The Retro Warrior of the skies: Balloon Fighter for Smash! (Villager's UP B is back, better luck Next Time buddy)

[FunAtParties]

Yeah let's go BF

 

[JMac52]

Am I the only one still holding out hope here? I'd love to see Balloon Fighter in the game as a tribute to Mr. Iwata. I honestly don't think Villager still having his B Up disqualifies Balloon Fighter. If there is a retro fighter, I still think he has a good shot. I think it's between Balloon Fighter, Mach Rider, and Excitebiker.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Am I the only one still holding out hope here? I'd love to see Balloon Fighter in the game as a tribute to Mr. Iwata. I honestly don't think Villager still having his B Up disqualifies Balloon Fighter. If there is a retro fighter, I still think he has a good shot. I think it's between Balloon Fighter, Mach Rider, and Excitebiker.

I agree with you mate, it’s not over yet.

 

[Souldin]

Am I the only one still holding out hope here? I'd love to see Balloon Fighter in the game as a tribute to Mr. Iwata. I honestly don't think Villager still having his B Up disqualifies Balloon Fighter. If there is a retro fighter, I still think he has a good shot. I think it's between Balloon Fighter, Mach Rider, and Excitebiker.

I'm still thinking Balloon Fighter has a good chance as well; both in the base roster or as DLC (I see him as one of the few retro characters recognisable enough to serve well as DLC if need be). They also wouldn't have to worry about going out of their way to add a new stage to represent his series; Balloon Fight is already a returning stage.

His inclusion would indeed be a touching tribute to Iwata, to which it'd be lovely to see some form of tribute to him in SSBU.

 

[FunAtParties]

Am I the only one still holding out hope here? I'd love to see Balloon Fighter in the game as a tribute to Mr. Iwata. I honestly don't think Villager still having his B Up disqualifies Balloon Fighter. If there is a retro fighter, I still think he has a good shot. I think it's between Balloon Fighter, Mach Rider, and Excitebiker.

Nah you aren't the only one, I think Balloon Fighter is still the best choice for a retro fighter left.

 

[Crap-Zapper]

Nope, you're not the only one!
It's a bit of short when it comes to activity perhaps, but Balloon Fighter is my top contender for Retro.
He has always been. The only personal competition is Lip from Panel De Pon (of my wants) if she could be called Retro.

I've always wanted the air game mechanic to be implemented fully into he's gameplay.

 

[JMac52]

Nope, you're not the only one!
It's a bit of short when it comes to activity perhaps, but Balloon Fighter is my top contender for Retro.
He has always been. The only personal competition is Lip from Panel De Pon (of my wants) if she could be called Retro.

I've always wanted the air game mechanic to be implemented fully into he's gameplay.

I'm really intrigued by the potential of his air game moveset as well. I think he could be a really unique, fun character centered around his balloons and floating. Maybe he always has one balloon inflated, and he can pump up two more with down B in the style of Olimar. I'd have to think about it a bit more to make a full moveset.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

I've always wanted Balloon Fighter in Smash, ever since the Melee days. Balloon Fight was always the "sister" game to Ice Climber in my mind, and it never made sense to me to have the Ice Climbers but not Balloon Fighter. I think he'd be really fun with a gimmick that alters his weight and amount of jumps based on how many balloons he has. With a maximum number of balloons, he's an unparalleled air fighter in a similar manner to Jigglypuff, but when he has *no* balloons, he's relegated to being a mediocre ground fighter with a truncated moveset, like Olimar without Pikmin.

 

[Wonks]

Balloon Fighter is coming. That's my prediction for tomorrow's Direct. On the 9/12 Smash Bros. blog, it has a description of the Summit stage. While it it lists all the animals, it implies a "mysterious fish" that tries to eat you.

There's no mystery. It's the fish from Balloon Fight.

Why be so cryptic, unless....

Blog

 

[egaddmario]

I don't think Balloon Fighter is out of the running- we have Echo fighters this time. And both Bowser and Charizard have the same B move. It's technically still possible. And I'd love to see it since Sakurai and Iwata were friends.

 

[Deleted member]

Hey.

I haven't posted in here for months. But since im the OP of this thread, i felt it was necessary to mention that tomorrow is the Last Smash Direct before the game's release.

Even if i didn't get Balloon Fighter as a playable fighter, it was fun to have made a thread for him.

 

[JMac52]

Well, no Balloon Fighter today. However, I have not noticed him in all the Spirits footage I’ve seen. We don’t know for sure if being a spirit eliminates a character from being playable or not, but if so maybe that helps his chances? Go Warrior of the Skies!

 

[Souldin]

Well, no Balloon Fighter today. However, I have not noticed him in all the Spirits footage I’ve seen. We don’t know for sure if being a spirit eliminates a character from being playable or not, but if so maybe that helps his chances? Go Warrior of the Skies!

I wouldn't think being a spirit would eliminate his chances, as it's only a 2D artwork of him, rather than any model of some sort that could be mixed up with him. I think Assist Trophies might be the only deconfirmation for character speculation (given the 3D models and how the assist plus character could potentially get muddled up), but even that is up for debate.

So yeah, potential Balloon Fighter as DLC is something we can hope for. There's no retro character included in the base roster, so perhaps due to time restraints and such they've moved the retro spot to DLC.

 

[Wario Bros.]

Still rooting for Balloon Fighter.

 

[AirMac1]

-Art by CarringCarrot-

Welcome to the thread of the Balloon Fighter, a gone but not quite forgotten character that you may be familiar with, or not. If it's the latter option, you may be wondering..

