Compatible emulators

Synopsis

Launched by Namco in the summer of 1980, King & Balloon is a shoot'em up in the vein of Galaxian, but swaps the space theme for a pseudo-medieval setting. In the game, the player controls two green men who carry a cannon, as they defend the king below them from being kidnapped by the balloons above, which continue to invade the lower part of the screen while firing projectiles. Once all the balloons are knocked down, the game moves to the next level.

One thing that makes King & Balloon unique is that you don't lose life when you get hit. Instead, you respawn and continue playing. The only way to lose a life is to let the king get kidnapped. Another interesting mechanic to note is that the balloons stop attacking and descending when one catches the king, and they remain stationary until the king is back on the ground. This creates a risk/reward mechanic and incentivizes you to let the ball carry the king high enough so you can remove more balls and then save the king just in time.

King & Balloon was also one of the first games to have a speech, and it still holds up better than most contemporary or even later examples. The king said, “Help!” upon his kidnapping, "Thank you!" once saved, and "Bye bye!" when he leaves the screen. There are actually different voices for the game in Japan and the American version, with the Japanese version having a slight Japanese accent.

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