Balloon Racing
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- Not to be confused with Balloon Race.
| Balloon Racing | |
|---|---|
 Yoshi at the bottom of the stage | |
| Appears in | New Super Mario Bros. |
| Type | Random |
| Location | Outside Peach's Castle |
| Controls |  Ascend
|
| Objective | Travel to the top within the shortest time possible |
Balloon Racing is a one-to-four-player Action minigame featured in New Super Mario Bros.. Like several other minigames, Balloon Racing uses a variation of the Starman background music. The minigame takes place outside of Peach's Castle, specifically its appearance within Super Mario 64 DS. A few rainbows are featured within the upper area of the course.
Gameplay
Single-player
The goal is for Yoshi to travel up onto a flat airship using his two green balloons within the shortest time possible. The player must blow into the for Yoshi to float upward. Balloon Racing features several Fly Guys (colored red, blue, yellow, or green) as an obstacle, and they move horizontally to try and stop Yoshi from ascending. If Yoshi is hit by a Fly Guy, one of his balloons pops. If either time runs out, both balloons are popped, or Yoshi falls below the bottom screen, it is a Game Over. If Yoshi manages to land onto the airship, the minigame ends as a success, and Yoshi is shown happily jumping up and down, with his right fist raised while he jumps.
Multiplayer
In multiplayer, the gameplay is similar, although players must compete to reach the top first. Aside from a Green Yoshi, each other player controls a Red Yoshi, a Yellow Yoshi, and a Blue Yoshi, respectively, much like in Super Mario 64 DS's VS. Mode. Just as Green Yoshi starts off with two balloons with his color, the other Yoshis also begin with two balloons of their color. If a player's Yoshi loses all of their balloons, they are eliminated. If none of the Yoshis reach the top, then the one who traveled up the farthest is the winner. If everyone's balloons pop, the minigame ends in a draw.
The minigame features an adjustable difficulty, with the higher settings featuring more Fly Guys.
In-game instructions
- Single player: "Blow into the Mic to send Yoshi flying skyward. Yoshi's balloons will burst if he hits a Shy Guy. If all the balloons pop, Yoshi will fall. Can you reach the goal before time runs out?"
- Multiplayer: "Blow into the Mic to send Yoshi flying skyward. Yoshi's balloons will burst if he hits a Shy Guy. If all the balloons pop, Yoshi will fall. Who can reach the goal before time runs out?"
Gallery
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Icon
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | バルーン・レーシング Barūn Rēshingu |
Balloon Racing |
| French | Course en ballon | Balloon course |
| German | Ballonflug | Balloon flight |
| Italian | Corsa all'ultimo fiato | Run on the last breath |
| Korean | 풍선 경주 Pungseon gyeongju |
Balloon Race |
| Spanish | Carrera de globos | Balloon Race |
Trivia
- The in-game instructions for Balloon Racing erroneously refers to the Fly Guys as Shy Guys.
- Although Red Yoshi does not appear in the single-player version of Balloon Racing, he is still shown on the minigame menu icon in single-player mode. Furthermore, the icon shows the Red Yoshi's head spines and saddle being red whereas its minigame sprites instead depicts both as dark blue.
