Sao: It feels great to slip past things.

Sakamoto: And it felt great when I became able to snag a bubble, stop scrolling, and go back a bit to get something I missed.

Sao: Right.

Sakamoto: Looking back, I’m glad Yokoi-san said, “Make it.”

Sao: Yes. By the way, how was your personal experience working on this game?

Sakamoto: For me, it was the second video game that I had been deeply involved with. At first, when I worked on Vs. Wrecking Crew, I got the chance to do various visuals, and while drawing is also challenging, putting a game together was a great challenge. But I learned quite a bit from all the obstacles I had the first time, so Balloon Fight was much easier.

Sao: You’d gotten the hang of making video games.

Sakamoto: Perhaps. But there was, of course, a lot of trial and error. Having a character hang from two balloons was an integral element of the game design, so I had to figure out how to manage that. And I was thrilled when I pulled off the movement of the enemies on platforms who use pumps to blow up balloons. (laughs)

Sao: The way they move as they pump away at those balloons is cute. (laughs)

Sakamoto: So I was able to make Balloon Fight without fretting too much, and if I may say so myself, I felt like I had grown a little when I worked on my second game.

A Dream Becomes Reality Ten Years Later





Sao: To finish up, could you mention how you recommend playing Balloon Fight?

Sakamoto: In a meeting with somebody from another company, we talked about the Classic Mini NES and Classic Mini Famicom*.

Sao: Uh-huh.

Sakamoto: That person said he wanted to take it to a hot spring and play it while socialising. I thought that sounded fun, too.

Sao: Yes, it does! (laughs)

Sakamoto: It would be fun for a group to stay at a traditional-style inn, wear yukata11, socialise and play Balloon Fight.

Sao: It’s light and compact, so it would easily fit in a travel bag.

Sakamoto: You could be playing two-player co-op. Your partner can have fun failing on purpose and blame it on you. (laughs)

Sao: (laughs) It would also be fun to compete to see who gets the most balloons in Balloon Trip.

Sakamoto: The controls take a little getting used to, so it will be great if parents who once played the game teach their children how to play.

Sao: By the way, what are your impressions of the Classic Mini NES and Classic Mini Famicom, which include Balloon Fight?

Sakamoto: They’re perfect!

Sao: Perfect?! (laughs)

Sakamoto: To be honest, I said I wanted to do something like this 10 years ago.