-Who is the Balloon Figther?-
The Balloon Fighter is a character that debuted in the Arcade game, VS. Balloon Fight released in 1984 in Japan.

However most of us recognize thanks to this game's much more well known NES counterpart, simply named Balloon Fight released in 1985 in Japan (and later released in 1986 in NA and 1987 in Pal regions) designed by Yoshio Sakamoto (known for the Metroid series) and programmed by the late Satoru Iwata (former CEO of Nintendo and programming genius)

In this game our titular protagonist must fly and pop the balloons of his enemies so that they fall into their grave in the sea (or become seafood) while avoiding Flippers and lighting sparks, or even worse, a giant fish that appears if you go too close to the water. Think it similar to William's Electronic Joust. There's also Balloon Trip, in which the player flies in an endless auto-scrolling stage trying to collect Ballons while avoiding lighting sparks.

That's pretty much it. He has no backstory,character arc, no real defined personality traits, inner struggles, friends, allies, love interests, rivals,etc. But don't let that discourage you, remember that he comes from a time when Story was basically an aftertought in Games, and Gameplay was always the main priority, and while this game may be a little repetitive, it sure is a fun time for anyone to look for some old-school arcade game action.

-Gameplay by nesguide-


May not sound like Fighting-Competitive-Party-game playable character material, but then again, we have a dog, a fitness trainer and other above-average fighters, but does Balloon Fighter have more to him than just beign a character from an over 30 year old game? Well yes my dear.

-Legacy in the World of Nintendo-
Balloon Fight may not be a giant franchise in the same vein as Mario, Kirby, Legend of Zelda or even smaller ones like Earthbound or Pikmin, but that doesn't mean that the franchise and his titular character don't get respect or recognition.

Well, Balloon Fight did get a sequel of sorts in the Game Boy, named Balloon Kid released in 1990 in NA (and later released in japan in 2000 as a GBC game), starring a young girl named Alice trying to rescue her brother Jim after beign carried away by Balloons. So how does she go after him? why by using Balloons of course!

-Gameplay by 1983parrothead-

As you can see, this game has a shift in objective. While Balloon Fight was a single screen game with the objective of eliminating all of the on-screen enemies with the occasional bonus stage thrown in the middle, Balloon Kid instead is an auto scrolling game (similar to the Balloon Trip mode in the Original Game) with elements that reflect the era this game was released.

Now there's an actual premise as to why you are going around flying with Balloons,
there's a point A and Point B, you can ditch your Balloons (sometimes necessary for some sections of the game) you don't die if both of your Balloons are popped, you can inflate a new pair of Balloons at any time on the ground, there's some boss fights thrown into the mix, and the game has you game going through different locations this time (like a city with Pencil-Shaped Skyscrappers with the pun-tastic name of Pencilvania) It's kinda like going from Mario Bros to Super Mario Bros.

While a fun Game Boy game in it's own right, it's not as remembered by many in the same vein as the NES game. Also let's face it, Alice doesn't have a lot going for since there's no reason to choose her over Balloon Fighter.

However some of the ideas implemented in this game could be used in Balloon Fighter's moveset (kinda like how Ness and Lucas borrow moves from other characters) but we still have to go through Balloon Fighter's legacy:

-References and nods to Balloon Fight in other games-
-Aside from the the multiple re-releases and ports the game has (Balloon Fight for the Game and Watch, Balloon Fight beign included in the NES Classic, beign avaliable in every incarnation of the Virtual Console, etc) he has appearead in the WarioWare games in the form of Microgame cameos. Wario Ware Smooth Moves even features a mini-game based on Balloon Trip but in 3D.

-The original NES game was included in the original N64 version of Doubutsu No Mori (known here as Animal Crossing) and has apperead in every single re-release of the game ever since.

-Balloon Fight was included as a Touch Mode of Tetris DS, a game that features cameos of different Nintendo Franchises.

-On 2007, Club Nintendo released a "remake" of the game called Tingle's Balloon Fight for the Nintendo DS.

-Balloon Fighter appears as a Mystery Mushroom Costume in Super Mario Maker for the Wii U.

-Nintendo Land, a Wii U game that's basically a theme-park based mini game collection inspired after many Nintendo games, includes one based on Balloon Fight called "Balloon Trip Breeze"

-Balloon Fight was also featured in NES Remix (a challenge-based game featuring a multitude of NES games as it names suggests) and Ultimate NES Remix.

-Balloon Fight was featured as one of the challenges in the Nintendo World Championships 2015 and 2017.

-If you subscribe to the Nintendo Switch online service, you will be given Balloon Fight for free (alongside Dr Mario and SMB3)

As you can see, Balloon Fight is still fondly remembered by Nintendo. Ballon Fight is agruably one of the most fondly remembered games of the early NES era, and this is what brings us to Smash Bros.

-Balloon Fight content in Smash-
Balloon Fighter was, in fact a considered character for Super Smash Bros Melee, since Sakurai wanted a character to represent the NES era, however he was passed in favor of the Ice Climbers because the Balloon Fighter "could not fight witouth his Balloons".

However Balloon Fight still got some references in the Smash series. Balloon Fighter got a trophy in Melee, the Giant Fish makes a cameo in Brawl (specifically on the stage Summit), Balloon Trip's theme song has apperead in every game since Melee, and Villager's Up B move in Smash 4 is a reference to Balloon Fight (oh and the NES game is featured as a masterpiece).

