Bloons

Bloons is the first game in the Bloons series, developed by Ninja Kiwi and released on March 27, 2007. It's a puzzle game where you have to help a dart-throwing monkey pop as many Bloons as possible before running out of darts.

Controls[]

Mouse: Move to aim, click to throw dart, hold button down for more throwing strength
Arrow Keys: Control Pac-Man

Gameplay[]

Bloons contains a set of 50 levels; in each one, your job is to get the monkey standing on a floating platform to throw darts to pop enough Bloons to reach the level's target amount. Each level also gives you a certain number of darts to throw; once you run out of darts, the number of Bloons you've popped determines if you can move on to the next level or not. If you reach or exceed the target amount of popped Bloons by the time you run out of darts, you unlock the next level; otherwise, you have to retry the current level.

Being a puzzle game, most levels contain various different Bloon types that trigger all sorts of effects when popped, as well as obstacles that can impede your darts.

Bloon Types[]

Normal Bloon: The standard Bloon, which appears in different colors and doesn't do anything when popped.
Ice Bloon: Releases a burst of frost when popped, freezing all nearby Bloons. Frozen Bloons can't be popped by most things.
Dart Bloon: Gives you an extra dart when popped.
Tack Bloon: Shoots a volley of tacks in eight directions, popping any Bloon hit by the tacks.
Bomb Bloon: Explodes when popped, destroying all nearby Bloons (including frozen ones). The Bomb Bloon's explosion has a bigger range than a Tack Bloon's tack volley but cancels out most special Bloons' effects, which may be good or bad for you depending on the circumstances.
Triple Dart Bloon: Turns your next shot into a triple shot when popped, letting you throw a volley of three darts.
Boomerang Bloon: Gives you a boomerang for your next shot when popped; the boomerang flies in the direction it was thrown for a few seconds before returning to the monkey.
Spiky Bloon: Drops a spiky ball when popped; the spiky ball pops Bloons on contact and can bounce off of Rubber Blocks just like a dart.
Pac-Man Bloon: Spawns a Pac-Man when popped; the Pac-Man can be controlled with the arrow keys and will pop any Bloon it touches, even Frozen Bloons. The Pac-Man disappears after about five seconds.

Obstacles[]

Metal Block: An indestructible block that stops your darts.
Tile Block: Similar to a Metal Block, but breaks and disappears after being hit by a dart.
Rubber Block: Causes any dart that hits it to bounce off.

List of Levels[]

