The game has been developed to involve one or two players. The player controls the unnamed Balloon Fighter with two balloons attached to his helmet. Repeatedly pressing the A button or holding down the B button causes the Balloon Fighter to flap his arms and rise into the air. If a balloon is popped, the player's flotation is decreased, making it harder to rise. A life is lost if both balloons are popped by enemy, if the player falls in the water, gets eaten by the large piranha near the surface of the water, gets drowned or is hit by lightning.
There are two modes of play: the standard game where the goal is to clear the screen of enemies, and Balloon Trip where the goal is to avoid obstacles in a side-scrolling stage.