Despite that, i personally believe that Balloon Fighter is worthy of beign a playable character in Smash, Villager's recovery be damned. As i showed you earlier, his 8-bit Adventure has become one of the most referenced games despite having only one sequel (and said sequel is ironically barely acknowledged in comparison) up to the point that it may be on par with Duck Hunt when it comes classic games from the third generation that are fondly remembred by the gaming culture.

However as Smash as showed us that beign well known and requested for Smash isn't enough for beign playable, you also need to be bring something to the table (like having abilities or moves fitting for Smash or beign unique up to the point that you bring something that no one else has)

So now we go onto our next section.

-How would Balloon Fighter..........well,fight?-
First let's get some things out of the way.

Yes i know that Sakurai said that Balloon Fighter could not fight without his Balloons, but you could say the same for Olimar and his pikmin. Yes Olimar punch could his enemies in his source game but that's not going to get you very far, and yes, Olimar doesn't die if he loses his Pikmin, unlike Balloon Fighter dies if his Balloons are popped. Still, Olimar clearly has attacks in which he doens't use his Pikmin (All ground attacks except Smash attacks and the Neutral Aerial). So i don't think the "Can't fight without Balloons" arguement holds any water anymore.


Furthermore, in Balloon Kid, it was enterily possible to ditch your Balloons and inflate a new pair in case you needed them. Just like how Sakurai implemented Paula, Poo, and Kumatora's PSI moves into Ness and Lucas movesets, we will give Alice's abilities to the Balloon Fighter. His Balloons would affect his movement and recovery:

-If he has 2 Balloons, he would have outstanding Air Mobility, 5 jumps, but low traction and be VERY floaty.

-If he has 1 Balloon, he will have Good Mobility, 3 jumps, medium traction and quite floaty.

-If he has 0 Balloons, he will have Bad Air Mobility, 2 jumps, normal traction, and be basically the heaviest Lightweight witouth his Balloons.


Also, the Balloon Fighter, at least in my vison of his moveset, wil not use the Balloons as Direct Weapon, but rather as a tool that aids him in Aerial Combat.

He would be basically the anthitesis of Little Mac, terrible ground game, but unparalleled Aerial Game and Recovery. This also applies to his moves. Instead of punches, he uses kicks, and those kicks are aided thanks to 2 things:

1-Spike Boots, now Balloon Fighter's boots now have spikes that made Balloon Popping all the more easy for him.

2-Balloon's Fighter Kicks grow to cartoony size, in a similar vein to Mario's Up Tilt and Foward Aerial.

He could also be given electricity attacks as a nod to the lighting sparks of the original game. It helps that Balloons and static electricty go hand-in-hand.

"B-B-B-but da balloon fighta didt us eleactricity" you said? Well the "Ice" Climbers didn't use Ice attacks either in their source material, yet they use it in Smash.

-Hypothetical moveset (image is not mine)-

As you can see, Balloon Fighter does have some moveset potential up his sleeve dspite first impressions.

-What are his chances?-
Not likely, unfortunately Sakurai is not easily persuaded when it comes to changing his mind, and the Villager's Recovery move seems to imply that he is content with only making minor references to him.
Before he could get into Smash, the first step would be changing Villager's recovery to something else.

Despite this, i still hold a glimmer of hope, and you should too in case you are a supporter.

This thread is for discussing anything Ballloon Fighter or Balloon Fight related. Palutena Codecs, Home Stage Ideas, hell even non-Smash things related to the franchise, like an hypothetical Reboot or comeback for the franchise (Bubsy returned, wierder things have happened)

Fly high folks.

-BALLOON WARRIORS (Support List)-

Spoiler

-Thread owner-
Tord the Red Leader

Supporters:
Yomi's Biggest Fan.
Tortilla Noggin
Yoshi-Thomas
lady_sky skipper
smashkirby
Wonks
SquashiniKun
Aussie the Shinobi
sman3579
Morbi
Diddy Kong
DukeNapoleon
Crap-Zapper
Wario Bros
BluePikmin11
ProfPeanut
KeybladeSmasher
Astraltar
RealLuigisWearPink
Mr.J
MoveMan1
Jakor
Celever
MrReyes96
BridgesWithTurtles
Mrrgle
Calane
G-Guy
Questionmark222
Souldin
SEGAGameBoy
Thermithral
FunAtParties

-Moveset Ideas-

Spoiler: Moveset by Celever

Balloon Fighter Gimmick
The obvious gimmick for him to have is the balloon-popping. However, while most movesets I've seen for him include a Down-B where he refills balloons, I don't think this would be particularly practical, as he would have to refill the balloons too often, and be gimped too significantly without them. This is problematic when considering how long it takes for balloons to be inflated in the original source material: a solid 10 seconds or so. As such, I would have the gimmick be that Balloon Fighter starts with 2 balloons and at around 100% (or thereabouts), one of the balloons pops. The character then moves slower and, more importantly, has an increased stopping time on his movement, mirroring the effect that balloons being popped has in-game. Balloon Fighter can therefore keep his multiple jumps just fine, but due to his difficult-to-control movement, can be potentially punished quite easily.

Lesser Gimmick
When jumping off of another character in the air, does 20% damage to that character.

