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SYSTEM: Nintendo Entertainment System
GENRE: Action
Balloon Fight ©1984 Nintendo. All rights reserved.
This document ©2001-2012 Steve Penninipede. All rights
reserved. Do not distribute without the author's
consent. If you are viewing this on a web site other
than GameFAQs, please notify the author via e-mail
(
[email protected]) with the subject line
"Balloon Fight."
CONTENTS
I. About This FAQ
II. Basic Premise
III. In-Depth Info
A. Controls
B. 1-Player Mode
1. The Enemies
2. The Stages
C. 2-Player Mode
D. Balloon Trip
IV. Other Bits Of Info
V. Be A Cheater
VI. Contact The Author
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I. About This FAQ
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1-29-12: Reformatting, new e-mail address.
12-01-04: Remembered to put my e-mail address up after like a year. Oops.
1-12-03: I answered my own question. Check section IV again.
1-04-03: Added some stuff about levels and stuff. Go to section IV.
12-29-01: Minor re-formatting. Posted new e-mail address.
8-17-01: Minor re-formatting. Corrected some info about bubbles.
Confirmed my suspicions :)
8-01-01: Re-worded section VI. Minor re-formatting.
6-15-01: Added 2 more bits of info for section IV. Reworded/reformatted
various sections.
5-13-01: Added more info to add to section IV. Added new section, Shameless
Plugs (details in section VI). Renovated a bit. Corrected minor errors.
5-08-01: FAQ was first submitted to GameFAQs. Author believes this section to
be a waste of time since no one cares when updates occur.
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II. Basic Premise
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Balloon Fight is an action game similar to the classic Joust. If you've never
played Joust, you've been missing out on an incredible gaming experience. It
combines fluid, realistic physics with balanced gameplay and a two-player mode
well worth your time.
In Balloon Fight, you play as some guy with balloons on his helmet who fights
other guys wearing balloons on their helmets. Sound like fun? Maybe, maybe
not. Although the story leaves something to be desired (even Asteroids had a
plot), it's definitely a good game. In the 1- and 2-Player modes, you earn
points by attacking one of three enemies: A pink guy, a green guy, and a yellow
guy, and in 2-Player mode you can also attack the other player.
There is also another mode in Balloon Fight, and it sets Balloon Fight apart
from Joust: it is Balloon Trip. And boy, is it ever. This mode has you
traversing an infinite ocean avoiding huge sparks. Move over, Stephen King!
Nintendo has another winner! Again, the plot (or lack thereof) doesn't affect
amount of fun you'll have playing Balloon Fight.
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III. In-Depth Info
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--------------------
A. Controls
--------------------
Using Player 1's controller, press SELECT to pick a mode, and START to begin.
A button: Press to flap your arms once. Good when you need precise control.
B button: Hold to flap continuously. Good when you need a lot of speed.
Control pad: Use Left and Right in conjunction with the A or B buttons to move.
You don't need to flap your arms while you are on the ground. Up and Down don't
do anything.
The physics in this game (momentum, inertia, and other big words) are what make
it so much fun. When you take off, hold B for a second. Notice how you keep
going up for a bit before falling. Now move left or right. You will keep
moving at the same speed until you land or try to move in another direction.
Note that you will be bounced farther by obstacles/enemies if you only have one
balloon. Take a minute to get used to the physics of the game before you
start.
Also note that the stage "wraps around," so you can walk or fly off of the left
side of the screen and appear on the right side.
--------------------
B1. 1-Player Mode: The Enemies
--------------------
As stated in section 1, this mode has you attacking three different types of
enemies. When you start out, they'll all be inflating their balloons. After a
second or two, the balloons will fill and the enemies will take off. Notice
that they only get one balloon. Feel free to openly mock them. A good way is
to stick your tongue out like this: :þ
You attack them by hitting their balloons with your body (but not with your own
balloons!). After the balloons are popped, the enemies will float to the
ground wearing parachutes. If they land, they will rest for a second before
inflating their balloons again. Once they do, they will "upgrade" themselves
to a higher level; pink turns to green, which will then turn to yellow if given
the chance. Each enemy gives different amounts of points depending on what
they're doing at the time. Note that you'll get the same amount of points
regardless of how you hit the enemies. Below is a point chart which breaks
down the different point values.
+++++++++++++++| | |
+++++++++++++++| Floating | Standing | Parachute open
+++++++++++++++| | |
---------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
Pink | 500 | 750 | 1000
| | |
---------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
Green | 750 | 1000 | 1500
| | |
---------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
Yellow | 1000 | 1500 | 2000
| | |
---------------------------------------------------------------
*Popping a human player's balloons will earn you 1000 points.
--------------------
B2. 1-Player Mode: The Stages
--------------------
Obstacles and oddities.
-Platforms: There are different shapes and sizes. Nothing can go through them
(except bubbles), so use them to hide from sparks if need be.
-Clouds: One or two of these will be placed about the star-filled sky in every
regular stage (not the bonus stages). When they start flashing, look out:
they're preparing to shoot out deadly sparks!
-Sparks: Bounce off of the boundaries of the stage without aim, even on the
left and right (they do not "wrap around" the screen). In later stages, or if
you have remained in the same stage for a while, the sparks will gain speed.
They're pretty easy to avoid as long as you keep an eye on them. If you touch
one, you will automatically lose a life, even if you have two balloons.