Pop Me: A beginner level with many Bloons in a square formation.
Pop Me 2: Similar to Pop Me but has more Bloons, making up a bigger square.
Surprise: Features many Bloons in a circular formation, and introduces the Tack Bloon.
Triangles: Contains five groups of Bloons arranged in the shapes of five triangles.
Starburst: Contains a huge group of Bloons in a six-pointed star formation. There are many Tack Bloons in the formation, allowing you to pop most of the Bloons with ease.
The Iron Curtain: Introduces the Metal Blocks, featuring a wall of Metal Blocks that you have to shoot over in order to hit the Bloons.
Dart from Above: A unique level where the monkey is positioned above the Bloons, as opposed to being positioned off to the side. Also introduces the Triple Dart Bloon, containing several Triple Dart Bloons you can pop for bonus triple shots.
Holy Moley!: Introduces the Tile Blocks, featuring a wall of Tile Blocks you have to break through to get to the Bloons.
Boing: Introduces the Rubber Blocks, featuring a wall of Rubber Blocks that you have to bounce your darts off of to get around the Metal Block wall that blocks off some of the Bloons.
Parallel: Contains two parallel diagonal lines of Bloons, plus a Rubber Block wall. To hit the line of Bloons that's further away from the wall, you have to bounce a dart off the wall so you can hit that line at the right angle.
Tack-tile: Contains a few Metal and Rubber Block walls; to hit the Bloons, you have to ricochet a dart off the Rubber Blocks to get it past the Metal Blocks and hit the Tack Bloons so they pop the rest of the group.
Arc: Features a line of Bloons arranged in a large curve, requiring you to shoot a dart in a long arc to get them all.
Reservoir: Features a big square of Bloons trapped surrounded by a perimeter of Metal Blocks, though there are a few gaps you can shoot darts into.
Maze: Features many Bloons inside a simple maze structure made of Rubber Blocks.
One in a Hundred: Contains a very large cluster of Bloons; one of them is a Boomerang Bloon, which gives you a boomerang you'll need to hit enough Bloons to win.
Boomer: Contains three small squares of Bloons, once again accompanied by a lone Boomerang Bloon whose boomerang you need to meet the level's quota.
Shapes: Contains four groups of Bloons arranged into different shapes; each one contains some Tack Bloons that will clear the rest of the Bloons for you when popped.
Chain Reaction: Features a very large group of Bloons (including some Tack Bloons) concealed behind a wall made mostly of Metal Blocks, but there are a few Tile Blocks you can break through to hit the Tack Bloons and set off a chain reaction with them.
Light the Fuse: Introduces the Bomb Bloon, and eatures a group of Bloons arranged in the shape of a bomb; simply hit one of the Tack Bloons to win.
Loopy: Contains three small groups of Bloons, each one containing a Tack Bloon.
Throwback: Introduces the Pac-Man Bloon; pop it and use the Pac-Man to get the other Bloons that are blocked off by a Metal Block Wall.
Round-a-bout: Introduces the Ice Bloon; there are several of them among a large cluster of Bloons. Pop the Boomerang Bloon and use its boomerang to pop all the normal Bloons without hitting the Ice Bloons.
Ouchie: Introduces the Spiky Bloon; there's a bunch of them just above a cluster of normal Bloons, Tack Bloons, and Ice Bloons. Try to avoid hitting either the Spiky or Ice Bloons, and use the Rubber Block Wall to rebound your darts and hit the other Bloons.
Monsta: You're positioned inside a huge chamber of Rubber Blocks and Bloons, and must ricochet your darts all around the screen to hit the Bloons.
Demolition: Hit the Spiky Bloons to have their spiky balls drop down, destroying the Tile Blocks and hitting the Bomb Bloons below so they pop all the normal Bloons beneath them.
2 Paths: Another Rubber Block chamber level; this time, there are Tack Bloons in the mix and you can throw your dart to either side of you to hit them and start a chain reaction.
Bouncy: Pop the Ice Bloons to create a bunch of frozen Bloons that you can bounce your darts off of to hit the Bloons on the far right side of the screen.
Big Ball: Features a large group of Bloons in a circle formation, with no special gimmicks to speak of aside from a few Ice Bloons.
Air Raid: Another level where you're positioned above the Bloons, this time with some Bomb Bloons alongside the normal ones.
Ice Bounce: Pop the Ice Bloons to freeze the normal Bloons, then bounce a dart off the frozen Bloons to hit the Bomb Bloons on the far left side of the screen.
The Cell: You're stuck inside a cage made of Tile Blocks and must use your darts to break enough of them away to hit one of the Bomb Bloons to set off a chain reaction.
Backwards Game: Introduces the Dart Bloon, and features a cluster of Bloons wrapped around a small group of Metal Blocks. Pop all the normal Bloons without hitting the Ice Bloons, and hit the Dart Bloons for some extra darts.
