Balloon (object)


 * For the Badnik, see Balloon (enemy).

Balloons (バルーン) are regular objects and gimmicks, which are seen floating at the mid-air in zones. When the playable character jumps on to it, it causes the player to bounce higher and allows the player to reach further places and cross hazards. At the same time, the balloon normally explodes and disappear to nothing, but will respond after player returns to the same place or another set of balloons floats to the same place.

Balloons made their debut appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and have appeared regularly in several games since then. Balloons usually appear in four colors: blue, green, red, and yellow, while there have been small exceptions too. Bouncing on a balloon will cause it to pop. These objects may also appear as a single balloon or a group of three or four balloons.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Balloons have made first appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, where they are only seen floating individually on areas of Carnival Night Zone. Here, there are different colored balloons seen such as blue, dark blue, black red and yellow. By bouncing on them, the player is able to balance on them to get higher or alternative routes on the zone. Normally balloons also respond back. Carnival Night Zone also features medium sized flat platforms that have large amount balloons below them. The player is able to move platform to the up by jumping at a time, as balloons will start push the platform to up and the player will get to the top. When the Knuckles shuts down the electricity from the zone, balloons are seen to be darker than before. In the act 2 of Carnival Night Zone, balloons that are in underwater can release air bubbles after blowing them, which help the player to not drown in underwater.

While locked-on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles together, balloons also appear in Knuckles' shorter route of Carnival Night Zone. However due Sonic and Knuckles sharing different color palette, blue, dark blue or black balloons are not seen in Knuckles' route of the zone at all. While using Knuckles, if the player activates gliding ability with Knuckles when he's about touching the balloon, the player will extremely amount of leap power and Knuckles will be gliding even higher than usual.

Sonic Drift 2
Balloons in Sonic Drift 2 are only featured at Balloon Panic race track, that apparently doesn't have any Item Boxes. Balloons in Balloon Panic replaces them and other items, as racers can pick up different colored balloons, which each of them does have item inside it. The player is able to know, which colored balloons have specific items by memorizing balloon's coloring, as red balloons can temporarily reverse controls, yellow balloons can trigger a momentary white flash, blue balloons can cause decreasing of car's speed and black balloons contains mines to toss at opponents.

Tails' Skypatrol
Balloons are floating in the air and serve as useful gimmicks in Tails' Skypatrol. These balloons are colored orange and have small knob in the end of balloon's wire to hang on. Balloons are mostly floating individually in every area of the game. When the player flies and touches the balloon, it latches Tails on for a fast ride upwards, while the player can barely control him until the speed starts decrease to the normal flying speed.

Sonic 3D
Balloons are also seen in Sonic 3D Blast, where they are specially seen in Spring Stadium Zone. There are only blue colored balloons seen this time around. Balloons in this zone are mostly set above large arenas that are full of spikes, that will pop out if the player is standing on them. Normally the player will get bounced to the air once touching and will helpful to crossing spike floors on the zone. Normally balloons do respond back after coming to the same place again.

Sonic R
Balloons in Sonic R are only featured at the game's Time Attack and Versus modes, which have "Get 5 Balloons" races, where the player has to find five blue balloons hidden on race tracks. In the PC version of the game, Balloons have more variant of colors instead of just blue, which are red, blue, green, yellow, and orange.

Sonic Advance
Balloons make appearance Sonic Advance, where they are seen featured this time in Casino Paradise Zone. This time, there are red, blue and yellow colored balloons floating around. Balloons also do seem to appear even more individually than before, as the player can use them to get up the steeper lines. Like in previous games, balloons do respond after coming back to the same place after blowing it.

Sonic Advance 3
Balloons are also seen in Sonic Advance 3, where they are floating everywhere at the background of Toy Kingdom. In the game, there are different looking balloons featured in Toy Kingdom, which have round shaped head with bunny ears. There four different colored bunny balloons: red, blue, green and yellow. Balloons work similarly like in previous games, and are also set on rows to the player, while also found being set individually too. If the player keeps the balance on balloons, he/she can enter higher, alternative sections. Balloons do respond back once the player arrives back to the place where they are located.

Sonic Unleashed
Balloons made another appearance in Sonic Unleashed, where they are generally seen in Day Stages of Rooftop Run and some of the missions. There are four colors the balloons can have: red, blue, green and yellow. Balloons are mostly seen floating in rows, which the player can now reach easily by using a Homing Attack or by simply touching it. There are also some of set to the player for reaching higher, alternative routes of the day stages.

Sonic Colors
Balloons made another appearance in Sonic Colors, where they are now featured in numerous sections of Tropical Resort. While balloons look and act like identically comparing to Sonic Unleashed, there are several numerous wide areas, where balloons can suddenly fall down the sky endlessly. These balloons are set on four groups, but mostly do work similarly like individual ones. While normally using them to reach higher sections, there are small holes, where balloons are seen falling down normally, while the player can easily cross these places by balancing on falling balloons to other side.

Sonic Generations
Balloons made yet another appearance in Sonic Generations, where they appear and work like in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors. Balloons are now seen both acts of Rooftop Run, but also appear in many other places as well. In modern act of Rooftop Run, there is section, where the player has to reach to another side by using balloon rows to balance to the other side without falling to the bottomless pit. There are also few seen in White Space hub-world.

One of modern challenges called Balloon Bonanza takes place of Sky Sanctuary, where the player has to head in time by using balloons during the challenge. Here, balloons are mostly seen set individually and the player is require to use and balance on them to head the Goal Ring in time.

Sonic Jump (2012)
Balloons are once again seen as on different amount groups in the 2012 remake of Sonic Jump, which are only seen floating in the air of Blue Sky Zone. Balloons are seen to be colored as red, green, blue or light blue. While they do act similarly like platforms and clouds in the game, once bounced to the air by using them will puncture balloons.

Amy's Goal Balloon
The unnamed balloon appears at the end of each Action Stage in Sonic Adventure. These balloons only appear in Amy's story, that floats in the mid-air. When Amy Rose has grabbed the balloon, the player has then completed the Action Stage. It is large yellow balloon with red star on the center. It also has pull ring hanging on below the balloon.

Item Box Balloons
Item Box Balloons (also called as Floating Item Box) are balloons, that act similarly to Item Boxes since Sonic Adventure 2. Like previous balloon variant, it is large, red balloon and blue round center with yellow five-pointed star on it. Unlike regular Item Boxes, the player can't known what items or power-ups do balloons include as it does not have item symbol on it. These variants have made several appearances thorough the series.

Trivia

 * Similar to Sonic and Knuckles color palette issue in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, if the player turns into Super Sonic, the blue balloon will start flashing on light yellow, while on turning to Hyper Sonic will cause to balloons flashing multiple colors.
 * In Sonic Advance 3, if the player chooses duos such as Amy / Tails or Cream / Tails, both Amy and Cream can do Floating Fall after pressing jump button again, in which the Amy or Cream will fall down more slowly as hanging on with two red and white balloons. Cream also does this during her first appearance in the game.