Overview
- Number of Players
- 2
- Genre
- Release Date
NES
- Jun 1986
- 12th Mar 1987
Wii (Wii Shop)
- 8th Jun 2007, 500 points
- 16th Jul 2007, 500 points
- 13th Nov 2007, 500 points
3DS (3DS eShop)
- 22nd Aug 2012, ¥500
- 2nd May 2013, £3.59
Wii U eShop
- 23rd Jan 2013, £3.49
- 23rd Jan 2013, $4.99
- 22nd Jan 2013, ¥500
Nintendo Switch Online (Subscription)
- Available Now
- Series
- Tags
Reviews
Review Balloon Fight (3DS eShop / NES)
Balloons don't float forever
In Balloon Fight you manipulate a little fellow who can flutter through the skies thanks to a pair of balloons strapped to his back and vigorous arm flapping. The world is a dangerous place for the intrepid defier of gravity, particularly when it comes to jealous birds — also illogically equipped with balloons — who...
Review Balloon Fight (Wii U eShop / NES)
Float on
To mark the arrival of the Virtual Console on the Wii U, Nintendo has launched a very generous promotion to mark the 30th anniversary of the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES, in case you were wondering). What this promotion entails is the release of seven classic Nintendo games on the Wii U over a period of seven months for the...
Review Balloon Fight (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
Balloon Light
Before games like Metroid and The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo's NES console relied on simple arcade titles to keep itself afloat. Balloon Fight used an already-successful gameplay mechanic similar to that of William's Joust arcade release, and while it offers up some simple arcade enjoyment, the repetitive gameplay keeps it from lasting,...
Screenshots 4
Balloon Fight Guides
Guide Best First-Party NES Games
Nintendo-developed NES games, as ranked by you
Looking for a list of Nintendo's first-party NES games? Wonder what the best first-party NES game is? You've come to the right guide. Our ranked list of the Top 50 Best NES Games Ever covers every game on the system, but here we're looking specifically at Nintendo-developed NES games released in the...
Balloon Fight News
Poll Box Art Brawl: Balloon Fight (NES)
Full of hot air
Hey everyone, welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we took a look at Mario Party Advance for the GBA (fittingly). There were only two different covers to take in, but it was the North American/European design that walked away with the gold, taking 63% of the vote and leaving Japan's rectangular variant with the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 16th)
We have liftoff!
Well, the weekend has rolled around once again so it's time for a spot of gaming, we'd say. Before we get to that, however, does anyone fancy a quick round-up of the Nintendo highlights from this week? We've been taking a look at what classic SEGA franchises you'd like to see return, keeping up with everything going on in Fo
News Hamster Is Bringing VS. Balloon Fight To The Switch eShop Next Week
Likely to be the last Arcade Archives release of 2019
Like many other companies, Hamster looks like it'll be working right up until the end of 2019. Its next classic game (arriving in all regions next week on 27th December) is likely to be the final Arcade Archives release of the year. It's Nintendo's 1984 arcade release VS. Balloon Fight. This...
News Dentist Snaps Up Collection Of Ultra Rare Retro Video Games For US$1.02 Million
A "watershed moment"
A video game fan named Eric Naierman, who also happens to be a dentist, recently forked out $US1.02 million for a bunch of first-edition sticker-sealed video games. While he's not the first person to do something like this, it's a reminder of the inflating retro market prices. So, what do you get for parting with this amount of...
Soapbox Why I'm Not Excited About Playing NES Games On The Nintendo Switch
All NES'ed out
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, Nintendo Life Operations Director Darren Calvert admits that he's not in the least bit excited about the prospect of playing NES games again in 2018... They say that...
News Details Regarding Nintendo Switch Online Services Will Be Shared In May
Finally!
A results briefing for the last fiscal year has revealed that Nintendo plans to share more details on the upcoming Nintendo Switch Online service next month. We already know that the service is set to launch this September, priced at $19.99 for an annual subscription (or $3.99 / $7.99 for a one-month, or three-month subscription...