-Flippers: I call them "spinny things." Once hit, they start to spin for a
while. If you touch one while it's spinning, you will be quickly tossed in a
straight line away from it.
-Water: If either you or an enemy gets too close, a sea monster will come to
the surface, open its mouth, and make a meal of anything and everything it can
reach. And don't even think about going for a swim.
-Bubbles: One will rise from the water every time you defeat an enemy. Pop it
for a quick 500 points.
Bonus stages.
Every three stages, you will be treated to a bonus stage where you can earn big
points. Twenty balloons will float, one by one, from one of four tubes at the
bottom of the screen. The idea is to pop as many as possible. You get a Super
Bonus for popping all twenty balloons.
--------------------
C. 2-Player Mode
--------------------
*NOTE: 2-Player Mode is not available on the GBA version (Balloon Fight-e).
2-Player Mode is basically the same as 1-Player Mode, but you will share the
space with another person. This mode is what you make of it; you can play
cooperatively or competitively. Note that you earn 1000 points for popping the
other player's balloons.
>From WolverineJon(6-15-01):
"In the bonus stage, you cannot lose a life. In 2-player mode, if the other
player pops both of your balloons, you fall to the bottom of the screen, but
after a couple of seconds both of your balloons come back and you can continue
with the bonus stage. Also, upon *exiting* the bonus stage (as well as
entering it) your second balloon is restored if you were missing it.
Therefore, the bonus stage is a safe place to pop your partner's balloons for
the 1000-point bonus without costing them anything."
--------------------
D. Balloon Trip
--------------------
The object of this mode is simply to survive. You get points just for having
progressed in the stage, and you can also earn 300 bonus points for popping
balloons scattered about. Bubbles also make an appearance, but here they pause
the stage's scrolling for a few seconds.
Your main nemesis in this mode is the spark. At first, sparks remain dormant
in clusters, providing a safe "path" through which you can pass safely. Don't
get too comfortable; they will start to disperse and bounce up and down, and,
after a while, every other direction.
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IV. Other Bits Of Info
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5-8-01
-If you get into a scuffle with an enemy at the top of the screen, just back
away until he comes down. Otherwise, you risk having a balloon popped.
-You will get a second balloon upon entering a bonus stage, provided you were
missing one beforehand.
5-13-01
-Gamefreak1 from the message boards had this to say about "annoying the shark"
and flying in the water:
"Going through your FAQ I remembered something. I never play Balloon Fight
to win anymore: I only play it to annoy the shark. It's possible with some
effort to tempt the shark without getting eaten (but I still get eaten quite a
bit) but that's not the main reason I sent the e-mail.
It's possible to actually fly UNDER the land in the first level. A long
time ago some freak incident occurred where I flew into the water (but not
enough to drown) and I found a splash (indicating I drowned) underneath the
land! It's very tricky, especially with the shark, but with the right angle,
enough momentum, and a little luck, you can re-emerge alive on the opposite
side of the water."
[8-17-01 Yup, it's true! I did it myself. Check it out:
http://members.tripod.com/~TGFBOHH/balloon.nsm
This is a movie file recorded with NESticle. I don't know if other emulators
can view it.]
6-15-01
-WolverineJon sent in some stuff about the score resetting, and about playing
the bonus stage in 2-player mode:
"In the regular game, if you manage to break 1,000,000 points, the score
wraps back around to 0. The high score, however, will remain at whatever
its last value was before 1,000,000; in my case, this value was 999,550.
My wife and I managed to accomplish this playing the 2-player mode
cooperatively."
*The bonus stage stuff is in section III, part C.
1-06-03
-I recieved an e-mail on the 4th from Rich Wilson, who wanted to know if the
game could be beaten. My response:
"Hmm, I never thought about it. Most old games like this go on forever, so I'd
assume that the only ending you'll ever get is "Game Over." :)"
Before I got around to submitting the update, another e-mail recieved today
asked if this game could be beaten. It's basically the same question so I
won't put it up, but the relevance here is that it got me thinking about how
many _different_ levels there are, without repeating any. I'll check on it and
get back to you later.
1-12-03
-Whaddaya know. I was looking up something for e-Reader and saw that a user
who goes by the name of "Iguanoman" decided to take care of exactly what I
mentioned above. He also put up the scores for each bonus stage, which I
didn't feel was necessary, for whatever reason (don't remember, y'know). So
rather than copy-paste off of his without asking (but I'll probably get to
asking him soon though) I figured I'd just mention it.
..More to come! (maybe) If you have anything to add to this list, be my
guest. My e-mail is at the end of the FAQ.
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V. Be A Cheater
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Game Genie codes from Galoob.
SUNNIZVI Infinite lives
AENYPPZA Start with 1 life
IENYPPZA Start with 6 lives
AENYPPZE Start with 9 lives
PEUYTLZA Start with only one balloon
AVXTNYKA Balloons are unburstable
GENNIPAA Start on level 5 (2 players only)
PENNIPAE Start on level 10 (2 players only)
TENNIPAE Start on level 15 (2 players only)
Is there anything you'd like to contribute? Send it! My e-mail's down there.
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VI. Contact The Author
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If for any reason you have something to say about either Balloon Fight or this
FAQ, you can e-mail me at
[email protected] with "Balloon Fight" as the
subject.
