Out of Kirby's many games, one of the biggest through lines is his Copy Abilities, such as the elusive Balloon ability. Whether it's in a traditional 2D platformer, Forgotten Land’s new 3D format, or a spin-off from a completely different genre, a stable of Copy Abilities is almost always around. Some abilities have been present since the second Kirby title, Kirby's Adventure, while others have only been in one game. As successive Kirby games introduce new abilities and evolved takes on old ones, this side of Kirby's whimsical action can only grow even further.
Fans like to speculate what abilities could show up in the next Kirby entry. There are all sorts of ideas floating around, from ones based on other Nintendo characters Kirby has shared Super Smash Bros. with, to original ideas complete with appropriate hats. There's also theorycrafting involving less common Copy Abilities that have only made a handful of appearances. These include gimmick abilities like Jelly and Mini that are confined to spin-offs that can accommodate them, but also include fully-realized powers from traditional Kirby games like Animal and Spider. One ability that has only appeared in Kirby: Canvas Curse is Balloon, and there's a fair bit of potential in it that still hasn't been realized.
The Balloon Ability Brings Some Interesting Variety to Kirby: Canvas Curse
Balloon made its debut in the Nintendo DS spin-off title Kirby: Canvas Curse. This title is built around using the touch screen to move Kirby, who has been reduced to a perfect sphere. Players draw Rainbow Lines through the environment, and Kirby will speed along them. It's a dramatic departure from Kirby's usual simple platforming, but it worked well enough to inspire a sequel on the Wii U called Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Despite how different gameplay is, Kirby can still access Copy Abilities by dashing through specific enemies, even if his regular dashing is more than enough for most foes.
Defeating a Bloon enemy will grant the Balloon Copy Ability. It allows Kirby to inflate himself and float like a balloon for a short period of time. Instead of rolling along Rainbow Lines when the power is active, Kirby will bounce off them in a floaty, balloon-like fashion. After three inflations, Kirby can pop to stun all the enemies nearby, allowing him to start the process again. Like the Copy Abilities Stone, Missile, and Wheel, Balloon is primarily meant to change how Kirby moves and add some variety to the stages. Skilled players can potentially cross great distances with Balloon’s altered physics, but Kirby's increased size makes this a risky strategy.
How Balloon Can Adapt to a Traditional Kirby Game
Translating the Balloon Copy Ability into a mainline game is conceivable, but raises a few logistical issues. Balloon was specifically designed to work in Kirby: Canvas Curse, and thus has some properties that other entries would take for granted. Most notably, it's the only way to access Kirby's iconic floating jump in Canvas Curse. Also, its ability to gain momentum by bouncing off the environment would potentially wreak havoc in a regular Kirby stage. The basic part of inflating several times before causing a massive pop should still be kept, but there would need to be a lot of tweaks and additions to make it fit.
Kirby's jumps could get higher and floatier each time he inflates, and he can potentially roll instead of walking at larger sizes. However, one hit from an enemy, and he will pop prematurely with severely reduced power. This could offer a degree of safety by stunning the attacker, but would otherwise demand skill and planning to use effectively. In addition, Kirby could be morphed into a variety of traditional balloon shapes or animal forms. This could have different environmental interactions in the same vein as Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Mouthful Modes, and could also open the door to odd attacks like barking as a balloon dog. The Balloon Copy Ability probably won’t become a mainstay feature, but it definitely has the potential to be a very memorable power in future Kirby games.