Released in November 1984 for Arcade as “Vs. Balloon Fight.”
Interesting facts about Balloon Fight
-According to How Long to Beat’s website the average play through takes about an hour to complete. Though you can’t beat the game, after Stage 12, the game will loop back to Stage 4.
-According to Metacritic, the Wii Virtual Console version holds 4 ratings with an average score of 5.5. The majority complaint is that the arcade version is better.
-Currently, about 3 games are sold per week.
-Developed by Yoshio Sakamoto, who hadn’t seen a transparent image before, aside from the alpha transparency that would surround a sprite. Balloon Fight featured bubbles that were transparent / see-through which was a unique feature to have at that time.
-The special single player mode “Balloon Trip” was made in just three days by Satoru Iwata.
Back of the Box Description
– “Take to the skies! It’s BALLOON FIGHT. You’ll score lots of points and have loads of fun when you burst enemy balloons and send their parachutes crashing into the sea. But beware. These hot-air invaders have an amazing ability to land safely, blow up another balloon and come back stronger than before! What’s more, if you fly too low you’ll be devoured by man-eating sharks! Challenge them alone if you think you’re up to it, or team up with a friend. Either way, you’ll have the time of your life fighting off your opponents in the sky and avoiding those hungry sharks below in BALLOON FIGHT!”
NewGame+ Content:
Here’s a cool interview by Yoshio Sakamoto. There’s a neat bit about the prowess of Satoru Iwata’s programming ability.
Gameplay by World of Longplays
OST by GBelair
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