Bloons

Last updated

Bloons
Bloonsoriginal.png
Screenshot of the original Bloons game
Genre(s) Puzzle video game
Developer(s) Ninja Kiwi
Publisher(s) Ninja Kiwi
Platform(s) Web browser
First releaseBloons
  • WW: March 2007
Latest releaseBloons Pop!
  • WW: June 2021
Spin-offs Bloons Monkey City,
Bloons Super Monkey

Bloons is a video game franchise developed by Ninja Kiwi. The games involve players using monkeys, armed with various tools, to pop as many "bloons" (balloons) as possible. They include the Bloons series, the Bloons Tower Defense series, and several other spin-offs. Most of the earlier Bloons games are browser-based games that use Adobe Flash Player, although some are available on other platforms. Mobile games based on the Bloons series are distributed through the App Store, Google Play, and some through Steam. Games made by Ninja Kiwi older than Bloons TD 6 are available through the Ninja Kiwi Archive on Steam.

Contents

Development

The traditional "Balloon and Dart" carnival game provided the inspiration for the original Bloons game. Balloon And Dart Booth.jpg
The traditional "Balloon and Dart" carnival game provided the inspiration for the original Bloons game.

The first Bloons game was developed by Stephen and Chris Harris, two brothers from New Zealand. [1] Prior to working on Bloons, the pair had released Cash Sprint –a successful racing game that incorporated weekly prizes. After the success of Cash Sprint, they developed their own web portal for flash games, but failed to gain the necessary traffic. Instead they decided to focus on their own games, and launched a website – Ninjakiwi.com  –with five of their own games. The site was a success, and this led to their work on Bloons. [2]

The basic concept for Bloons came from Stephen's wife. When Stephen asked her what would be fun in a new game, she brought up carnival games with darts and balloons. [2] [3] The first version was developed quickly, and the game was released in 5th of March 2007. It proved popular, especially after being picked up by Digg, and soon reaching approximately 100,000 players per day. [2] [4] By 2011 the game had been played over 3 billion times. [4]

Release timeline
Main series entries in bold
2007Bloons
More Bloons
Bloons Player Pack
Bloons Tower Defense
Bloons Player Pack 2
Bloons Tower Defense 2
2008Bloons Player Pack 3
Even more Bloons
Bloons Player Pack 4
Bloons Tower Defense 3
Hot Air Bloon
Bloons Player Pack 5: Christmas Ed
2009Bloons TD 4
Bloons Festive Fun
Bloons Blast
2010Bloons 2
Bloons Super Monkey
2011Who Wants To Be A Bloonionaire?
Bloons TD 5
2012Bloons TD Battles
2013Bloons Super Monkey 2
2014Bloons Monkey City
2015
2016Bloons Super Monkey 2 iOS
2017
2018Bloons TD 6
Bloons Adventure Time TD
2019
2020
2021Bloons Pop!
Bloons TD Battles 2

Main series

Bloons

The Bloons series is the original grouping of games developed under the "Bloons" name. In all of the main games, the goal is for the player to clear the playing area of all Bloons (which, as implied, have similar traits to balloons) using a limited number of darts. [5] The player is able to choose the power, aim, and other factors involving the launch of darts; and hence the path it will follow and what Bloons it will pop. There are many sequels and spin-offs of this series, with large fan support (indicated by the "player packs" discussed later).

Gameplay

The games consist of various levels, each with a different and unique layout of Bloons. On each, the player is given several darts used to pop the Bloons on the screen. The fewer darts the player uses, the better their score for that level. There is much strategy involved, especially since some Bloons have special powers or affect the player's darts in both helpful and hindering ways. For example, when a special Bloon is hit, they provide the player with 3 darts to fire at once during their next shot. Another one has an area blast effect (again, when hit) like a bomb. [5] As new games in the series developed, more and more aspects of the game were expanded upon with many new Bloons and levels being introduced. There are also several "player packs" –groups of levels developed by players of the Bloons series.

Games in the series

  • Bloons
  • More Bloons
  • Even More Bloons
  • Bloons Insanity Pack
  • Bloons Junior
  • Bloons 2
  • Bloons 2 Christmas Pack
  • Bloons 2 Spring Fling
  • Bloons Player Pack (1–5)
  • Bloons Pop

Bloons Tower Defense

In the Bloons Tower Defense series (often abbreviated Bloons TD or BTD), the main objective of the game is to pop the enemy Bloons before they reach the end of the path on the game screen. The player has various types of towers available to defend against the Bloons, such as Dart Monkeys, Tack Shooters, and the powerful Super Monkey. [6] [7] There are also other types of towers introduced in later editions of the series, such as Ninja Monkeys and Monkey Buccaneers, the latter of which could only be placed on water. Every tower can be purchased and upgraded with in-game money which is earned through various means.

