Water Balloon Drop grew from a Macromedia Shockwave applet, popular in the 1990s. The game puts you in the role of the world's greatest hurler of aqueous projectiles, setting you on the rooftops of highly trafficked commercial buildings. The mobile version is just as entertaining as its predecessor.
In Water Balloon Drop, your goal is to soak certain citizens while avoiding others. Skateboarding kids drop power-ups, which can add to your rubber arsenal or offer protection from birds that would otherwise slam into you, costing you precious time. Yuppies make prime targets; hitting police officers and the elderly, however, will cost you precious points. Through various means, the game tries to fool you into hitting the wrong targets. You win by overcoming the odds and filling up your point meter.
In truth, the game is pretty easy, but that doesn't diminish its appeal. There's a guilty pleasure associated with soaking even the smallest of sprites. It's too bad, though, that the characters' appearances or gaits don't change appropriately after they've been soaked. It would be cool to see a wet and bedraggled guy storm off, shaking his fist at the heavens. However, the game moves very quickly on the LG VX7000, which is far more important. Furthermore, the balloonist looks fine, and you can choose between a male or female character.
Water Balloon Drop includes four different locales, and the environmental obstacles you face vary. In the café level, for example, a canopy keeps you from hitting anything in the center of the screen, and monkeys with salad bowls sometimes pop out of windows and catch your falling balloons. Just like in real life!
The game features a simple MIDI over its splash screen and menus. In-game, you'll hear the cries of your victims (dogs bark, cars honk, and so on), along with a weird "sploit" sound that's supposed to approximate the noise of a popping balloon. Any thrower worth his salt knows that a "splosh," not a "sploit," would be more appropriate. Regardless, the sound isn't bad.
Water Balloon Drop is pure and simple fun that anyone can appreciate. The game won't hold your interest forever, but it's a good periodic diversion. Not everyone's looking for fancy explosions and gunfire in their mobile games. Monkeys with salad bowls are plenty exciting.
