For a bonus thank-you game redeemable through Japanese Club Nintendo, you certainly can do worse. It's exactly what it says it is; Balloon Fight but with Tingle. It uses the DS's dual screens to have an extra high vertical aspect ratio, as well as better control compared to the sluggish NES original, but I think the better control and extra space make the game a bit too easy for its own good. The game uses the same 12 stage loop that the NES game has, no Vs. Balloon Fight stages or anything else freshly designed for this game here. The game also saves after every stage of both the main balloon fight mode and the balloon trip mode, so really finishing all the stages is just a matter of persistence. In the options there's the ability to play either with music and sounds taken directly from Tingles Rosy Rupeeland or the original balloon fight sounds and music/random beeping. The music quality for the NES tracks sounds compressed, like they recorded it off of the original game rather than just using an NES sound font, which is lowkey strange. Lastly, there's a picture gallery of various images of Tingle overlaid on real life photos for some reason, where reaching certain milestones in the game earns more tingle photos. One of the photos is locked behind a 4-player multiplayer game, so you better call in the boys and hope this games multiplayer is download play compatible.

It's light on content and substance, but it's a club nintendo prize game so of course it is. It's certainly way more unique and interesting than the borin game and watch compilations we got over here in the states, that's for sure.

I have now played all the tingle games baybee!!!! kooloo limpah motherfuckers

pretty disapponted tbh! the ease in air control is probably for the better. being stuck with a single balloon in the original was kind of hellish, but added depth. the illusion of depth is present in Tingle's focus on vertically oriented levels spanning between the system's two screens. despite being a novel and expected idea, it detracts from the game's structure as a whole. while the race towards the top of the screen can be somewhat thrilling, the round is pretty much over once you reach it. there's usually only one cpu hanging near the cutoff point, and after you bop one, the rest will follow in an orderly fashion.

the upper edge plays a more dramatic role in original game. cpus tend to flock there, and you have less space to work with, due to the claustrophobic platform placement, smaller screen size, and boundary-hugging ai, you're often trapped between a couple enemies and obstacles, tension rising, all while a parachuting foe is slowly swaying down to the surface, ready to pump a spare balloon full of air and come back for revenge.

stuff like that doesn't happen in Tingle's, which is a bummer. they totally could have tuned things more aggressively! the game gives you unlimited continues, sending you back to the start of the same round after your lives are depleted. i think this alone is enough to slather levels with obstructions. unfortunately, every round is the same as the last. if you manage to do the chore of clearing all 99 of them, you unlock an alternative mode consisting of faster opponents, buuuuuuuut... after its unlocked...

...!!!the game's save function is fucking disabled!!!

the button to start from the stage you quit on is replaced by the "Game B" option or whatever!!!! this applies to both versions of single-player balloon fight, and the same thing occurs after unlocking the EX version of balloon trip as well! i'd be willing to play through both difficulties to see how much the added challenge benefits, but idk, i don't feel like leaving my ds in sleep mode and i definitely don't wanna do it all in one go...

something else that sucks but not nearly as much as that: the flippers! in the original balloon fight, they flung you around and it was equal parts fun and obnoxious. in this version they just push you back a teensy bit. its so lame... subdued. antithetical of tingle himself. i understand why the game is the way it is, but i desire a version of this that was more than just a promotional reward made by some interns. by the namesake, it deserved to be stupid and experimental. i want a revival of this series with ridiculous stage gimmicks and silly items...