There are many types of Bloons, the Red Bloon being the weakest; the tougher variants each contain one or more weaker ones, released when the containing Bloon is popped. [8] For example, the Green Bloon contains a Blue Bloon, which contains a Red Bloon. Depending on the difficulty and version of the game, the player has a certain number of "lives" available. Different types of Bloons consume different numbers of lives if they escape, based on the total number of Bloons contained inside. Some Bloons have special attributes. Lead Bloons are immune to sharp things, black Bloons are immune to bombs, and white Bloons are immune to ice. There are special types of Bloons such as the infamous "MOAB-class" bloons (Massive Ornary Air Blimp, sometimes called "Mother Of All Bloons" although that is incorrect according to a note before round 38 in BTD3) where the Bloon resembles an airship and takes many hits to defeat, an example being the ZOMG or BFB (Zeppelin Of Mighty Gargantuanness and Brutal Floating Behemoth, respectively). In general, the newer games have had more Bloon and tower types.

Bloons TD 6 is the latest installment in the main Bloons Tower Defense series, but Bloons Tower Defense Battles 2, a spinoff, is the most recent game overall. Both have a variety of new and improved features. The game features all of the classic tower defense gameplay with a few enhanced strategies that add even more depth and challenge.

Bloons Monkey City

Bloons Monkey City is a free multi-platform game that combines the traditional Bloons TD with a city builder. [9] Capturing more plots allows the player to place more buildings. Some buildings require specific tiles. The buildings cost in-game money, which are acquired from different buildings and by capturing tiles. Windmills and watermills create energy that is used by the player's other buildings. Leveling up allows the player to make more buildings and cities. Bloonstones, another valuable in-game resource, are used to unlock the strongest upgrades for towers. Plots further away from the starting tiles tend to have stronger bloons, and some plots contain chests, which give a permanent reward when the plot is captured.

Bloons Super Monkey

Bloons Super Monkey (often abbreviated as BSM) is the second Bloons spin-off series to date; it is a bullet hell RPG with three installations so far. [10]

The objective of the game is to move a super monkey that shoots a stream of darts to pop bloons. [11] Popping them gives the player power blops, which are used to buy upgrades. If the monkey fails to pop the required amount of bloons for a certain level, the game is over. The super monkey wields weapons, which can be upgraded or replaced with a different weapon.

The first game, Bloons Super Monkey, was released on Ninja Kiwi's website in February 2010. [12] In May 2013, a sequel, Bloons Super Monkey 2, was released on the same website. [13] In November 2016, a refined version of Bloons Super Monkey 2 was released on the iOS App Store and Android Play Store for download. [14]

Bloons Pop!

Bloons Pop! is a spin-off mobile game of the main Bloons series that incorporates elements of the Bloons TD series, mainly Bloons TD6, with puzzle gameplay. It expands on the gameplay of the Bloons series with power-ups, merge mechanics, and a town building system. [15]

Spin-off games

Reception

Aggregate review scores
GameYear Metacritic
Bloons2009

2010

PSP: 68/100 [19]

Wii: 21/100 [20]

Bloons TD 42009iOS: 69/100 [21]
Bloons TD 52012iOS: 79/100 [22]
Bloons TD Battles2012iOS: 78/100 [23]

Tech media website CNET reported favorably on the Bloons Tower Defense games for iPhone, describing it as having "nearly everything from the beloved Web-based classic". The article reflects negatively on the controls, stating that "[they] are a little finicky", but overall their impression is positive, saying that the game is an ideal introduction to the tower defense genre for young children. [24]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pokémon</i> (video game series) Japanese video game series

Pokémon is a series of video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company under the Pokémon media franchise. It was created by Satoshi Tajiri with assistance from Ken Sugimori, the first games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, were released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, later released outside of Japan as Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version. The main series of role-playing video games (RPGs), referred as the "core series" by their developers, has continued on each generation of Nintendo's handhelds. The most recently released core series games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, were released on November 18, 2022, for the Nintendo Switch.

