Developer: Nintendo R&D1
Director: Yoshio Sakamoto
Programmer: Satoru Iwata
Composer: Hirokazu Tanaka
Original Release Date: 1984 Arcade JP; August 1986 NES US
You play as the Balloon Fighter: a man with a dream of flight! With two balloons strapped to your back, you’re free to take flight and soar through the skies. Or you would be if it weren’t for a group of territorial Birds that want to blast you out of the sky.
Balloon Fight is a physics-based action game through and through. You contend with inertia and momentum just as much as enemies and obstacles. The faster you move in one direction, the harder it is to change directions. It’s because of these elements, and the charming music and character designs, that Balloon Fight has stood in the hearts of those who’ve played it as a true classic. Even after a years-long hiatus, we came back to this game and found it just as gripping to chase high scores as we did the first time we played it.