An Item Balloon is a type of balloon in Diddy Kong Racing and its Nintendo DS remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS. As their name suggests, Item Balloons grant the racers with items to attack their opponents with when touched. Many Item Balloons appear in every course in the game. When touched, the balloons break and disappear for a short amount of time, but appear soon after for another player to grab.
Item Balloons come in five different colors: Red, blue, yellow, green, and rainbow, and the type of item given by them depends on their color. For example, Green Balloons give the player an oil slick, while Blue Balloons give them a speed boost. Additionally, balloons of the same color can be hit multiple times to earn powered up versions of the items earned from them. However, if a balloon of a different color is hit, the weapon from this balloon replaces the previous item, downgrading it. In the DS version of the game, this is changed so that the previous item is not changed when a balloon of a different color is hit, and the balloon instead simply breaks.
Items Given by Balloon
Note that some balloons give different weapons in the DS version. Also note that Power-Up Token upgrades are exclusive to the remake as well.
| Red Balloon
|
| Number of Balloons
|
Weapon (Nintendo 64 version)
|
Weapon (Nintendo DS version)
|
| Upgrade 1
|
One normal missile that can only fire forwards
|
One normal missile that can only fire forwards
|
| Upgrade 2
|
One homing missile
|
Five normal missiles
|
| Upgrade 3
|
10 normal missiles
|
One homing missile
|
| Power-Up Token Upgrade
|
None
|
Patroller Missile
|
| Blue Balloon
|
| Number of Balloons
|
Weapon (Nintendo 64 version)
|
Weapon (Nintendo DS version)
|
| Upgrade 1
|
A small speed boost
|
A small speed boost
|
| Upgrade 2
|
A bigger speed boost
|
A bigger speed boost
|
| Upgrade 3
|
A large speed boost
|
A large speed boost
|
| Power-Up Token Upgrade
|
None
|
Boost Vortex
|
| Green Balloon
|
| Number of Balloons
|
Weapon (Nintendo 64 version)
|
Weapon (Nintendo DS version)
|
| Upgrade 1
|
An oil slick or gas cloud
|
An oil slick or gas cloud
|
| Upgrade 2
|
A land or floating mine
|
A land or floating mine
|
| Upgrade 3
|
A bubble trap
|
A bubble trap
|
| Power-Up Token Upgrade
|
None
|
Trickster Mine
|
| Yellow Balloon
|
| Number of Balloons
|
Weapon (Nintendo 64 version)
|
Weapon (Nintendo DS version)
|
| Upgrade 1
|
A weak shield
|
A weak shield
|
| Upgrade 2
|
A stronger shield
|
A stronger shield
|
| Upgrade 3
|
A powerful shield
|
A powerful shield
|
| Power-Up Token Upgrade
|
None
|
Hide-me Shield
|
| Rainbow Balloon
|
| Number of Balloons
|
Weapon (Nintendo 64 version)
|
Weapon (Nintendo DS version)
|
| Upgrade 1
|
A weak, yellow magnet
|
A weak, yellow magnet
|
| Upgrade 2
|
An advanced, red magnet
|
An advanced, red magnet
|
| Upgrade 3
|
A powerful magnet the pulls opponents towards the player
|
A powerful magnet the pulls opponents towards the player
|
| Power-Up Token Upgrade
|
None
|
Magna Missile
|