Properties
Weight: Roughly Mario, as he has a similar body-type to him.
Speed (Land & Air): Mirrors in-game physics of Balloon Fight: Controls slowly at first but can speed up to quite incredible heights before slowing down again upon a change in directional input
Traction: Poor, made poorer upon the loss of a second balloon

A: Generic Punch
AA: Generic Punch 2: Electric Boogaloo
AAA: Headbutt

F-Tilt: Swipes hands vertically behind him in the opposite direction to the tilt -- the movement he makes when flapping in Balloon Fight
U-Tilt: Balloons inflate (and then deflate). Hits send opponents either left or right depending on which balloon hits them last
D-Tilt: Pumps both of his arms downwards in front of him -- the action enemies make in-game when pumping up their balloons

F-Smash: Thrusts an enemy bird from the game forwards, and then throws it a little. The enemy is knocked out when hitting the ground, flying vertically downwards as a projectile. If it doesn't hit the ground, it floats down within its parachute until it does, meandering from left to right, acting as a hitbox the whole way.
U-Smash: Lifts a pipe from the bonus rounds above his head. Sends opponents extremely vertically, like the route the balloons take when leaving the pipes in-game.
D-Smash: Spawns two of the bubbles from the game on either side of Balloon Fighter, which then rise into the air slowly. Contact with the bubbles does a lot of damage but has no hit stun or knockback.

Neutral Special: Releases a spark from in-game in the direction inputted. This spark moves around the stage, changing direction when it hits a wall, until it flies off-stage, hits a character, or a new spark is released above the limit. Limit of 2 sparks at a time. Contact with the spark provides massive hit-stun and decent damage.
Side Special: Sends three gusts of wind in a fan shape in the direction of the special. These gusts do very small damage, but have small hitboxes with a significant amount of knockback and no hitstun -- traditionally how wind is used in Smash Bros. The graphics for the wind can reference the wind graphic used when swiping in Nintendo Land's Balloon Trip mode
Up Special: Creates a flipper and uses it on himself. This sends Balloon Fighter upwards predominantly, but in a fairly random direction besides that. Flipper remains after use, up to three, disappearing once another flipper above the limit has been placed, or if another flipper is placed too close to an existent one. However, they deal no damage or hitstun, making them mere directional inconveniences, or nasty ways to trap opponents into particular movements.
Down Special: Spawns a body of water around Balloon Fighter, roughly the size of 3 Balloon Fighter models placed side-by-side. This removes the stage from the contained area, treating it like normal air. Using Down Special again spawns Floppy Fish for a second or so (the fish from Balloon Fight which eats anything that gets too close to the water), which pokes its head out of the water and eats enemies traveling overhead or within the water area of the stage. The fish bites the fighters, launching them, rather than auto-killing them.

Neutral Aerial: Spawns an electrified cloud around him briefly, from Balloon Fight, dealing a lot of knockback with a very large hitbox.
Side Aerial: Sends Balloon Fighter upwards like flapping in-game, and using it after having been launched slows down the extent to which he's been launched more significantly than regular directional input. Does no damage, however. This is a way of including Balloon Fighter's deserved theoretical infinite recovery, but forces it into a more predictable path to refrain from it from being busted, though it has Balloon Fight's physics of building momentum with each flap.
Up Aerial: Deploys a parachute above himself of the same design that enemies use in the source material. Rope hitstuns and once the parachute deploys it launches.
Down Aerial: Releases a crate beneath Balloon Fighter on a rope with a permanent hitbox, from the Nintendo Land Balloon Trip mode. This remains there until it's struck by a strong attack, or touches the ground / a wall. Significant start and ending lag.

Taunt 1: Balloon Fighter creates a bonus balloon of a random colour from Balloon Fight and pops it, with the popping animation and sound effect.
Taunt 2: Balloon Fighter inflates a balloon, using the animation enemies used, and releases it: a 1% damage projectile with no hitstun and a small hitbox
Taunt 3: An enemy from Balloon Fight appears in its grounded state, Balloon Fighter walks into it, death animation plays

Final Smash: Bonus Time
A large bubbles rises from the bottom of the screen which Balloon Fighter automatically grabs, freezing time (as is what happens in Balloon Trip). Two balloons spawn upon each opponent's head. Time remains frozen for about 10 seconds, and Balloon Fighter must pop the balloons on the opponents by running into them at a direction generally upwards of the balloons. Fighters who have both of their balloons popped at the end of the final smash are launched, and each pop of the balloon does about 30% anyway. A second AI controlled Balloon Fighter can also come onto screen and help pop balloons, maybe targeting the character on the lowest percentage at the time of the final smash, or just the one closest to the right hand side of the screen, representing Balloon Fight's innovative 1987 multi-player.

-More moveset ideas are welcome-

-Signature Icon-

(by Golden Icarus)
​

I will delete you!

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

Can we revive this thread, please?

Balloon fighter is definitely a must have for me when it comes to retro NES characters such as the Ice Climbers and the Duck Hunt dog! It's a bummer that we didn't get any NES rep this time, but well who knows, maybe just maybe he could be a DLC character! Unlikely? Yes it actually is very, but one can still dream! Or maybe he could just be some sort of bonus fighter like Piranha Plant!

I don't care if the character's iconic ability to float using his balloons was stolen for Villager's up special, if the fire emblem characters can have "copy-paste moves" than I think Balloon Fighter could still use his balloons for his recovery!

And there was never really an official proof that spirits disconfirm characters! So, I'll still be rooting for him!

And this video made by Blocked Content right here that shows a potential moveset idea for him, makes me want Balloon Fighter even more in Smash (which I thought it wasn't possible)!

I really love his design here, and most of the ideas they had for his abilities!
But what do you guys think?

 

[GillyGrime]

Balloon Fighter has been among my top 5 most wanted since the days of Brawl (in that list was also Megaman, K Rool, Duck Hunt). I really wish there was more support in the Smash community for this character. Is it just Smash 4 onwards where Balloon Fighter has been lacking in support due to Villager's recovery or has he always been a less common pick?

