Balloon Fight


 * For the series, see Balloon Fight (universe). For the game this stage is based on, see Balloon Fight (game).

Balloon Fight (, Balloon Fight) is a stage in and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Stage overview
The stage always consists in two main platforms at the bottom separated by a river, with several (mostly soft) floating platforms, Flippers and clouds in varying arrangements. Unlike any other stage (except Mario Bros. in Ultimate), walking off one side of the screen will cause the character to warp around to the other side instead of self-destructing; if knockback and hitstun are involved, however, KOs will occur as usual. The water in the stage cannot be used for swimming even in Ultimate.

Flippers start spinning whenever touched. In their spinning state they deal 1% damage and low knockback.

Occasionally, one of the clouds starts blinking and releases a spark which then travels around the stage, rebounding on the platforms. Contact with the spark deals 5% damage and low knockback, and grounded players have a high chance of slipping.

If a character falls in the water they are immediately chomped by the Fish, taking 8% damage. The fish then attempts to drag the trapped character down to the lower blast line; however, its grab can be escaped by button mashing.

The stage has three possible layouts, randomly chosen from a set list, similarly to and Boxing Ring. The first variation has neon green grass, the second has grass of a more blue-green color, while the third has orange grass. Each of the variations feature different layouts of platforms, Flippers and clouds.

Ω forms and Battlefield form
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the Ω form consists of a single walled platform that resembles the green grassy soil variations of the normal form. Unlike Boxing Ring and Dream Land, its look cannot be changed. The water is intangible, and sparks, fish, and flippers are absent. Characters also cannot warp around the screen.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Ω form and Battlefield form are similar to SSB4's Ω form; however, the water is now absent and the main platform is resized and reshaped to match and, respectively. The three soft platforms of the Battlefield form resemble the grassy platforms of the normal form.

Origin
In , a clone of Williams Electronics' Joust, the player would fly around in a helmet with two balloons strapped on the Balloon Fighter's back. The goal was to pop the balloons of enemy birds. Once all of the balloons on a player were popped, he would fall into the water below. The birds fall in the water after all balloons are popped and once their parachute is gone. Moving off-screen sideways would cause the player to reappear on the other side. If a player flies too close to the water, a giant fish emerges, grabs the player with its mouth, and submerges back into the water with the player. The fish also emerges if an enemy descends to the water with a parachute. Phases 7-11, out of 12, in Balloon Fight contain a hazard called a flipper. If a player bumps into a flipper, it starts to spin. If a player or an enemy hits the flipper while it's spinning, the person flies temporarily out of control in a certain direction. Flippers also later appeared as an item in Super Smash Bros. Melee where they would cause knockback if bumped into.

This stage retains the original 8-bit graphics of Balloon Fight. In this stage, the ability to move off-screen and reappear on the other side is retained. The giant fish is retained as a stage hazard and functions similar to its appearance in Balloon Fight. Flippers are also a stage hazard, but function similarly to their appearance in Melee.

Trivia

 * An unusual glitch can occur with certain special moves, in which the momentum a character can gain at the end of the move before going into freefall is considerably greater if warping from one side of the special to another with the right timing.
 * Despite the platforms appearing to be 2D, they are actually fully rendered 3D models, which appear flat due to the stage using a special camera setting which removes parallax, as though the stage were being viewed from an infinite distance. This can easily be seen by pausing the game and moving the camera.
 * The stage previews for the Ω and Battlefield forms do not have this pseudo-2D effect, with the stars redrawn to appear normal size, causing their appearance to differ from how the stage looks in-game. In the special presentation for Steve and Alex, a version of the Battlefield form without this effect is also shown, only this time without the stars being redrawn, causing them to appear much smaller than usual.
 * In Smash 3DS, Pikmin and Luma are unable to utilize the stage's wraparound mechanic; should their respective partners walk off one side of the stage and reappear at the other side, they will backtrack across the stage to the other side instead of following them through the warp.
 * Due to the Flippers appearing in this stage and Bumpers appearing as an item, this makes Smash 3DS the first time in the series where a Bumper and a Flipper appear together.
 * In Ultimate, the following Assist Trophies can only appear on the Battlefield and Omega forms of this stage: Chain Chomp, Kapp'n, and Devil. The Moon and Nikki cannot be summoned on this stage at all, likely due to the dark background. Additionally, the following Poké Ball Pokémon can only be summoned on the stage's Battlefield and Omega forms: Abra, Palkia, Arceus, Victini, and Xerneas. Kyogre, Giratina, and Lunala cannot be summoned here at all.

Balloon Fight (escenario)