<i>Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz</i> 2006 video game

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is a platform game developed and published by Sega, the seventh title in the Super Monkey Ball series, following Super Monkey Ball Adventure. It was released as a launch title for the Wii system on November 19, 2006, in North America, December 7 in Australia and December 8 in Europe.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (2003 video game) 2003 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a beat 'em up video game developed and published in 2003 by Konami, based on the 2003 TV series.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus</i> 2004 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus is a third person beat 'em up video game, released in 2004 by Konami. It is the sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and is based on the 2003 TV series.

<i>Super Stardust HD</i> 2007 video game

Super Stardust HD is a downloadable multidirectional shooter released for the PlayStation 3 by Sony Interactive Entertainment, developed by the Finnish company Housemarque. In Asian regions, it is known as Star Strike HD. In 2015, a port for the PlayStation 4, called Super Stardust Ultra, was released. In 2016, Super Stardust Ultra VR, a PlayStation VR compatible version that contains Super Stardust Ultra, was released for the PlayStation 4. It is also available as paid downloadable content for Super Stardust Ultra.

<i>Ninjatown</i> 2008 video game

Ninjatown is a tower defense strategy video game on the Nintendo DS that was released in 2008.

Tower defense (TD) is a subgenre of strategy games where the goal is to defend a player's territories or possessions by obstructing the enemy attackers or by stopping enemies from reaching the exits, usually achieved by placing defensive structures on or along their path of attack. This typically means building a variety of different structures that serve to automatically block, impede, attack or destroy enemies. Tower defense is seen as a subgenre of real-time strategy video games, due to its real-time origins, even though many modern tower defense games include aspects of turn-based strategy. Strategic choice and positioning of defensive elements is an essential strategy of the genre.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up</i> 2009 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up is a 2.5D fighting game for the Wii and PlayStation 2 video game consoles featuring characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It was developed by Game Arts in cooperation with Mirage Studios, and released by Ubisoft in September 2009 in celebration of the TMNT franchise's 25th anniversary.

<i>Enslaved: Odyssey to the West</i> 2010 video game

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Namco Bandai Games. Announced in 2009 as Enslaved, it was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2010. As a loose adaptation of the novel Journey to the West, the game is set 150 years in a future post-apocalyptic world following a global war. Only remnants of humanity survive, along with the still active war machines left over from the conflict. The game's story follows Monkey who is forced to escort Trip home safely after they survive a ship crash. Players play as Monkey, who must combat enemies using his staff from a third-person perspective, engage in different platforming challenges and solve puzzles.

<i>Bloons Tower Defense</i> Video game series by Ninja Kiwi

Bloons Tower Defense is a series of tower defense games under the Bloons series created and produced by Ninja Kiwi. The game was initially developed as a browser game, built upon the Adobe Flash platform and released in mid 2007. Later games in the series expanded to support various mobile platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows Phone, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DSi, Windows, Linux and MacOS. Games in the Bloons series older than Bloons TD 6 are available through the Ninja Kiwi Archive on Steam.

<i>Deadliest Warrior: The Game</i> 2010 video game

Deadliest Warrior: The Game is a fighting game developed by Pipeworks Software and published by 345 Games. Based on the Spike documentary TV series Deadliest Warrior, the game allows players to take control of various warriors from different time periods, utilizing their own unique set of weapons, armor, and fight styles. It was first released as a downloadable title for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade on July 14, 2010 and later for the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network on October 5, 2010.

<i>Kim Possible</i> (video game series)

Kim Possible video games are a series of action platformer games based on Disney's animated television series Kim Possible. They were mostly released for the Game Boy Advance (GBA) and Nintendo DS; the game Disney's Kim Possible: What's the Switch? was released for the PlayStation 2.

<i>Plants vs. Zombies</i> (video game) 2009 tower defense video game

Plants vs. Zombies is a 2009 tower defense video game developed and published by PopCap Games. First released for Windows and Mac OS X, the game has since been ported to consoles, handhelds, and mobile devices. The player takes the role of a homeowner amid a zombie apocalypse. As a horde of zombies approaches along several parallel lanes, the player must defend their home by placing plants, which fire projectiles at the zombies or otherwise detrimentally affect them. The player collects a currency called sun to buy plants. If a zombie happens to make it to the house on any lane, the player loses the level.

In New Zealand, 67% of the population plays video games, 46% of video game players are female and the average age of a video game player is 34. New Zealanders spend an average of 88 minutes a day playing video games.