Either way, he is the absolute best NES rep left to add imo. Huge Balloon Fighter supporter right here.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

Balloon Fighter has been among my top 5 most wanted since the days of Brawl (in that list was also Megaman, K Rool, Duck Hunt). I really wish there was more support in the Smash community for this character. Is it just Smash 4 onwards where Balloon Fighter has been lacking in support due to Villager's recovery or has he always been a less common pick?

Either way, he is the absolute best NES rep left to add imo. Huge Balloon Fighter supporter right here.

Good to know that! Unfortunately I never saw that much support among classic Nintendo NES characters like him! I was really rooting for him this time, I essentially had my hopes that he'd be added as a sort of homage to Iwata, well guess what, not even him or any other Black Box NES character got the spot this time!
Gotta say, it's really sad to see that the tradition of adding one NES character in each Smash has probably come to an end (it was one of favourite parts in any Smash Bros)!

Absolutely agree! Balloon Fighter would make me completely satisfied with the presence of classic retro characters in Smash, he is undoubtedly the most memorable and iconic character left in the Black Box NES library! Of course Mach Rider and Urban Champion would also give me a smile, but those are just wanted and not necessarily needed!

 

[GillyGrime]

Good to know that! Unfortunately I never saw that much support among classic Nintendo NES characters like him! I was really rooting for him this time, I essentially had my hopes that he'd be added as a sort of homage to Iwata, well guess what, not even him or any other Black Box NES character got the spot this time!
Gotta say, it's really sad to see that the tradition of adding one NES character in Smash has probably come to an end (it was one of favourite parts in any Smash Bros)!

Absolutely agree! Balloon Fighter would make me completely satisfied with the presence of classic retro characters in Smash, he is undoubtedly the most memorable and iconic character left in the Black Box NES library! Of course Mach Rider and Urban Champion would also give me a smile, but those are just wanted and not necessarily needed!

At this point, even seeing him as an assist trophy would be amazing. I just wanna see him show up physically in HD man haha.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

Well there's the Balloon Fighter trophy in Smash 4, guess that's the closest thing to an HD version of him that we've got!

Gotta say, I really dislike this redesign, much prefer the one from Balloon fighter's trophy in Melee or even the fanmade one from the video I showed in the other reply!

But, yeah seeing him as an assist trophy is at least better than nothing, I guess.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Balloon Fighter has been among my top 5 most wanted since the days of Brawl (in that list was also Megaman, K Rool, Duck Hunt). I really wish there was more support in the Smash community for this character. Is it just Smash 4 onwards where Balloon Fighter has been lacking in support due to Villager's recovery or has he always been a less common pick?

Either way, he is the absolute best NES rep left to add imo. Huge Balloon Fighter supporter right here.

I think for whatever reason people see Villager's Up-B as a disconfirmation, so when people see Villager they take BF as dead. Unfortunately, Villager was the first announcement in 4, and his move was shown during Ultimate's reveal, so Balloon Fighter never even got the chance to grow a fan base these last two hype cycles.

 

[GillyGrime]

I think for whatever reason people see Villager's Up-B as a disconfirmation, so when people see Villager they take BF as dead. Unfortunately, Villager was the first announcement in 4, and his move was shown during Ultimate's reveal, so Balloon Fighter never even got the chance to grow a fan base these last two hype cycles.

It's really unfortunate. Also, because there's already a Balloon Fighter stage now, it's not like Balloon Fighter can bring with him a stage in the case of say Duck Hunt for example. So I think sadly this too lowers his chances.

That said, I support characters on moveset potential, historical importance and personal likes. I don't intend to just support the "popular" picks and Balloon Fighter is the underdog on my most wanted (as was Duck Hunt pre-Smash 4 and look how that turned out ).

 

[HYRULESHERO42]

Would Balloon Fighter be the “anti-little mac”?

Purely aerial fighter with a weak ground game?

 

[GillyGrime]

Would Balloon Fighter be the “anti-little mac”?

Purely aerial fighter with a weak ground game?

That's a really creative way of putting it. And a nice case to put forward for Balloon Fighter being a unique addition to the roster. I like it.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

I think for whatever reason people see Villager's Up-B as a disconfirmation, so when people see Villager they take BF as dead. Unfortunately, Villager was the first announcement in 4, and his move was shown during Ultimate's reveal, so Balloon Fighter never even got the chance to grow a fan base these last two hype cycles.

Maybe so, but still that really shouldn't be seen as a disconfirmation! Just look at Young Link, basically every single one of his moves are exactly the same as Toon Link's, and that didn't stop him from making a return! I know it was part of the whole deal of "Everyone is Here", but it kind of goes to show that if they don't have any problem in copy-pasting an entire moveset, than I don't see any problem in recycling just one move either. Maybe that doesn't even need to be his Up special, maybe it could just be a similar ability to Kirby and Jigglypuff where you continuously tap in order to make him float, just like in the original NES game!

It's really unfortunate. Also, because there's already a Balloon Fighter stage now, it's not like Balloon Fighter can bring with him a stage in the case of say Duck Hunt for example. So I think sadly this too lowers his chances.

I guess in this case, it's highly unlikely, since a DLC character has to come with one stage and a couple of soundtracks from his series, but well at the very least they could get the those aspects from Balloon KId, the forgotten and underrated sequel (or spinoff) to Balloon Fighter! But probably the best option is to make the same treatment that Piranha Plant had!

