Bloons
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There is something inherently gratifying about smashing or destroying something, even watching a building be demolished is good fun. So it should be no surprise that we see the concept come up a lot in games. Stephen over at Ninja Kiwi claims that his latest Flash game, "is based on the very simple fact that popping balloons is fun." And you know what? He's right! In Bloons you get to pop a lot of balloons!
For control, you're given a small monkey with a handful of darts. To throw a dart, just aim with the mouse and press and hold the mouse button to power it up. A red arrow displays to help you gauge how hard to throw it; then just release the button when ready.
Clear each level by popping the target number of balloons displayed at the bottom of the screen. Of course, to make things interesting, you are limited to a certain number of darts per level, sometimes even to a single dart!
With 50 unique levels to unlock, Bloons will keep you busy for a very long time, if you let it. Stephen provides much in the way of environmental hazards and power-ups to keep the game interesting. Ice balloons, exploding balloons, tack balloons and boomerangs are only just a few of the wide range of items available. My personal favorite, the Pac-Man balloon, summons the mighty Pac-Man himself and places him under your control for a brief, sweet moment!
Analysis: There is a lot to love about this game, not the least of which is the pure enjoyment you get from popping all the balloons you can. Moreover, if you fail to achieve the target for a level, you can keep trying until you get it right. There's no concept of lives lost or game over; just keep trying! The unlockable levels provide a sweet reward of something new when you finally meet the target goal, and an integrated save system remembers which levels you've unlocked across play sessions so you can pick right up where you left off.
But the game is not without a few minor flaws. The aiming control seemed a bit glitchy in the version play tested for this review, and it needs some sort of feedback displayed for the player to gauge against previous attempts. Also, it seems that the power meter is inaccurate. When throwing darts at the same power, one would travel too far and another not far enough. Perhaps just a little tweaking and refinement is all it needs.
A couple of minor blemishes to an otherwise outstanding and very addictive new game from Stephen Harris and NinjaKiwi. Enjoy!
For even More Bloons, be sure to check out the follow-up with 50 new (and more difficult) levels! Click.

Walkthrough Guide
Complete Bloons Walkthrough and Strategy Guide
Note: This game gets quite difficult towards the end, so you may well need to use the 'reset level' button quite often in later levels.
In brackets next to each level is the number of balloons required.
Items/Walls
This guide refers to various objects in the game in a uniform manner. They are:
Wall pieces:
Level 1 - Pop Me (32)
Level 2 - Pop Me 2 (70)
Level 3 - Surprise (55)
Level 4 - Triangles (35)
Level 5 - Starburst (70)
Level 6 - The Iron Curtain (29)
Level 7 - Dart from above (85)
Level 8 - Holy Moley! (14)
Level 9 - Boing (29)
Level 10 - Parallel (18)
Level 11 - Tack-tile (32)
Level 12 - Arc (32)
Level 13 - Reservoir (25)
Level 14 - Maze (60)
Level 15 - One in a hundred (70)
Level 16 - Boomer (28)
Level 17 - Shapes (98)
Level 18 - Chain Reaction (105)
Level 19 - Light the Fuse (65)
Level 20 - Loopy (22)
Level 21 - Throwback (13)
Level 22 - Round-a-bout (68)
Level 23 - Ouchie (35)
Level 24 - Monsta (32)
Level 25 - Demolition (65)
Level 26 - 2 Paths (63)
Level 27 - Bouncy (15)
Level 28 - Big Ball (89)
Level 29 - Air Raid (40)
Level 30 - Ice Bounce (28)
Level 31 - The Cell (100)
Level 32 - Backwards Glance (43)
Level 33 - Danger! (30)
Level 34 - Igloos (58)
Level 35 - Fuggetaboudit (11)
Level 36 - Chalice (37)
Level 37 - Pacatak (53)
Level 38 - Bouncebomb (16)
Level 39 - Lockdown (20)
Level 40 - Ice Cave (26)
Level 41 - Myriad (50)
Level 42 - Chilly Chips (42)
Level 43 - D in the D (32)
Level 44 - Showertime (42)
Level 45 - Not So Hot (20)
Level 46 - Ears (25)
Level 47 - Bloon of Damacles (58)
It is possible to hit the Bomb balloon in one shot without destroying the block, or to not hit the Bomb balloon at all, but it is easier if you do. Feel free to try out other methods!
Level 48 - The Matrix (105)
Level 49 - Wrong Side (70)
Level 50 - The End (50)
Congratulations on completing Bloons!
Posted by: fatnickc | April 16, 2007 11:28 AM
Bloons 100% Strategy Guide
I have posted a more thorough walkthrough and strategy guide for those players trying to get 100% on every level. Leave feedback about it here, please.
Posted by: Kevin | April 21, 2007 2:46 PM