Bloons iOS

Bloons iOS
Information
Developer	Digital Goldfish
Publisher	Ninja Kiwi
Supported platform(s)	iOS 2.2 - iOS 10
Release date	April 14, 2009
Last updated (version)	1.2.4 (November 29, 2012)
Price	$2.99 USD Free (Lite & Lite+)
In-game purchases	No
Genre(s)	Puzzle, Casual
Age rating	Apple App Store: 4+
Game engine	Xcode (iOS)
In-game details
Tracks	150

Bloons iOS, also referred to as "The Original Bloons for Mobile", was an iOS application available in the App Store, requiring iOS 2.2 or higher at release. Bloons for iOS originally launched on April 14, 2009, and the gameplay was very similar to the flash version. The last version of this game was 1.2.4, released Feb 7, 2012, and requires iOS 3.0 or a higher 32 bit version, and is 5.2 MB. Before its removal sometime around Fall 2021, it was priced at $0.99 USD, formerly $2.99 USD. There were two demos, Bloons Lite and Bloons Lite Plus.

As of 10 Aug 2021, the app was rated 3.7 out of 5 stars by 178 ratings in the US App Store.

The game was removed sometime in Fall 2021 due to being incompatible with iOS 11 or higher, because Bloons iOS is a 32 bit app and those versions of iOS require 64 bit apps. The lite versions were removed earlier.

Bloons Lite & Bloons Lite +

There are two lite versions of Bloons: Bloons Lite and Bloons Lite+. Both lite versions contain a small amount of levels taken from the Flash bloons games, were free to download, and do not provide access to the level editor or the Golden Bloon on the main menu. Bloons Lite launched on June 04, 2009 with 12 levels, while Bloons Lite+ launched October 29, 2009 with 25 levels. The only differences between the two lite versions are the levels offered.

Lite Descriptions

Bloons Lite:

Logo

Lite gameplay

“	Bloons, the online flash sensation has finally landed on iPhone and iPod touch! Play as the mischievous monkey as you set out to pop as many balloons as possible using an arsenal of darts and special power ups. Follow Bloons on Twitter to receive the latest information at http://twitter.com/bloonsiphone Bloons is a simple yet hugely addictive game in which players must pop a target number of balloons in each level in order to progress to the next. Requiring skill, determination and a little bit of monkey magic, Bloons is a puzzling skill game which will have you begging for just one more go! Fans of the online game and those yet to experience the Bloons phenomenon are sure to enjoy this iPhone conversion. Enjoy this Free Lite version Featuring: All of the original Bloons favorites such as ice bloons, bomb bloons, tack bloons and helium bloons. 12 classic levels Simple pick up and play control system allowing players of all ages and skill levels to enjoy the game.	”
	~ Bloons Lite App Store Description

Bloons Lite+:

“	Bloons, the online flash sensation has finally landed on iPhone and iPod touch! Play as the mischievous monkey as you set out to pop as many balloons as possible using an arsenal of darts and special power ups. Follow Bloons on Twitter to receive the latest information at http://twitter.com/bloonsiphone Bloons is a simple yet hugely addictive game in which players must pop a target number of balloons in each level in order to progress to the next. Requiring skill, determination and a little bit of monkey magic, Bloons is a puzzling skill game which will have you begging for just one more go! Fans of the online game and those yet to experience the Bloons phenomenon are sure to enjoy this iPhone conversion. Enjoy this Free Lite+ version Featuring: All of the original Bloons favorites such as ice bloons, bomb bloons, tack bloons and helium bloons. 25 classic levels Simple pick up and play control system allowing players of all ages and skill levels to enjoy the game.	”
	~ Bloons Lite+ App Store Description

Gameplay

Bloons iOS plays very similarly to the original flash version, where the player controls a dart monkey and must pop a certain amount of bloons to pass each level. The main difference is instead of power fluctuating automatically, in the iOS version, the power of a throw is adjusted by sliding the finger in the iOS version.

Differences Between Flash and iOS

• iOS has all the mechanics present in Even More Bloons.
• iOS has a soundtrack, flash does not.
• iOS has a different set of levels from the flash version.
• iOS does not have Bloons World to upload custom levels online. Instead, iOS has a completely offline level editor.
• iOS controls power by sliding the touch input, while flash has power automatically fluctuate.
• iOS Bloons is paid, flash Bloons is free.
• The player in iOS Bloons can throw darts even while another dart is still on screen. This does not apply to Boomerang Bloon powerups.
  • This is actually required to beat some levels, notably Bonanza.
• Darts in iOS have a thinner hitbox, making Ice Bounce easier to beat without glitches.
• Addition of the Golden Bloon minigame.

Level List

Pack 1

• Level 48: Bonanza

Music

Bloons iOS Soundtrack "Tater Tots"

Bloons iOS has one soundtrack that plays constantly called "Tater Tots", and is presumed to be a royalty free track.

Version History

1.2.4

“	Minor bug fixes Check out Bloons 2, available on the App Store now!	”
	~ Bloons App Store Description

• Released February 7, 2012

1.2.3

“	Your favourite Bloon popping puzzler is now iOS 5 compatible. Also in this build: Minor Bug Fixes.	”
	~ Bloons App Store Description

• Released January 23, 2012

1.2.2

“	Minor bug fixes	”
	~ Bloons App Store Description

• Released October 16, 2009

1.2.1

“	Bug Fix: Fixed the monkey mystery popping bug on level 11 pack 3	”
	~ Bloons App Store Description

• Released August 13, 2009

1.2

“	50 more exclusive levels Bug Fix: fixed issue which causes crash on level 42 pack 2	”
	~ Bloons App Store Description

• Released August 1, 2009

1.1

“	50 more exclusive levels. Unlimited darts mode. Level editor. Support for playing your own music.	”
	~ Bloons App Store Description

• Released May 23, 2009

1.0

First version of Bloons iOS.

• Released April 14, 2009

Gallery

Screenshots

2x (upscaled by iOS on an iPad)

Digital Goldfish loading screen

The main menu, with pop-able bloons in the background.

Tutorial popup teaching the basics of Bloons.

Help menu page for boomerang bloons.

Help menu page for light sabre bloons.

Help menu page for helium bloons.

Help menu page for rubber blocks.

The first of three level packs. The levels haven't quite finished their animation in this screenshot.

The golden bloon challenge, accessed from the gold bloon with a question mark in the level select screen. Bloons randomly appear on the screen in a grid and the player pops them for points.

The screen when the player doesn't get a high score in the golden bloon challenge.

The 'My Levels' level pack, where the player can create 50 different custom levels.

The level editor, showing the 'Tools' panel. The user can tap and drag to place the selected item on the grid.

The light sabre bloon's appearance after being popped.

Three custom save slots

1x

Main Menu in Version 1.2.2, with an advertisement to play Bloons TD Mobile instead of Bloons 2 Mobile.

The level complete screen.

The second level pack, with the pack's level 50 selected.

Level 50 of level pack 2. Spiked balls are bouncing on the frozen bloons in the level.

Trivia

Silver award from Pocket Gamer

• It had received a Silver Award from Pocket Gamer, pictured to the right.
• According to Ninja Kiwi's 5th November 2021 blog, the App Store version of Bloons and Hot Air Bloon were removed due to newer devices and operating systems having compatibility issues with both games, and the final decision was to remove them.
  • This is despite Bloons 2 Mobile and Bloons TD Mobile also being 32-bit apps that cannot run past iOS 10, alongside other 32-bit apps that were not delisted. It may be that more players purchase Bloons 2 and Bloons TD 3 on iOS compared with Hot Air Bloon and Bloons.