Platforms

Platforms are the basic components of every level that essentially are the various pieces of solid ground that can be landed on or bounced off of, and appear in the large majority of Balloon Fight games.
== NES/Vs. Balloon Fight ==
=== Variations ===
* Standard Ground
** These flat, grassy platforms are by far the most common. They vary in size, ranging from the large, singular platform seen in Phase 1 in the NES version, to only being two tiles wide as seen at the top of Phase 3 of the NES version. Most often these platforms will be the starting point for most Balloon Birds in the level. Sometimes, these will have stalactites hanging from them. 
* Stalactites
** Like real-world stalactites, they usually hang from the bottom of standard platforms, although there are some cases where they float freely and have a single tile of grass on top. Even though they seem to be pointed, they will not pop the player's Balloons if they were to fly into them.
** In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's version of the Balloon Fight stage, Stalactites can be broken when hit enough.
* Scoreboard Platform
** These special platforms only appear in Vs. Balloon Fight, and although they function as normal platforms, they are fairly tall and have each player's information (Such as score and remaining lives) displayed within them. Some phases, such as Phase 1, have Balloon Birds start out on top of a scoreboard platform. These appear in every level, midway through the stage vertically, and can be walked along all the way to and across the screen's border. 
* Start Islands
** These two platforms sit in the water, at the bottom of every stage. There is one at either side of the screen, and they continue all the way to the screen's border, allowing the player to walk across and use the wraparound effect. Player one will spawn on the left platform, and in two player mode, the second player will spawn on the right platform.
* Balloon Trip Start Platform
** This platform only appears in the NES version, in Game C, Balloon Trip. The platform will only appear at the beginning of the game, and does not reappear anywhere else. The platform itself flashes rapidly, and is only two tiles wide. Unlike the other grassy platforms, this one looks similar to a neon tube light bent into a rectangle, as it is brightly colored and is hollow in the center, rectangular, and rounded on the corners.
=== Ground Palettes ===
* Vs. Balloon Fight
** Green
*** Appears on phases 1-3 and 16-18
** Orange
*** Appears on phases 4-6 and 19-21
** Turquoise
*** Appears on phases 7-9 and 22-24
** Blue
*** Appears on phases 10-12 and 25-27
** Yellow
*** Appears on phases 13-15 and 28-30
* Balloon Fight (NES)
** Light Green
*** Appears on phases 1-3
** Red
*** Appears on phases 4-6
** Dark Green
*** Appears on phases 7-9
** Blue
*** Appears on phases 10-12
== Balloon Kid/Balloon Fight GB ==
While the grassy floating platforms don't appear in Balloon Kid or its remake, there are many various floating platforms and sections of ground that can be found throughout the game. In different levels, the ground and platforms use different graphics, and in the case of Balloon Fight GB, different palettes. For example, while the ground and platforms are more brick-like and man-made in Pencilvania, they are made of logs of wood in the Forest.
== Tingle's Balloon Fight ==
While all of the platforms present in Balloon Fight for the NES return here, the original palettes are no longer used. Instead, the level simply changes the time of day in place of the original palettes. Also, there are now wooden scaffolding platforms that appear when players three or four spawn on a stage. After the players move, however, the platforms eventually disappear.