Bloons

Some balloons, some darts, and a monkey; what on Earth can possibly go wrong?

Ninja Kiwi’s Bloons has become something of a phenomenon in the casual gaming world, spawning sequels, downloadable level packs, player designed level packs, and strangely enough, a tower defense game.

But considering that our game library here is still somewhat sparse, I figured it’s best to go with where it all began.

Now, if you’re anything at all like me, you’re terrible at carny games, with the one exception that you, like just about anyone else with full control over their motor skills, can throw a dart at enough balloons to win at least the little rinky dinky prizes that are so worthless that they put them right out front where anyone under the age of four can steal them.

No contest, right?  Sharp pointy object flying at a good clip versus an overpressurized cell whose only defense is a stretched thin layer of rubber, and it’s pretty obvious who’s going to win.

Bloons doesn’t just bring the fun of throwing sharp things at balloons home to you playable on your browser, but does so with enough twists and turns to keep your little monkey tossing darts for hours on end.

Playing is as simple as using your mouse to aim, and holding down the left mouse button to charge up your shot, but you’ll find that things get much more challenging very quickly.  Indeed, while the first few levels are little more than just letting your dart fly, you’ll be met with obstacles and special balloons that necessitate some decent brain power to figure out how to pop the required number of balloons with your meager supply of darts.

Thus, Bloons has become one of the more unique, and fun, puzzlers available on the seven internets.

Everything from the guidance system which becomes second nature after a time, to the satisfying sound of the balloons popping is pure casual gaming bliss.  You’ll struggle with finding just the right arc to thread your dart between a narrow space of bricks, and you’ll thrill when you hit that almost impossibly located starburst balloon which causes a chain reaction that clears the whole screen.

A wonderful coffee break game or something to relax with after an evening of work, I think you’ll find it little wonder that Bloons has become such a widely played game.