Hey, y'all remember Balloon Fight, right? That one early NES game that involves flying around on balloons and popping other peoples' balloons that Nintendo will CONSTANTLY remind you that it existed at one point? Well, did you know that that game apparently got a sequel at one point? Yeah, me neither, but it exists, and it is a little known game for the Game Boy known as Balloon Kid.
As a sequel to the alright, yet not too substantial Balloon Fight, I think this game is actually a pretty good improvement, not just because it is an actual full game this time around. Of course, some of the problems I had with Balloon Fight are still present here, but I would still recommend for those who were a fan of the original game.
The story is very simple and understandable, the graphics are Game Boy graphics, but the sprites are more detailed, so it looks better than the original, the music is actually pretty good, even if some of it is just reused from Balloon Fight, and that there isn't too many tracks, the control is about the same as Balloon Fight, except this time it handles better (not by too much), and there is more there to mess around with, and the gameplay stays true to the original, while also updating it to where I would consider it better than the original.
The main gameplay is pretty similar to that of Balloon Trip from the original, where you move from right to left, collecting balloons and avoiding obstacles, taking on bonus stages for extra lives, getting powerups if lucky, taking on bosses, and even detaching yourself from your balloons in several instances, needing to then blow up a new pair to fly with.
Yeah, it isn't too different from the original game, or even too different from other platformers at the time, but I found myself really liking this game, not just because it is a proper game, but also because of how it executes its ideas, coupled with the various different locations you go to and the music. Not to mention, there are two other separate modes in the game you can check out, such as a 2-player battle mode, which I didn't play because I have no friends, and the Balloon Trip mode from the first game.
With all that said, this is still a Balloon Fight game, and I still have a problem with your momentum in the game. Yes, this is an improvement over the original, but it is still pretty heavy, and it will often lead to a good number of accidental deaths. This is also paired with how whenever you don't have any balloons, for some reason, you move like fucking Sonic, and you can run yourself off platforms pretty easily. Also, the game doesn't tell you how to inflate more balloons, so that also took some time to figure out.
In addition, the bosses are also not the best. They are pretty simple, just bounce on their heads and they die, but in order to actually do damage, you have to hit them while detached from your balloons, and when paired with the terrain you often fight them in, it can be quite annoying at times. Nothing impossible, but it can become a bother.
Overall, while it is nothing too spectacular, it's a fun sequel to Balloon Fight, and my personal favorite of the two, even if it still has the movement issue that I wish wasn't there.
Quick fun fact, for some reason, in Japan, this game was released on the Famicom as a Hello Kitty game. Because when I think of Balloon Fight, I obviously think of... Hello Kitty, seriously, why though?
Game #109
As a sequel to the alright, yet not too substantial Balloon Fight, I think this game is actually a pretty good improvement, not just because it is an actual full game this time around. Of course, some of the problems I had with Balloon Fight are still present here, but I would still recommend for those who were a fan of the original game.
The story is very simple and understandable, the graphics are Game Boy graphics, but the sprites are more detailed, so it looks better than the original, the music is actually pretty good, even if some of it is just reused from Balloon Fight, and that there isn't too many tracks, the control is about the same as Balloon Fight, except this time it handles better (not by too much), and there is more there to mess around with, and the gameplay stays true to the original, while also updating it to where I would consider it better than the original.
The main gameplay is pretty similar to that of Balloon Trip from the original, where you move from right to left, collecting balloons and avoiding obstacles, taking on bonus stages for extra lives, getting powerups if lucky, taking on bosses, and even detaching yourself from your balloons in several instances, needing to then blow up a new pair to fly with.
Yeah, it isn't too different from the original game, or even too different from other platformers at the time, but I found myself really liking this game, not just because it is a proper game, but also because of how it executes its ideas, coupled with the various different locations you go to and the music. Not to mention, there are two other separate modes in the game you can check out, such as a 2-player battle mode, which I didn't play because I have no friends, and the Balloon Trip mode from the first game.
With all that said, this is still a Balloon Fight game, and I still have a problem with your momentum in the game. Yes, this is an improvement over the original, but it is still pretty heavy, and it will often lead to a good number of accidental deaths. This is also paired with how whenever you don't have any balloons, for some reason, you move like fucking Sonic, and you can run yourself off platforms pretty easily. Also, the game doesn't tell you how to inflate more balloons, so that also took some time to figure out.
In addition, the bosses are also not the best. They are pretty simple, just bounce on their heads and they die, but in order to actually do damage, you have to hit them while detached from your balloons, and when paired with the terrain you often fight them in, it can be quite annoying at times. Nothing impossible, but it can become a bother.
Overall, while it is nothing too spectacular, it's a fun sequel to Balloon Fight, and my personal favorite of the two, even if it still has the movement issue that I wish wasn't there.
Quick fun fact, for some reason, in Japan, this game was released on the Famicom as a Hello Kitty game. Because when I think of Balloon Fight, I obviously think of... Hello Kitty, seriously, why though?
Game #109