News Yoshio Sakamoto Recalls The Moment He Realised Satoru Iwata Was A Programming Genius
"Iwata-san basically made it in three days"
The celebrate the upcoming release of the NES Classic Mini (or Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition system, if you wish), Nintendo commissioned Japanese writer Akinori Sao with interviewing key staff involved with the console's history. One of his interview subjects is Yoshio Sakamoto,...
Feature NES Mini Classics - Balloon Fight
With memories of the late great Satoru Iwata
With the upcoming release of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (NA) / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (EU), we're going to provide short profiles of all 30 games included on the system. We start off with Balloon Fight. It's an interesting turn of events that...
Nintendo Download 14th August (Europe)
More Mega Man, Pets and a whole load of discounts
It's time for our regular Monday fix of Nintendo Download Update news for Europe, with this week's releases not bursting at the seams with new content. We do have a particularly good Game Boy title on offer, however, while there are some tasty discounts including some of the best games for Wii U and...
News The Lost Worlds of Power: Volume 0 is Available
Bad writing for a good cause
If you'll remember, way back in October we covered the news that Worlds of Power, the legendarily awful series of video game novelisations, was being given new life. By...uh...me. The idea was to assemble a motley collection of writers and have them each produce their own terrible, unfaithful, barely recognisable...
About The Game
Originally a hit in the arcades of the early ‘80s, NES classic Balloon Fight puts you in control of a heroic balloonist. Simply, pop the balloons of your enemies before they pop yours!
Falling enemies will deploy a parachute, so hit them again to knock them into the water below or into the jaws of a hungry fish. But watch out, the fish has its eyes on you, too!
Balloon Fight also features a two-player mode with cooperative and competitive play, plus a side-scrolling survival mode called Balloon Trip.
Comments 63
This was a good game. I doubt it can stand the test of time though.
I might get this actually... I liked it on Animal Crossing
I'm looking forward to downloading this. what a fun game!
If i wanna play it I'll play Animal Crossing.
i'm a big fan of balloon fight. esp in two player mode. just like 'joust' (the game it was clearly insired by) its great fun playing competatively and trying to kill the other player
please bring this to VC soon ninty!
omg i love this, i really am going to download this the second its out, duno why i love it so much but i do.
I have this on Animal crossing, it's quite good
This is a game I've been waiting for ever since I got my Wii. I'm in the US, but seeing it unexpectedly in Europe, or anywhere for that matter, is a good sign is a good sign for us on the other side of the pond. I hope it comes out soon.
W00t! Been waiting ages for this classic Joust rip-off. Like joust, its even better fun in 2 player. My GF loves it
I might have downloaded if I didn't have this on Animal Crossing
I got rid of Animal Crossing so I have no choice.
I've just started again on Animal Crossing and I've really got into it. So I ported my NES games over from my old file, and Balloon Fight's just as good as I remember.
Probably one of the best NES games out there.
For such an old game it's very addictive, looks good, has nice air physics and a memorable sound. but after about 16 levels everything is repeated.
2 player co-op/vs and highscore-random-track makes this game more fun. as a NES game it has not aged that much. but seeing that there are bigger and better games and that i got it on animal crossing for free this is more of 3 stars than 4.
i am going to buy this one immediately.extremely addictive game.nes classic!
Man, I am glad this game is out. It is one of my favorites.
it'd hard to say this is worth $5... but for an NES game the mechanics work really well. It's a joust clone but it's got some awesome 2 player action. Decent game but it just doesn't last very long...
I just watched the video... the game seems more annoying to me than anything else. Doesn't look like it's my bag. Oh well.
$5 for this game? in my opinion there's much better games on the NES that you can buy for your 5 bucks.
A NES classic for me. The golden age of video game !!
I'd give this a few hours of my time. I like this a lot!
I recommend you find someone to play this with you.
(I play this on Animal Crossing!)
This is a fun game. One of the best multiplayer for the NES.
