King & Balloon is a classic fixed shooter released for the Arcade in 1980 by Namco. In a twist on the traditional shooter formula, your cannon can be destroyed without penalty. The true objective is to protect the King who wanders along the ground; descending balloons will attempt to swoop down, grab him, and carry him away.
How to play
Move your cannon left and right to shoot the balloons before they reach the ground. You only lose a life if the King is successfully carried off the top of the screen. Arcade controls are typically mapped to your keyboard’s arrow keys for movement, with Z, X, or Spacebar to fire. Insert coins with Shift and start with Enter.
Tips
Because your cannon has unlimited lives, you can play aggressively and use it as a shield to block diving balloons. If the King is captured, you still have a brief window to shoot the balloon as it ascends to rescue him and safely drop him back to the ground.
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