Crazy Balloon

Crazy Balloon is an arcade game released by Taito in 1980.[1] Crazy Balloon requires the player to maneuver a balloon through a maze full of thorns in order to reach the goal.

Crazy Balloon
Developer(s)Taito
Publisher(s)Taito
Platform(s)Arcade
Release1980
Genre(s)Maze game
Mode(s)Single-player, 2-player alternating turns

Gameplay

The player controls a box tied to a floating balloon, which swings left and right continually, within a maze filled with spikes. Any contact with the spikes, either with the balloon or the box, destroys the balloon. Using a four-way joystick, the player moves the box through the maze and toward the goal, ensuring that the swinging balloon avoids the spikes.

The player collects points as the box moves closer to the goal (backtracking earns no points). Certain areas of the maze are colored green and purple, and the player will earn more points if the balloon and box pass through the area safely. While there is no time limit, the player cannot wait for a long time; otherwise, a face will appear and blow the balloon into the spikes.

As the player completes mazes, individual spikes, or even the entire maze, may begin moving or scrolling.

Music

Crazy Balloon sports relatively basic sound effects. The speaker beeps whenever the balloon gets closer to the goal. When the player starts a new maze, a portion of the melody from "Oh! Susanna" is played. Similarly, when the player loses a balloon, a portion of the chorus from the "Toreador Song" from the opera Carmen is played.

Legacy

The original arcade version has been included in emulated compilations such as Taito Legends 2 (PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows) and Taito Legends Power-Up (PlayStation Portable) in 2006. An updated version of the game, named Crazy Balloon 2005, was included alongside the original arcade release on Taito Legends Power-Up.

There were no official contemporary home ports, but there were clones, including Crazy Balloon for the Commodore 64 (Software Projects, 1983)[2] and Crazy Balloons for the ZX Spectrum (A&F Software, 1983).[3] A version for the BBC Micro was developed by Acornsoft but was never released.[4]

References
  1. Crazy Balloon at Killer List of Videogames
  2. Crazy Balloon at Lemon 64
  3. Crazy Balloons at World of Spectrum
  4. Lost and found at Stairway to Hell
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