra lives and powerups that give the same effect as the star found in the Mario games, allowing you to kill almost any enemy and hazard.
Log in to comment