What hapens, happens but I'll still be waiting for a NES rep for Ultimate, they can't just suddenly give up on such a big tradition, and there can't possibly be a better choice than BF, that guy doesn't just have a stage, he also even has an icon of his series!

I don't think there's any other franchise represented in Smash that has an icon and not a rep!

Edit: sorry about the oversized image, I can't seem to get the damn thing smaller!

 

[GillyGrime]

Maybe so, but still that really shouldn't be seen as a disconfirmation! Just look at Young Link, basically every single one of his moves are exactly the same as Toon Link's, and that didn't stop him from making a return! I know it was part of the whole deal of "Everyone is Here", but it kind of goes to show that if they don't have any problem in copy-pasting an entire moveset, than I don't see any problem in recycling just one move either. Maybe that doesn't even need to be his Up special, maybe it could just be a similar ability to Kirby and Jigglypuff where you continuously tap in order to make him float, just like in the original NES game!



I guess in this case, it's highly unlikely, since a DLC character has to come with one stage and a couple of soundtracks from his series, but well at the very least they could get the those aspects from Balloon KId, the forgotten and underrated sequel (or spinoff) to Balloon Fighter! But probably the best option is to make the same treatment that Piranha Plant had!

What hapens, happens but I'll still be waiting for a NES rep for Ultimate, they can't just suddenly give up on such a big tradition, and there can't possibly be a better choice than BF, that guy doesn't just have a stage, he also even has an icon of his series!

I don't think there's any other franchise represented in Smash that has an icon and not a rep!

Edit: sorry about the oversized image, I can't seem to get the damn thing smaller!

Wow, I never realised it had an icon in Smash. That's really...strange, and kinda cool. Yeah, Balloon Fighter's best bet is as standalone DLC akin to Piranha Plant in my opinion. If it happened I think I would faint.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

Wow, I never realised it had an icon in Smash. That's really...strange, and kinda cool. Yeah, Balloon Fighter's best bet is as standalone DLC akin to Piranha Plant in my opinion. If it happened I think I would faint.

Me too, I'd be just like Doc Brown after seeing Balloon Fighter's reveal trailer (even if I break a bone or two, it would be still worth it ) !

 

[smashkirby]

Say, if no minds me asking... has anyone here happened to take a gander at my Alice (Balloon Kid) for Smash thread?

 

[GoodGrief741]

Say, if no minds me asking... has anyone here happened to take a gander at my Alice (Balloon Kid) for Smash thread?

I have. I think I've even posted there.

 

[GillyGrime]

Say, if no minds me asking... has anyone here happened to take a gander at my Alice (Balloon Kid) for Smash thread?

Yeah, I would rather Balloon Fighter a lot more, though Alice would be more unique in possibly bringing a Pencilvania stage. They could always give Balloon Fighter the "Alph treatment" with her. Or make them echoes (extremely unlikely in my opinion).

 

[Wario Bros.]

I'd always pick Balloon Fighter over Alice.

There's something about BF that brings me far more sentimental value than her.

 

[GillyGrime]

I'd be amazed if Alice ever appears in Smash in any form (spirit or otherwise). But then again, I thought any appearance of Harry the Teleroboxer from the Virtual Boy was too obscure and improbable, and what a pleasant surprise it was to see him as a spirit.

Balloon Fighter is far more likely (and my personal pick), though as I'm always a sucker for obscure retro characters, I'd be down with Alice.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

Say, if no minds me asking... has anyone here happened to take a gander at my Alice (Balloon Kid) for Smash thread?

I just saw it today, not gonna lie I'd rather have Balloon Fighter a hell of a lot more, and fortunately (for me), he happens to be the most likely at this point, not just between the two of them but out of most retro picks! But I guess I can always lend a reply or two in that thread too, I mean I liked the concept and the creativity of the second one, even if it didn't have much relation with the original Balloon Fight!

thought Alice's design would be more cartoony rather than anime-ish tho!

 

[Perkilator]

I've created a moveset for Balloon Fighter, so I support!

Spoiler: Balloon Fighter moveset

Who?: The Balloon Fighter is player 1 of the NES game Balloon Fight. It was originally released in 1984 for the arcades as Vs. Balloon Fight, and was ported to the NES less than two years later.

Importance to Nintendo: The Balloon Fighter was a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and so was the Flipper as well as an item. The fighter himself was considered to be playable in Melee, only to be dropped in favor of the Ice Climbers. The Flipper had not been an item since Melee. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the original Balloon Fight game is a playable stage, and was eventually ported over to Ultimate.

Intro: Balloon Fighter inflates his two balloons posthaste and straps them to his back.

Stance/Idle 1: Balloon Fighter hops up from left to right very shortly.

Idle 2: Balloon Fighter floats in the air for a little bit.

Idle 3: Balloon Fighter nearly trips, floats up, and then gets back on the ground.

Notable Palette Swaps: Player 1, Player 2, Green Enemy, White Enemy, Alice, Urban Champion, Bubbles (Clu Clu Land), Mach Rider

Walk: Balloon Fighter skips and hops shortly up.

Dash: Balloon Fighter dashes with his balloons behind him, using them as brakes when he stops.

Damage: The death animation from Balloon Fight, with an altered version of the accompanying sound effect.

Jump: Balloon Fighter can jump up to seven times, at a relatively short height with each jump.

Crouch: The crouch an enemy does when they inflate their balloons.


Weapon of Choice: The Balloon Fighter is mostly physical, but uses his balloons as well.

