Balloon Fight

Back in August of 2021, I reviewed the arcade classic, Joust, essentially just by saying that it was just an inferior version of Balloon Fight. After replaying Balloon Fight to make sure I wasn't full of crap, I stand by what I said. The maps have more variety, the controls are more straightforward, and the additional modes mean there's even more to do. Though, even without the comparison to Joust, Balloon Fight can stand on its own, whether you play alone or with a friend.

The goal of Balloon Fight is to flap around, popping your opponents' balloons while keeping your own intact. However, its most impressive feat isn't the gameplay, but rather how remarkably responsive the whole experience feels. Thanks to the intuitive physics of flapping around while attached to a pair of balloons, I feel like I'm in full control of my character, despite not actually having perfect control. The system of building momentum combined with the collision and bouncing effects feels both intuitive and realistic, keeping the experience engaging, even when the levels start to get repetitive.

Once you really get sick of just playing the levels, I recommend trying the "balloon trip" mode. Using the same controls and physics that make the main game so special, "balloon trip" is an endless scrolling level that has you avoiding hazards and popping balloons in an effort to get a high score. It gets pretty dull after a couple runs, but it is just perfect for breaking up the experience when you need some variety. And then, for true masochists, there is the two-player mode. It's the same levels that you play solo, but you also have to dodge the other person playing, who will likely pop more of your balloons than the enemies will, even if they don't mean to. It can be a lot of hectic fun but is easily the most difficult of the three modes if both of you aren't Balloon Fight experts.

Considering all three of the different modes, this game actually has a lot to offer. It probably won't be something you play for dozens of hours, but it isn't trying to be either. When taken in bite-sized chunks, Balloon Fight offers a consistent, engaging, fair, arcade-style experience that encourages you to improve by providing an honest challenge, not just cheap difficulty. That kind of thing is hard to find, and few NES games managed it as well as Balloon Fight. Although it ultimately doesn't have enough content to keep me playing for hours at a time, this is definitely a game that I enjoy coming back to relatively often, and my recent discovery of the two-player mode just makes me want to play it more.

The game is available for 3DS here (as of 4/10/22): https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/balloon-fight-3ds/

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