I'd recommend it mostly for die-hard platformer fans.
And those who just love to pop balloons.
Best game currently on the VC in my opinion. It never gets old for me. I can go back to it again and again. It seems simple, but it has this addictive quality that pulls you in as you realize it gets trickier and tricker. I was a big fan of Joust and I think this game improves on that game in every way.
-Ray
Ballon Fight Is A Little Fun If You Like To Go Out At Night
For some reason, I never ever get tired of this game. I've played it hondreds of times, and never got sick of it. It's really addictive to see how far you can go in this game, and how big a score you can get. (I managed to get the highest score possible.) Or just even to play the game brieflly for relaxing.
The game does remind me alot of Midway's "Joust," but is definatelly more fun to play, and less frustrating. It features 2 contol schemes you can chose from to use to. (Hold B to flab rapidlly, or tap A repeatedlly.) A nice 2 player mode for 2 people to either cooperate, or fight against each other if they chose. (Like in "Mario Bros." or "Ice Climber.")
The game also features a nice mini-game called "Balloon Trip," wich is also a nice challenge to see how long you can last in an increasinglly difficult automatic side-scrolling stage. And for it's day, it has nice hummable music in it. Definatelly one of my favorite NES games.
If you are into Balloon fight you should rent Wario Ware smooth moves because they have retrofitted balloon fight as a 1st person, 3d game. And use use the wii mote and nunchuck to wave your arms to fly!
I have it on Animal Crossing, and it's fun.
It won't last you long, however.
I downloaded this and its really fun and addicting, i havent gotten bored of it yet (2 weeks)
I love the game. Reminds me of joust.
May not last long if you play alone, but with co-op, it doubles the replay value, and the Trip Mode...I can't stop coming back to it! I just want to keep going.
In the end, some will see it as a classic, while others think it's just a fun little trinket.
You might stick to it for a while. 4/5
Nostalgia junkies will have a party with this game, but for the modern gamers out there who expect a game rounded with replay value, great music, and equally-good graphics, this might not be the best game. Sure there's three modes, but single player will get repetitive once you get past stage 10, co-op doesn't last much longer considering the chaos will kill one of you eventually, and balloon trip doesn't offer much to be fun for more than five minutes (at most!). The music (when it exists) and graphics don't necessarily compare to that of Super Mario Galaxy either (to put it kindly). Still, for five bucks, if you're one of those people who likes playing a game for ten minutes off and on and you remember liking this game from the NES or Animal Crossing, you wouldn't regret buying it.
Like our reviewers above: 3/5 stars. For a score system more of my taste but exactly the same: 6/10.
I prefer Tingle's Balloon Fight, although it's much more expensive if you aren't Japanese. You can play up to 4 player, which is much more fun.
I'm just going to repeat what most people said here: a fun and addicting game for Multiplayer, but it get's old quick if you play it by yourself.
I totally agree with comment "33."
It'll make you bored soon if it's played by oneself...
An interesting take on the Joust play mechanic. Balloon Trip is a great little diversion, Multi-player is a lot of fun...and if you're of age...a fun game while tipping a few back. The single player gets a little repetitive after a while, but that's the way it should be. This game isn't meant to be deep. It's a quick shot of fun that you can always come back to. I miss those games. With my schedule, it's nice to know I can come home and get a quick gaming fix, without having to navigate menus, or wade through cut scenes. Nothing wrong with those; I just don't have time most days. I leave that gaming for the weekend. During the week, my VC gets a workout...mainly due to games like this.
Only buy it if you have someone to play two-player with.
Nice multiplayer game. It's not gonna hold your attention for too long, but you'll return to it every so often. 500 points isnae bad for this. 4 stars!
It's a great game but like the reviewer said it's a little to repetitive... Download it if you thinks that it's look great but keep in mind that it's a 5min play from time to time (at least for me that's what it is)...
its a nice Joust Clone but you can just play this Game from Time to Time
A great game for on the go, but it does not live up to the standards of quality nes. I had it on e-reader, and enjoyed it for time to time.