Basic Attacks:
Jab: Balloon Fighter bumps forward similar to how he pushes forward to pop balloons in the original game (4%, nonexistent knockback)
Forward+A: Balloon Fighter bobs his balloons in front of him (6%, small knockback)
Down+A: Balloon Fighter pumps down a balloon pump and lets air out (5%, small knockback)
Up+A: Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together very briefly, letting out a small electric shock (8%, small knockback)

Air+A: Balloon Fighter shoots out small bubbles from his mouth (6%, small knockback)
Air Forward+A: Balloon Fighter swings forward (8%, OK knockback)
Air Back + A: Balloon Fighter swings backwards (8%, OK knockback)
Air Up+A: Balloon Fighter spins his balloons together to create a slightly bigger electric shockwave (11%, OK knockback)
Air Down+A: Balloon Fighter lets air out of his balloons and drops down (14% with a meteor effect, medium knockback)

Dash Attack: Balloon Fighter flaps his arms as he floats forward (9%, OK knockback)
Edge Attack: Balloon Fighter lets a little bit of air out and dashes forward, pushing enemies out of the way (no damage, OK knockback)


Smash Moves:
Forward+A: Balloon Fighter tries to stop a Flipper, only to be caught by it (15%, medium knockback)
Up+A: Balloon Fighter charges electricity by rubbing his balloons together, only to be shocked back (18%, medium knockback)
Down+A: Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together, and slams them on the ground (17%, medium knockback)

Grabs:
Neutral: Balloon Fighter grabs with both hands
Grab+punch: Balloon Fighter headbutted the opponent (3%)
Forwards+Throw: Balloon Fighter traps the opponent in a bubble and sends them forward (4%)
Down+Throw: Balloon Fighter spins on the opponent's chest (18%, small knockback)
Back+Throw: Balloon Fighter turns into a Flipper and sends the opponent backwards (9-11%, OK knockback)
Up+Throw: Balloon Fighter whacks his balloons together and shocks the opponent (13%, OK knockback)

Special Moves:

B : Spark; Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together to charge electricity. At small charge, the spark goes a short distance and disappears (5%, small knockback). At medium charge, the spark homes in on a random opponent and zaps them (10%, small knockback). At full charge, the spark travels toward the direction Balloon Fighter is facing until it hits, and zaps multiple times (4% each, 20% total; medium knockback).
B + Forwards : Flipper; Balloon Fighter throws a Flipper a set distance like a boomerang (9-11%, OK knockback). If the control stick is flicked backwards, it will come back automatically (13%, OK knockback). When Balloon Fighter crouches, the Flipper stays in place.
B + Up : Inflate; Balloon Fighter inflates his balloons as he flies up. This increases the height of your normal jumping, but if you let them inflate for too long, they'll pop. Luckily, you have a parachute that can steer you horizontally so you don't fall.
B + Down : Balloon Rush; Balloon Fighter lets a good amount of air out of his balloons and charges into enemies (17%, OK knockback). Of course, you'll need to inflate the balloons again if you want to properly jump, as your jump height will be almost nonexistent when your balloons are deflated.

Final Smash: The Fish; a giant stream appears and Balloon Fighter flies away as fast as he can. A giant fish jumps up and eats anyone in its way (22%) and spits them out towards the other side of the screen (34%, far knockback)

Gimmick: The amount of air left in your balloons is indicated by their size. If there's too little air, they'll be small. If there's too much air, they'll be big (and pop, as mentioned earlier).


Taunts:

1: The balloons come off, but Balloon Fighter jumps up and straps them back on.
2: Balloon Fighter swings back and forth as if he's on swings.
1+2: Balloon Fighter does a twirl around with the balloons on his back.

Winposes:

1: Balloon Fighter is asleep, but then wakes up realizing he's floating away and tries to get back on the ground.
2: Balloon Fighter inflates his balloons to the max, only for them to pop so hard he gets pushed back by the air.
3: Balloon Fighter floats past an array of balloons, smiling in amazement.

Icon: The balloons used for the Balloon Fight stage.

Boxing Ring Title: An NES Pop Star

Victory Music: A combination of the victory themes for normal stages and bonus stages.

Kirby Hat: Balloon Fighter's helmet.

 

[smashkirby]

I've created a moveset for Balloon Fighter, so I support!

Spoiler: Balloon Fighter moveset

Who?: The Balloon Fighter is player 1 of the NES game Balloon Fight. It was originally released in 1984 for the arcades as Vs. Balloon Fight, and was ported to the NES less than two years later.

Importance to Nintendo: The Balloon Fighter was a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and so was the Flipper as well as an item. The fighter himself was considered to be playable in Melee, only to be dropped in favor of the Ice Climbers. The Flipper had not been an item since Melee. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the original Balloon Fight game is a playable stage, and was eventually ported over to Ultimate.

Intro: Balloon Fighter inflates his two balloons posthaste and straps them to his back.

Stance/Idle 1: Balloon Fighter hops up from left to right very shortly.

Idle 2: Balloon Fighter floats in the air for a little bit.

Idle 3: Balloon Fighter nearly trips, floats up, and then gets back on the ground.

Notable Palette Swaps: Player 1, Player 2, Green Enemy, White Enemy, Alice, Urban Champion, Bubbles (Clu Clu Land), Mach Rider

Walk: Balloon Fighter skips and hops shortly up.

Dash: Balloon Fighter dashes with his balloons behind him, using them as brakes when he stops.

Damage: The death animation from Balloon Fight, with an altered version of the accompanying sound effect.

Jump: Balloon Fighter can jump up to seven times, at a relatively short height with each jump.

Crouch: The crouch an enemy does when they inflate their balloons.


