King & Balloon
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| King & Balloon | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Release date(s) | 1980 |
| Genre(s) | Fixed shooter |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Input | 2-way Joystick; 1 button |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright, cabaret, and cocktail |
| Arcade system(s) | Namco Galaxian |
| Arcade display | Vertical orientation, Raster |
King & Balloon is a fixed shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. It runs on Namco Galaxian hardware but with an extra Z80 processor to drive a DAC for speech.
[edit] Gameplay
The player controls two green men (likely soldiers in the king's army) with an orange cannon that fires at squads of descending balloons. You must protect the king and prevent him from being captured and carried away by one of the balloons. Unlike most shooter games, the player's cannon can be hit and destroyed any number of times; it is the king that must be protected. The game ends when the king is carried away three times.
[edit] Trivia
This is the first Namco game to use synthesized voices. The voices differed between Japanese and U.S. versions. In the Japanese version, the abducted king yelled "Help! Help!", but with heavy Japanese pronunciation, sounding more like "Herupuu!". In the U.S. version, the voice was redone as a more English-sounding "Help!"