I just CAN NOT believe that all of those games come with Animal Crossing. I've bought like half of those for the virtual console!!! Gah! Several others are games that were up next to buy on the console, so I'm really glad I was on the fence about this game so I could read the review and find this out. Thanks!
Cute game but it gets boring pretty quick.
This is one of the games I have for my e-reader. It's pretty fun to play every now and then, and I love the balloon trip, but sadly, that version lacks 2-player, and I don't have Animal Crossing anymore .
I think balloon fight is a decent pick-up-and-play kind of game, especially with 2-player mode and also being an arcade style game to boot. So overall, I'll give this game a 4/5 just for 2-player being in there with the game.
It was fun on Animal Crossing, getting away from your daily activities, but Animal Crossing was a rental so bummer:(. And it's a fun game, a fun 2-player mode (even if the second player can sometimes really piss you off by popping al of your balloons accidentally). The bonus is quite lame though.
Pure Simple 2-Player fun !!!
The little balloon-guy is so cute the way he flaps his little arms as he swims his way through the barren void, with naught twixt life and death other than 3 blown up johnnies on a bit of string.
I think that's what it said on the box...
Basically Joust for the NES. Not a must have but a bit of fun. Wont last you long and at 500 points, there are better classic games to get first but if you have all the rest, the challenge offered by this game is classic early Nintendo...will make you angry when you repeatedly die, but you will always know next time you will do better.
I remember playing this at my cousins house as a kid at Christmas gatherings. Back at that time, games like Excitebike and Balloon Fight were just so new that I thought they were incredibly deep and fulfilling. Turns out that nowadays, they aren't. Still fun though, I've bought Balloon Fight, but will hold off on Excitebike.
i did this game with a friend back then, i never liked that you could defeat each other, but when that friend discovered that, he was chasing me, lol
was nice time, so i might buy this one aswell
also made a level from this game in ssbb, kinda hard if you cant fly, but made spikes in the middle, so wont die that easily
Sure, it's a Joust rip-off, but it's actually even better than Joust itself so I guess it's alright. This was the first game I bought for my NES system after I had played through Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt a few hundred times and I still love it.
Well, it's a great experience. It's fun, no doubt about it, but unfortunately, it's not worth 500 points. Why? Well, you can get Balloon Fight and a bunch of other NES classics on Animal Crossing. That's the only reason it's not worth 500 points. As a game it gets a 4/5, but still, hold off on it. I recommend buying Animal Crossing on the gamecube, and going online and looking up the codes for the NES games. It saves you 30 bucks and gets you a fun game for a gamecube. If you want to contribute to Nintendo's fund of the virtual console, I won't hold it against you. It's just a recommendation after all.
This stinks. Not even worth 1 star. I thought it was going to be worth my money, since I played it online, but it hardly was hardly alike. Online there was custom character too.
Fun, and great to play with a friend. The controls can be stiff, and it is basically a clone of Joust, but I still love playing it.
I have this on Animal Crossing. It's a really fun game that's great in single player. Balloon Trip is quite fun too especially since it's tests your skills.
Why isn't this higher?
Anyways, I love this game.
Especially with multiplayer, and the music rocks.
I think that's the key. Multiplayer is really where the game shines. Alone, you'll get bored after the 10th level. The thing about multiplayer is that you have to balance the killing of enemies with managing your ally (without killing him too). There's a sort of energy or inertia that a friend can bring to the game. If you only play single player games, pass on this- if you have a friend around, $5 is less than a meal at Burger King; go for it.
Great game...a true classic!
i dont know why but a two player game is just so fun and amazing, awesome game
omg my lil brother and i used to play this for hours at a time yo!
This game is so much fun. So glad I gave it a try.
Pictobits level twooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
i mean threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
This game is without a shadow of a doubt is my FAVORITE 80's Nintendo game...I LOVE THIS GAME!
is it possible to beat the game? or does it go on forever?
My favourite NES game.
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