Danger!: Contains three groups of Bloons, each one containing a couple Tack Bloons and an Ice Bloon. Be careful not to hit any of the Tack or Ice Bloons or you'll wind up with a bunch of unpoppable frozen Bloons!
Igloos: Contains two vaguely igloo-shaped groups of Bloons. Each one contains some Ice Bloons and a Bomb Bloon; hit the Bomb Bloon in each of the groups to destroy them both painlessly!
Fuggetaboutit: Features a small group of Bloons all behind a Metal Block wall, save for a single Boomerang Bloon. Hit it first, and then hit the Bomb Bloon to destroy the Ice Bloons without them freezing anything; after that, you can pop the rest of the Bloons with the boomerang.
Chalice: Features a group of Bloons and blocks vaguely arranged in the shape of a chalice. Hit the Spiky Bloons at the top of this makeshift chalice to start a chain reaction that'll pop all the other Bloons.
Pacatak: Features a massive cluster of Bloons and Tile Blocks. There are several Pac-Man Bloons you can use to spawn Pac-Men to chomp through all the clutter.
Bounce Bomb: Contains a square of Bloons obstructed by a Rubber Block wall. Be sure to angle your shot so that you hit the Tack Bloon at the center of the formation, and not the Ice Bloons in the corners!
Lockdown: Contains several groups of Bloons and Rubber Blocks, plus a few Metal Blocks right above you. Throw your darts through the gaps between the Metal Blocks to hit the Rubber Blocks and ricochet off them to pop the Bloons.
Ice Cave: Features a big cluster of normal Bloons and Ice Bloons. This time around, there are more Ice Bloons than normal ones, so hit all the Ice Bloons to win.
Myriad: Features a messy mix of Bloons and blocks of all types. Hit the special Bloons and use their powers to work around the blocks and pop as many Bloons as you can.
Chilly Chips: Features a circular formation of normal Bloons, Ice Bloons, and Triple Dart Bloons. Avoid hitting the Ice Bloons.
D in the D: Contains two groups of Bloons and blocks in D-shaped formations. Hit the Spiky Bloons for maximum destruction, then finish off any remaining Bloons.
Showertime: Contains a group of Bloons and blocks arranged in what is essentially an inverse of the chalice from Level 36. Once again, pop the Spiky Bloons to trigger a chain reaction that'll pop everything else.
Not so Hot: Contains a square of Bloons concealed behind a thick Tile Block wall, except for some Dart Bloons and a Pac-Man Bloon. Use those to get extra darts and use the Pac-Man to break through the Tile Blocks.
Ears: Contains a diamond formation of normal Bloons and Ice Bloons, with a few Tile Blocks in the middle. Avoid popping the Ice Bloons.
Bloon of Damacles: Contains a big square of Bloons beneath a Metal Block and Tile Block wall, plus some more Bloons above it. Clear away the upper group first (including the Bomb Bloon), then hit the Spiky Bloon at the top of the screen to send a spiky ball down to hit the lower group's Tack Bloons and set off a chain reaction.
The Matrix: Features a giant mess of Bloons and blocks; to win this one, pop the Pac-Man Bloons and use the Pac-Men to pop all the Spiky Bloons at the top of the screen and the Tack Bloons at the bottom of the screen.
Wrong Side: Another two-path maze level, similar to Level 26 but with Metal Blocks instead of Rubber Blocks, and only one direction is the right path; the top path contains Ice Bloons that'll get in your way, but the bottom path contains Tack Bloons that'll win the level for you with their chain reaction.
The End: A level packed to the brim with Bloons of all types; just hit any one of the Bloons to start a massive chain reaction to celebrate reaching the end of the game.

Legacy[]

As the first Bloons game ever made, this game gave rise to a wide assortment of other games. In addition to spawning many sequels of its own, Bloons also led to the creation of Bloons Tower Defense, which would become Ninja Kiwi's most well-known series. Bloons itself was also given ports on many different devices, including the iPhone, iPod Touch, PSN, Nintendo DSi, and Wii.

Additionally, in June 2021 Ninja Kiwi released a spiritual successor to Bloons known as Bloons Pop! Bloons Pop! retains the basic premise of using well-aimed shots to clear away large formations of Bloons, but mixes up the formula by having you use many different types of monkeys to pop the Bloons as opposed to just using a singular Dart Monkey.

Trivia[]

When a Pac-Man Bloon is popped and a Pac-Man is spawned, the Pac-Man intro theme plays. The theme lasts for roughly 5 seconds, which is why Pac-Men in Bloons are set to disappear in the same number of seconds so the timing would match up.
Due to copyright issues, the Pac-Man Bloon was omitted from all mobile/console versions of Bloons. Later, it was officially retired from the series from Bloons 2 onwards.