<i>Defenders of Ardania</i> Strategy video game

Defenders of Ardania is a hybrid tower defense and real-time strategy video game for Microsoft Windows, iOS, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. It was developed by Most Wanted Entertainment and published by Deep Silver and Paradox Interactive.

Ninja Kiwi, previously known as Kaiparasoft Ltd, is a mobile and online video game developer founded in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2006 by brothers Chris and Stephen Harris. Ninja Kiwi's first game was a browser based game called Cash Sprint, developed on the Adobe Flash Platform. Since then, they have produced more than 60 games across platforms including Adobe Flash, Android, iOS, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and more recently, Steam. Their most well-known titles are the Bloons and Bloons Tower Defense games. In 2012, Ninja Kiwi purchased Digital Goldfish, a Dundee, Scotland-based developer, for an undisclosed sum.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2013 video game published by Activision and developed by Magic Pockets, based on the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series. It was the first video game to be based on the Nickelodeon show, featuring several villains from the show's first season. The digital versions of the game, alongside other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games published by Activision, were pulled from all digital storefronts in January 2017 as they chose not to renew the license.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan</i> 2016 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan is an action hack and slash video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Activision. It is inspired by IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series. It was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in May 2016. Less than eight months after its release, the game was removed from sale from all digital storefronts on January 3, 2017. This was the last Nickelodeon game to be published by Activision, with the rights for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game series being given to Dotemu.

<i>Bloons TD 6</i> 2018 tower defense video game

Bloons TD 6 is a 2018 tower defense game developed and published by Ninja Kiwi, where various monkeys pop "bloons". The sixth entry in the Bloons Tower Defense series, it first released on June 13, 2018, for iOS and Android. It was later released on Microsoft Windows in December 2018, and macOS in March 2020 via Steam. It was later released in Epic Games Store on June 19, 2022. In February 2022, Bloons TD 6+ was released for Apple Arcade. On June 12, 2023, Bloons TD 6Netflix was released on iOS and Android for Netflix members only. On September 5, 2023, it was released on Xbox One/Xbox Series X, with a PlayStation 4/5 release planned for a later date.

<i>Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania</i> 2021 video game

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a platform party game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a remake of the first three console entries in the Super Monkey Ball series, and was released in celebration of the series' 20th anniversary for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 5, 2021. A version for Amazon Luna was released on May 12, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ Phan, Monty (30 May 2007). "The Allure of Homemade Games". PC Magazine . Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Irwin, Mary Jane (25 July 2008). "Blowing Up Bloons". Forbes . Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Bardinelli, John (20 April 2007). "In the Flash: Bloons". Joystiq . Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  4. 1 2 South, Gill (6 February 2012). "Your Business: Monkey business leads to games success". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Bloons 2 Review". 24 September 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "Bloons TD 5". PC Welt (in German). 23 August 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  7. ↑ "Bloons Tower Defense Review". IGN. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  8. ↑ NYBPAD 319. "All BTD 5 Bloon Types And Abilities". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2018– via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ agent86 (4 August 2015). "Bloons Monkey City Review: Monkeying with Free to Play". Without The Sarcasm. Retrieved 23 December 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Sowden, Emily (November 2016). "Bloons Supermonkey 2 is a colourful, bullet hell RPG and it's out now on mobile". www.pocketgamer.com. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  11. ↑ hashtagnoen (8 November 2016). "Bloons Supermonkey 2: SNAPP Review". Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  12. ↑ @ninjakiwigames (4 November 2010). "Just released - Bloons Super Monkey! http://bit.ly/9Eaot2" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 June 2020– via Twitter.
  13. ↑ "Bloons Super Monkey 2 Released – Action Gaming Just Got Awesomer! | Ninja Kiwi Blog". ninjakiwi.com. 14 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "'Bloons Super Monkey 2' Shmup From Ninja Kiwi Hits Mobile This Week". 1 November 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "Bloons Pop Beginner Strategy Guide – the 5 Best Hints, Tips and Cheats". 19 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "Hot Air Bloon". Ninjakiwi. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "fastSWF - Free Flash and Unity Hosting". www.fastswf.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  18. ↑ "Bloons Pop 3, Ninja Kiwi Website". ninjakiwi.com. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Bloons (PSP)". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  20. ↑ "Bloons (Wii)". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  21. ↑ "Bloons TD 4 (IOS)". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Bloons TD 5 (IOS)". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  23. ↑ "Bloons TD Battles (IOS)". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  24. ↑ "Five awesome iPhone tower defense games". Review of 5 iPhone Tower Defense games. CNET: iPhone Atlas. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.