Arcade Game: King & Balloon (1980 Namco)

A shooting game where you must shoot down as many balloons as possible to protect the king. The game is over when the king is carried away 3 times.

[@snowyfolfskyroo2739]

In my opinion this is one of the most underrated 80's NAMCO Games. It's really unique for being a modded galaxian

[@Taneuma_563]

Pretty impressive how clear the voice samples are for the time.

[@tenmillionvolts]

I was at the local swimming pools in Auckland and I wondered why someone was yelling in the games room. I walked in and realised the game was TALKING! I'd never heard speech from a game and I couldn't beleive my ears.

[@sonicboy678]

Nowadays, that's mundane, but at the time of this game's release (I definitely need to phrase it this way, as the game was already 14 years old when I was born), it was practically unheard of. Even better, the speech wasn't a completely muddled mess.

[@tenmillionvolts]

@@sonicboy678 Yes. There was a crowd of people around that one machine, all amazed.

[@BonesFPV]

I’d love to say the speech on this never gets old - but it gets very old within about 15 seconds.

[@kawaiiprincess3607]

is it just me or does the voice sound like Mario everytime the king says "Thank You"?

[@djmips]

and like baby Mario when he starts crying for help

[@mutsuloveproductions9695]

Not like Baby Mario, though.

[@ChristopherPlatt]

My brother played this game at the arcade at Penn Station while waiting for his LIRR train home after work.

[@hoodmistressreloaded]

Maybe it's just me, but I noticed some small changes in the Japanese and World versions of this game... Japanese version: Music is in A-flat minor and the King sounds more like the Queen World version: Music is in G-flat minor and the King's voice sort of reminds me of Jackie Gleason from The Honeymooners I would love to play King & Balloon one day, soon as these arcades open up

[@JinzoCrash]

Another hard game i played at the pizza place in the Flemington Mall, New Jersey. I wonder if this is emulated correctly. I don't remember his "bye bye" being cut off like that. I could be wrong though, being 35 years later. Pretty sharp vocal audio compared to games of it's time.

[@VicGChad07]

It's a seven-year-old video. I know the current MAME version doesn't cut off the "BYE BYE!" sample.

[@moonchild5021]

He needs to get back in the castle

[@aaron_aj_knight_95]

Is it just me or is King's voice a bit too loud? I just watched other videos and he wasn't as loud.

[@Damien23211]

Help. Help. Help. Bye Bye.

[@supernova6442]

in the japanese version, helpu

[@PatxiTubeWorld]

I had been wanting to know the name of this arcade for years. I played it in 1982 or 1983 and I didn't know what its name was. Today, 41 years later, I have finally discovered it and I am very happy :)

[@valenzuela1300]

3:17 Thank You!

[@LarryKoopaFanatic]

oldclassicgame Why is the game behind the background used in Galaxian? When I play this, It's not behind that background from Galaxian!

[@oldclassicgame]

I know it runs on a Galaxian hardware but I'm not sure why the background is from Galaxian. I played this on Final Burner Alpha emulator since MAME has this game set to the wrong resolution.

[@EMPERORCEASAR12]

Old Classic Retro Gaming two Galaxian boards to be exact

[@twinmillario1452]

Weird. To think the kingdom was at outer space. But no, it was still in land.

[@ErnestoEstradaClub2]

I don't remember this version having stars in the background.

[@milesium-487]

The king sounds like Jevil

[@megatron8461]

Looks very “galaxian”. LOL

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Sounds like it, too!

[@Koridai011]

🎈 🤴HELP!! HELP!!

[@isaacmorales8732]

*Shots a balloon*

[@Koridai011]

Thank you!!

[@ZBreezee-nb2rl]

*Balloon abducts you again*

[@arielborjas1578]

Lol

[@SticksGazetteFan2005]

Bye bye!

[@bruhgaminghd7914]

i always thought he was a frog. the sides of his head are the eyes, and the middle of his body is the mouth.

[@didyouhavefifydollash3873]

Same

[@ezequielgomez7083]

I had play King and Ballooon on Namco Museum Megamix on Wii when I was a 11 year old child since 2012 is a Galaxian Ripoff is because of the background music.

[@Ramozzzz]

Nice version of Galaxian

[@cruisetheautisticboy994]

This is alot alot like Space Inavders!

[@HelpMeIAmHalfAsleep]

runs on the same hardware, too

[@天野ケータ-d6w]

バルーン星人の襲来による王様の誘拐！

[@DandthenanotherD]

HELP HELP HELP

[@DigiDragon001]

BYE BYE!

[@saulgd5123]

Ballon invaders!!

[@ambient8872]

voice is different,more pretty.

[@jables3377]

The King's voice is the most annoying voice they could find!