Weapon of Choice: The Balloon Fighter is mostly physical, but uses his balloons as well.

Basic Attacks:
Jab: Balloon Fighter bumps forward similar to how he pushes forward to pop balloons in the original game (4%, nonexistent knockback)
Forward+A: Balloon Fighter bobs his balloons in front of him (6%, small knockback)
Down+A: Balloon Fighter pumps down a balloon pump and lets air out (5%, small knockback)
Up+A: Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together very briefly, letting out a small electric shock (8%, small knockback)

Air+A: Balloon Fighter shoots out small bubbles from his mouth (6%, small knockback)
Air Forward+A: Balloon Fighter swings forward (8%, OK knockback)
Air Back + A: Balloon Fighter swings backwards (8%, OK knockback)
Air Up+A: Balloon Fighter spins his balloons together to create a slightly bigger electric shockwave (11%, OK knockback)
Air Down+A: Balloon Fighter lets air out of his balloons and drops down (14% with a meteor effect, medium knockback)

Dash Attack: Balloon Fighter flaps his arms as he floats forward (9%, OK knockback)
Edge Attack: Balloon Fighter lets a little bit of air out and dashes forward, pushing enemies out of the way (no damage, OK knockback)


Smash Moves:
Forward+A: Balloon Fighter tries to stop a Flipper, only to be caught by it (15%, medium knockback)
Up+A: Balloon Fighter charges electricity by rubbing his balloons together, only to be shocked back (18%, medium knockback)
Down+A: Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together, and slams them on the ground (17%, medium knockback)

Grabs:
Neutral: Balloon Fighter grabs with both hands
Grab+punch: Balloon Fighter headbutted the opponent (3%)
Forwards+Throw: Balloon Fighter traps the opponent in a bubble and sends them forward (4%)
Down+Throw: Balloon Fighter spins on the opponent's chest (18%, small knockback)
Back+Throw: Balloon Fighter turns into a Flipper and sends the opponent backwards (9-11%, OK knockback)
Up+Throw: Balloon Fighter whacks his balloons together and shocks the opponent (13%, OK knockback)

Special Moves:

B : Spark; Balloon Fighter rubs his balloons together to charge electricity. At small charge, the spark goes a short distance and disappears (5%, small knockback). At medium charge, the spark homes in on a random opponent and zaps them (10%, small knockback). At full charge, the spark travels toward the direction Balloon Fighter is facing until it hits, and zaps multiple times (4% each, 20% total; medium knockback).
B + Forwards : Flipper; Balloon Fighter throws a Flipper a set distance like a boomerang (9-11%, OK knockback). If the control stick is flicked backwards, it will come back automatically (13%, OK knockback). When Balloon Fighter crouches, the Flipper stays in place.
B + Up : Inflate; Balloon Fighter inflates his balloons as he flies up. This increases the height of your normal jumping, but if you let them inflate for too long, they'll pop. Luckily, you have a parachute that can steer you horizontally so you don't fall.
B + Down : Balloon Rush; Balloon Fighter lets a good amount of air out of his balloons and charges into enemies (17%, OK knockback). Of course, you'll need to inflate the balloons again if you want to properly jump, as your jump height will be almost nonexistent when your balloons are deflated.

Final Smash: The Fish; a giant stream appears and Balloon Fighter flies away as fast as he can. A giant fish jumps up and eats anyone in its way (22%) and spits them out towards the other side of the screen (34%, far knockback)

Gimmick: The amount of air left in your balloons is indicated by their size. If there's too little air, they'll be small. If there's too much air, they'll be big (and pop, as mentioned earlier).


Taunts:

1: The balloons come off, but Balloon Fighter jumps up and straps them back on.
2: Balloon Fighter swings back and forth as if he's on swings.
1+2: Balloon Fighter does a twirl around with the balloons on his back.

Winposes:

1: Balloon Fighter is asleep, but then wakes up realizing he's floating away and tries to get back on the ground.
2: Balloon Fighter inflates his balloons to the max, only for them to pop so hard he gets pushed back by the air.
3: Balloon Fighter floats past an array of balloons, smiling in amazement.

Icon: The balloons used for the Balloon Fight stage.

Boxing Ring Title: An NES Pop Star

Victory Music: A combination of the victory themes for normal stages and bonus stages.

Kirby Hat: Balloon Fighter's helmet.

Oh, my gosh! This is such an awesome Balloon Fighter moveset! By the way, I like your Boxing Ring title for the guy!

 

[Perkilator]

There’s now a support thread for retro characters: https://smashboards.com/threads/tim...s-black-box-characters-support-thread.494381/

 

[Buzzwole]

I know that this is sacrilegious because they're so beloved nowadays, but I genuinely think BF would have been a better retro pick than the Ice Climbers back in Melee.

BF is a much better game than IC, and it feels like its left much a larger footprint in Nintendo's history.

 

[Wario Bros.]

Ignore this

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

I know that this is sacrilegious because they're so beloved nowadays, but I genuinely think BF would have been a better retro pick than the Ice Climbers back in Melee.

BF is a much better game than IC, and it feels like its left much a larger footprint in Nintendo's history.

*Gasp* Blasphemy!!!


But seriously tho, I always considered them equals. Although I do admit that with how much I have grown fond of the Ice Climbers, I would have never wanted to see that happening, as much as I love Balloon Fighter and wish to see him getting a Smash invitation.

 

[smashkirby]

I'm starting to wonder if Balloon Fighter will ever be added to Smash. I mean, he gets all these references made to his game, yet he himself always misses the mark on playability. Kind of sad, really.