Endless Flyer Not So Endless In Balloon Adventures

Balloon Adventures ($0.99) by Tony Dinh has you flying in search of gems and lollipops by using a trusted flying device: a birthday party balloon.

Flying is done by pressing on the screen. Letting go results in the girl descending. A single balloon does not a maneuverable craft make, so you’ll have to plan ahead to dodge those pesky birds.

The control you have over flying is not as precise as in other endless runners, such as in Jetpack Joyride. Ascending and descending takes precious time, which is hard to come by when you’re watching out for the next danger.

When your balloon pops (not “if” it pops) you’ll fall onto the tiny islands at the bottom of the screen. If you’re lucky you’ll have enough runway to generate another balloon and resume flying. Most likely, though, you’ll just end up in the bubbly blue. At that point it’s just a matter of time before you glug your last glug.

In addition to the birds, other dangers include fish snapping at you on the surface of the water, angry clouds (kind of like Whale Trail), and UFOs.

It takes a while to build up to a special item, which can then disappear in a moment should you get sloppy. Extra balloons or even a directional jetpack become available once you gather enough lollipops.

One annoyance about this game is that once you die you have to wait through about five seconds of viewing the high score board before being able to jump back into the fray. In games where death is met swiftly and with most certainty, I like to be able to jump back in with as little wait time as possible.

Overall, I’d prefer my characters to keep his or her feet on the ground in an endless runner.