Balloon of Doom

“What were you thinking?!?!?!”

—Bowser, Mario Party 4

Balloon of Doom is a Bowser Minigame in Mario Party 4.

Gameplay

In Balloon of Doom, each player tries to inflate a balloon with Bowser's picture on as much as possible without making the balloon explode. If a player happens to burst the balloon, Bowser becomes very angry and use his fiery breath on that player, resulting in a loss for that player. Each player has a turn to stomp on the balloon pump to inflate the balloon. Higher Ground Pounds pump more air into the balloon, so players can manipulate how much air they wish to pump into it.

As with other Bowser minigames in Mario Party 4, the game is heavily luck-based; no matter how much everyone tries to manipulate the pump, someone is eventually going to have to pop the balloon. However, players know that the balloon is close to bursting when:

• The Koopa Kid behind the balloon starts backing away; first to the edge of the dais where Bowser's throne sits, then behind the pillar flanking the throne.
• The fan-holding Koopa Kid on the other side of Bowser's throne hides behind his fan.
• The three players not currently on the pump visibly cringe when the pumping player completes their Ground Pound.
• Bowser uses new lines of dialogue, indicating anticipation for the inevitable.

On a side note, if a player does not even attempt to inflate the balloon within the five-second time limit, the player automatically loses and suffers Bowser's fire breath.

Controls

• – Jump
• → – Ground Pound

In-game text

• Bowser – "Gwa ha ha ha! Welcome!! Well, this time the Bowser game is... Balloon of Doom!!"
• Koopa Kid 1 – "Want to hear the rules?"
• Koopa Kid 1 (If "Yes" is chosen.) – "All right, listen up, weaklings! I'm gonna explain the rules of this game!"
• Koopa Kid 2 – "So no snoozing!"
• Koopa Kid 1 – "Blow up Master Bowser's balloon real big-like!!"
• Koopa Kid 2 – "Yeah, raise the roof!"
• Koopa Kid 1 – "Just Ground Pound on this pump over here to inflate the balloon!"
• Koopa Kid 2 – "Woomp!"
• Koopa Kid 1 – "Press to jump, and press again in the air to Ground Pound!"
• Koopa Kid 2 – "Jump and press !"
• Koopa Kid 1 – "The higher you jump, the more air gets pumped into the balloon!"
• Koopa Kid 2 – "More air means more Bowser!"
• Koopa Kid 1 – "But if you overinflate the balloon or don't pump at all..."
• Koopa Kid 2 – "OH! I know! I know!"
• Koopa Kid 1 – "You ROAST!"
• Koopa Kid 2 – "Like marshmallows at a campfire!"
• Koopa Kid 1 – "So, get pumping!
• Bowser – "Wee-hauuugh! My face is gonna be HUUGE!
• Bowser (When the balloon inflates.) – "Yeah!!, Bigger!, Alriiight!!, Unggh!,"
• Bowser (When the balloon will almost blow up.) – "I can feel it!!!, Oh, yeaahhh!, Any minute now!!"
• Koopa Kid 1 (When the balloon blows up.) – "Eeeeek!"
• Koopa Kid 2 (When the balloon blows up.) – "Yiiiiikes!"
• Bowser (When the balloon blows up.) – "!!!!!!!!"
• Bowser – "What were you thinking?!" (He can also say "It's gonna blow!!" or "How dare you?!".)
• Bowser (When refusing to inflate the balloon.) – "You dare disobey me!?!"

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	クッパのパニックバルーン Kuppa no panikkubarūn	Koopa's Panic Balloon
German	Balloon des Schicksals	Balloon of Fate
Italian	Pallone gonfiato	Swollen balloon
Spanish	El globo caliente	The hot balloon